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Sergio Ceccherini's scenic tours of Tuscany, Italy
That's Sergio in the white shirt. A tour of some wineries of TuscanyIf you've decided on a Tuscan wine tour, or a tour of Tuscany without wine tasting, then this is the site to browse. When most people think of touring Tuscany, they're unknowingly referring to the Tuscan areas of Chianti or the Val d'Orcia. These are the places we've all seen on so many calendars and postcards of Tuscany. My scenic tours of Tuscany and Tuscan wine tours are focused on giving you exactly what you expect. Splendid Tuscan scenery, and, of course, wine tasting in Tuscany and Tuscan cuisine are my specialities. I won't bore you with history lessons, we'll just have a good time feasting our eyes and taste buds for a whole day of Tuscan touring.
How to organise a wine tour of Tuscany?So what's the best way to go about touring Tuscany? Well, the first idea that comes to mind is to hire a car. Touring Tuscany with your own transport gives you a lot of flexibility. However the main roads are very busy and the traffic around Florence and Sienna is intense, with very aggressive driving. Road signs on the small country roads in Tuscany are illogical and uninformative, and getting around Tuscany for the first time can be frustrating. The historical centres of most Tuscan towns are banned to private vehicles and finding a legal parking spot can be a nightmare.
Another alternative is public transport, but most wineries in Tuscany are located at the end of dirt tracks and well away from the main bus routes. You'll do a lot of walking (which will certainly be fun), but it's unlikely you'll visit more than one winery in Chianti during the day. The frequency of buses in the rural areas of Tuscany is also very limiting.
Hire a driver guide for your tour
So if you want to enjoy your Tuscan tour to the utmost, a great alternative is to hire a driver guide of Tuscany, and it's even better if you hire me! A driver guide of Tuscany means peace of mind. As your driver guide of Tuscany, I'll guarantee your enjoyment without stress. Traffic, aggressive drivers, narrow roads and directions will be my problem, not yours. And you'll also be free to enjoy your Tuscan wine tour without worrying about how much alcohol you have in your system.
My Tuscan wine tours• Our tour of Tuscany will be at your own pace.
• I'll pick you up wherever you may be: Florence, Sienna or your country holiday home in Tuscany.
• My experience of touring in Tuscany and wine tasting in Tuscany allows me to deliver more enjoyment per hour than any other form of travel.
• If you're tired of crowds, I'll get you out of them. Your Tuscan wine tour will be intimate.
• I'll drop you off in front of the sights of Tuscany and not a half hour's walk away.
• I'm available for advice and help beyond the day of Tuscany touring, in the case of unforeseen problems.
When to do a sightseeing tour of Tuscany?So when is the best time to travel to Tuscany? Travelling in Tuscany is a year round activity and you can really come at any time because every season has its own charm. Of course, during winter in Tuscany it does get cold, but certainly not as compared to central and northern Europe. The less busy periods for travelling in Tuscany are the months of April, May and October. November is also a great moth for travel in Tuscany as it's the month of the olive harvest so you'll also be able to live this important moment of Tuscan lifestyle.
What can one expect from a Tuscan wine tour?What to expect on a Tuscan wine tour? Well I can't speak for others but this is what you'll get with me.
My tours are not about the art and architecture of Tuscany, but rather about the scenery, countryside and wine of Tuscany. My tours are about having a good time, enjoying beautiful Tuscan scenery and the best in Tuscan wine. I'll explain the Tuscan countryside from a historical and agricultural point of view, we'll talk about the history of farming in Tuscany and, of course, Tuscan wine culture. Then we'll stop in the many Tuscan beauty spots for some great photo opportunities, above all, without being hurried. The highlights of the day are my wine tastings in Tuscany. I've chosen my favorite Tuscan wineries and even my basic tours will guarantee a feast for your taste buds. For those who are particularly passionate about Tuscan wine, I have specialty Tuscan wine tours where we taste those Tuscan wines that have received scores of 90 plus in publications around the world. However, a Tuscan wine with 90 plus isn't enough, I also have to like them, and they also have to have a good track record with my clients.
The Chianti Classico area of TuscanyThe area we're most likely to visit on one of my Tuscan wine tours is Chianti Classico, home of Italy's most renowned wine and probably the area with the most outstanding Tuscan scenery. The Chianti Classico area begins just south of Florence and reaches all the way to the north of Sienna. This region has in recent years hugely improved in wine quality and the area has also gained a name for the notorious Super Tuscan wines.
What is Chianti Classico? My Tuscan wine tour will take us to the heart of one of the eight Chianti subzones, and Chianti Classico is the oldest defined Tuscan wine production area. The symbol of the Tuscan wines from this area, dating back to 1716, is the black rooster. However, to have the black rooster on the bottle the wine has to made from 80% Sangiovese grapes. Producers may use other native red grapes, or "international" varieties, such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, with a maximum ratio of 20% and a minimum alcohol level of 12° and 12.5° for the Chianti Riserva. As we proceed with our Tuscan wine tour, I'll explain the rules governing the vineyards. Fo example, they may only begin production of Chianti Classico four years after planting. The permitted yield for Chianti Classico is 3.34 tons an acre, roughly 559 gallons, and each vine is limited to 6.6 pounds. The release date for Chianti Classico is October 1st of the year following the harvest. For Chianti Riserva, there's a minimum maturation of 24 months, including at least three months of bottle aging. However, don't bother learning all this now; we'll talk about these topics on my Tuscan wine tours.
Photographic tours of TuscanyWill you get some good photographs of Tuscany? Of course, that's why my company is called Scenic Wine Tours in Tuscany. My two passions in life are photography and wine, so for my tours of Tuscany I've chosen the best wineries in Tuscany, and also the best itineraries for photography in Tuscany. As a guest once put it, a tour of Tuscany is "an overdose of scenery". My Tuscany wine tours take us through the incredible Val d'Orcia (Orcia Valley), and Chianti Classico, the two most photographed regions of Tuscany. Being a photography buff, I've know all the classic Tuscan postcard scenes, but I've also found a few Tuscan beauty spots of my own too.
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