We couldn’t spend a week in Tuscany without doing a whole lot of wine tasting! The first vineyard we visited was deep in the countryside, and produced not only wine and aged meats, but the most incredible balsamic vinegar – some of it 30 years old!
It was a wonderful experience to hear all about the wines and other products direct from the owner, who used to have a corporate job many years ago and gave it all up to do what he loves! We were fed delicious food matched with each kind of wine we tasted, which helped slow down the onset of drunkenness just a little (good job as it was only 10am…)
Have you ever tried 30-year aged balsamic vinegar on vanilla icecream? Neither had we but it was A-MA-ZING! It was so unexpected – alone on a spoon it just tasted like very good balsamic, but with the icecream it became like something more akin to chocolate sauce. Needless to say we got some shipped back home!
The second vineyard we visited was perched high on a hill overlooking miles of fields, olive groves and poplar trees.
We were fed yet more delicious cheese and cold meats, with fresh bread and a selection of different wines. By the end I had no idea which was which but had a brilliant day.
Last time we went winetasting it was in Napa Valley in California. We joined a tour bus (which is very unlike us) and although it was a lot of fun, we felt a little herded from place to place. This time we were lucky enough to have our own driver and interpreter which made all the difference. We could go at our own pace, soak everything up and linger a while by the open fire when we felt like chatting longer. Ahh that’s what honeymoons are all about…
You can read my other honeymoon posts here: (1) Florence / (2) Castel Monastero / (3) Winetasting in Tuscany / (4) Borgo Santo Pietro / (5) Pasta masterclass / (6) Pisa and home
