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I can't think of a better way to end the week than talking about wine... can you?

Wine & I are like two peas in a pod, so being in a region famous for it's vino production was a no brainer - we're going wine tasting.

We did a Chianti Wine Tour with Fun in Tuscany... and it was a LOT of fun! If you've ever been to Napa or another wine region, the name of the game is getting to as many wineries as you can. You walk up to the counter, they tell you about a few wines that you taste, and you head to the next one. This isn't the case in Tuscany (more specifically, Chianti) - everything is intentional.

Each wine is savored with specific foods & enjoyed over conversation and slow sips. It was amazing! Not to mention we were basically at the "family table" in these wineries. We were taught about each wine by someone in their family, while the grandmother was preparing us delicious traditional food, like tuscan soup, cheese, lasagna, and biscotti!

Three of the wines that this region is known for is the Chianti, Chianti Classico, the Super Tuscan, and the Vernaccia. And they're all incredible. A few notes on these blends!

Vernaccia is the white wine of the region. It can only be called Vernaccia if it's in the area of San Gimignano (in the same way Champagne is only called Champagne if it's made in that region of France).
Chianti & Chianti Classico are only categorizes as such if it is made up of at least 80% Sangiovese grapes.
Super Tuscan wines are the Tuscan winemakers way to get creative and not live under the strict Chianti rules.

If you have the chance to try any of them, enjoy! They're all great wines! And you'll know it's the real deal if it has a black rooster on the label (the one pictured below was only a table wine).

We also got to tour the ancient city of San Gimignano! It's been around since before the first century. Our guide told us it was the Manhattan of its day with over 70 huge towers! Only 7 still stand today, but the city was really cool to visit.

We really loved our wine tasting experience. We visited 2 different wineries and tasted 15 wines total! Luckily they were spread out so nobody was sloppy when we left ;)

We also got to try the olive oil made on site. I'm telling you, if the wine doesn't change you, the olive oil certainly will. I've never understood why people would shop at olive oil specialty stores.... and now I have a feeling I'll be one of those people. Dang it.

If you have the chance to go on a wine tour, DEFINITELY DO IT! We thought about renting a car and going on our own, but I have to say, having a tour & a scheduled wineries to visit really was great. Unlike Napa and other areas, there isn't a "wine trail" and many of these small wineries only work with tour groups and scheduled visits. Just something to keep in mind if you're in the area!