A Chianti Wine Tour

For our Chianti wine tour, we decided to take the twisty and windy route across the Chianti hills via Radda. We were rewarded for our efforts with picture card views towards Sienna.

Our little car easily wound through the Chianti hills past vineyards, wooded hills and magnificent scenery.

We enjoyed every minute of this trip. Green slopes, rustic stone houses, fairy tale villages, and bouganvillia covered walls are frequent.

The wines of Tuscany are famous and I have been told (not by an Italian) that they rank with the finest reds in France, especially the Chianti Classico.

The Chianti wines are known everywhere with the Chianti Classico most highly regarded. It's a lively ruby red with a mellow flavour and a bouquet of violets. It can be light and fruity or dense and long lived. Rocca delle Macie is reasonably priced.

Some good producers to look for are Antinori, Badia a Coltibuono, Brolio, Fattoria Selvapiana, Monte Vertine.

Tuscany has many magnificent wines from the remarkably fine Brunello di Montalcino, a brilliant red served with game and roasts, to the rich, rugged almost purple Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.

Also there are the white wine Vernaccias from San Gimignano notably literally Vernaccia di San Gimignano. This is traditionally a golden coloured wine. Teruzzi e Puthod makes a good Vernaccia.

Our Chianti wine tour is planned as a repeat performance as soon as we can whilst staying in a World's Best Chianti agriturismo. Great wines, splendid surrounds, great people.

Absolutely magnificent Chianti.