Ultimate Europe Trip 2016 Day 20: Wine, It's Win with an ‘E’ on the End
Last night we went to bed with our stomachs full, our minds relaxed, and our bodies ready for a deep deep slumber. That’s exactly what happened. It wasn’t until our alarms went off a little after 7AM this morning that we finally awoke to our first full day in Florence and our last tour of the Ultimate Europe Trip.
We got out of bed, and got ready for the day. At around 8AM after ironing our clothes with Jenn’s straightener (they don’t allow irons in this old hotel due to fire risk) we went down to the beautiful hotel restaurant for our included breakfast. It wasn’t a huge spread but it had just enough food to give us the energy we needed for the day. Jenn had scrambled eggs and bacon while I had their deli meats, cheese, and a cappuccino.
We left breakfast a little before 9AM and made the thirty-minute walk to the Tuscan Wine Tours office. The very first tour we booked after booking the Ultimate Europe Trip was this one. It’s a big reason why we chose to go back to Florence was to experience a small piece of Tuscany. The walk went so smooth that we got to the general area fifteen minutes early. We decided to explore the area a bit before going to the official meeting point.
When we did decide to go find where the tour started my iPhone said it would be on one side of the street but it ended up being on a completely opposite side. Sadly, we went from being five minutes early to nearly ten minutes late. We had to sneak into the office and sit in the back of a classroom for the first part of the tour. Reminded me of our college days.
The first half hour of the tour was set in the tours offices where we learned about the region of Tuscany, the wines they produce, and how to properly taste wine. It was similar to what we learned on our wine tour in Santorini but a little more in depth. We then practiced on a very simple Chianti in class. Luckily they didn’t make us spit out the wine.
After the half hour of the tour we boarded a bus with around fifteen others and we on our way out of Florence and off to the wineries. We visited three wineries in all. The first winery, Fattoria Montecchio was about a half hour outside of Florence. It was a beautiful winery, nestled on a hill overlooking the beautiful Tuscan countryside. When we arrived we went on a tour of the winery, watched them begin their harvesting of grapes, and went in to their main area for our tasting. There we tasted three red wines, two of them were Chianti Classicos and one was what they called a Super Tuscan wine, or in other words their own highly rated blend. With the wine we were served bread with olive oil.
All three wines were superb. We spent about twenty minutes enjoying our wine and going around taking pictures before getting back on the bus to go to our next stop. The next winery was Casa Sola. This is the winery where we spent more time learning about the wine process, especially the aging process. We walked around their winery, and even down in the cellars. Afterwards we then tried three of their wines, all three red, and all three incredible. This was our favorite wine of the day, so much so we actually bought a bottle to bring home with us.
Our final stop on the tour was Casa Emma. Here we were let off right at the start of the vineyard, got to walk around the vineyard on our own and see the grapes right as they’re about to be harvested. From there we we brought to their restaurant where we got to try four different wines, three reds and a rose. With it though we also were served lunch. We started off with a cheese and meat plate which both Jenn and I devoured. Then we were given a plate of fresh made pasta with tomato sauce. And the lunch ended with a chocolate biscuit. It wasn’t a spectacular lunch by any means but after all that wine the food was a big need.
The entire tour lasted six hours in total. It was one of the, if not the best tour we took our entire trip. The tour guide was great, not overly talkative but gave good information throughout the day. But best of all the tour let you enjoy the wine, food, and setting on your own pace. We had a great group with us as well that made the entire experience just an all around great time. We loved it so much that we bought a bottle of a wine, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar to bring home. We arrived back in Florence right at 3PM and just as we were getting out of the bus a thunder storm came out of nowhere. We made a run back to our hotel and took a nap with the sound of rain and thunder in the background.
We went back out a little after 6PM in search of dinner. Neither of us were very hungry or ready to drink any more wine but we wanted to make sure we ate something. Although the restaurant had an amazing selection of wines we stuck with water. My stomach was still recovering so I went with a giant salad for dinner which came with olives, sundried tomatoes, corn, egg, and avocado with a nice balsamic dressing. Jenn went with gnocchi with tomato basil sauce. It was a really nice light dinner in one of the nicer café’s we’ve seen in Florence.
We left dinner a little after 8PM and made the beautiful walk back to our hotel to turn in for the night. As our trip starts to wind down we’re starting to try and savor each minute. Today was a day that had us try some of the best wine we’ve ever had in some of the most beautiful places on earth. It’s again one of those days that left both of us simply happy. What more can you really ask for?
