Vino Vino Vino!

Location: Poggio Casciano, Ruffino Winery

Who says you can't start the day with wine? After doing our research (and some help from cousin Dan), we came across this AMAZING winery. We really wanted a private, relaxing tour and tasting and that's exactly what we got. I had the most amazing morning with my friends at Ruffino Winery.

Our options ranged from low to high prices, short to long durations, and little to a lot of information, touring, and tasting. We chose "Ruffino: the Taste of Tuscany," which included a little history of Ruffino, a tour of the winery and cellars, some bread and oil, and the tasting of four different wines. Our guide, Greta, was so personable and welcoming that it really made our tour comfortable. Her youth and personality matched ours perfectly, making conversation easy and enjoyable. The four of us definitely aren't wine professionals, but Greta was so patient with our lack of wine knowledge and our obsessive photography!

Poggio Casciano was Ruffino's first vineyard estate and is their main touring center. The estate is beautiful and relaxing with, of course, a great view of the vineyard. We first learned about the Ruffino history as we enjoyed the patio area and the main hall. Greta then took us to the production center and through the wine cellars and taught us how the wine is made and stored. Once we took as many photos as possible, we made our way to our tasting.

Ruffino was the first Italian wine to be exported to the states, but they do have their exclusive Italian wines. Our tasting included 3 red wines and 1 white, all four are scarce in America. My favorite was their red Chianti Classico: Riserva Ducale Oro, AKA their Gold Label. It was the an even mix of sweet and dry, the perfect wine to go with dinner!

The best part of the tour was that it was private. My friends and I have realized we really prefer the small private groups opposed to the large tourist groups. (That's just us, tour groups can be just as great!) With just the five of us, we were all able to hear and see all parts of the tour. Only two other groups arrived during our tour and we were not interrupted by them at all.