Upcoming Chianti wine festivals

On 28 and 29 May 2022, there is a wine tasting event taking place in the attractive village of Radda in Chianti - Radda nel Bichiere. Earlier in the year, on the first weekend of June 2022, there is another one in Lamole in Chianti, I Profumi di Lamole. And the Chianti wine festival takes place in Montespertoli from 28 May to 5 June 2022. To take in some or all of these wine tasting occasions, you could find a place to stay on the Panzano in Chianti website.and for the Montespertoli Chianti wine festival on the Montespertoli website.

At Radda nel Bichiere

For September, there are two upcoming Chianti wine festivals to note in your agenda.

Chronologically, the first is the Chianti Classico wine fair taking place in Greve in Chianti, 45-60 minutes south of Florence and reachable by bus from Florence. The official name is the LI Rassegna del Chianti Classico (51st Expo of Chianti Classico wines). In 2022, this wine festival takes place from the 8th to the 11th September 2022 in Piazza Matteotti, the main piazza of Greve in Chianti. Note that you might have to park some distance from the venue due to heavy traffic - this fair is very popular. If you also plan to drink some wine, that's just one more reason to take the bus.

The Terre di Melazzano booth at the Rassegna del Chianti Classico

 

The way it works is that you buy a wine glass from the Cassa and Informazioni booth and this allows you to try a certain number of the wines displayed. You can both buy and order wine and olive oil at the booths. In addition to the wine tasting, a variety of events is offered during the four days, but I wouldn't over estimate their intrinsic interest. Click here for the 2022 programme. The Greve Chianti wine fair has a good number of Tuscan wineries represented, each offering all of the wines that they produce - mainly Chianti Classico, of course. My only objection to this fair is that when the weather is hot, few of the exhibitors take any steps to keep their wines cool. Some of them are left in direct sunlight and are distinctly warm when you taste them.

The second wine tasting event is Vino al Vino, taking place one week later in Panzano in Chianti, 10 minutes drive in the direction of Sienna from Greve and also accessible by bus from Florence. Vino al Vino takes place from 15 to the 18 of September 2022. To some extent, I prefer Vino al Vino over the Chianti Classico Expo if only because it is smaller, with about 21 wineries presenting their wines and olive oil, and has a more intimate atmosphere. I also find the food on sale better than in Greve. There's live Jazz on Saturday & Sunday from 6 until 8 pm.

Vino al Vino Panzano Chianti wine festival

For accommodation nearby the venues:

Greve in Chianti accommodation.

Panzano in Chianti accommodation.

Villa hotels.

Chianti wine festivals on Facebook.

Don't forget to visit my Tuscany Travel Guide! Up-to-date news on what to see and where to stay in Chianti and all of Tuscany. Tuscany Travel Guide

Author: Anna Maria Baldini

All content copyright © ammonet Italian Web Site Promotion 2013 - 2022. All rights reserved.

Wine festivals in Tuscany

Two enjoyable wine festivals in Tuscany are coming up.

Vino al Vino in Panzano in Chianti

The annual Chianti Classico wine tasting expo takes place in Greve in Chianti from the 8th to the 11th of September, 2016 in Piazza Matteotti, the main piazza of Greve. The way it works is that you buy a glass from the organisers' booth (Segretaria) and this entitles you to taste wines at the winery booths set out around the piazza. You can also buy wine, of course. There are also other events taking place nearby in Greve, musical, culinary and artistic. The programme can be downloaded from this web page: 46nd Expo of Chianti Classico wines. Be aware that parking is extremely hard to find during the fair. You might find it makes more sense to come to Greve by SITA bus, not just to avoid parking issues but also if you intend to taste a lot of wine.

In Panzano in Chianti, one week after the Greve wine fair (15th to the 18th September, 2016), we have Vino al Vino. This is a smaller wine tasting event than the Greve fair with food stands selling local specialities, plus some informal music. The main action takes place in Piazza Bucciarelli which straddles the main road (via Chiantigiana). Here you will have the opportunity to sample and buy wines from some of the smaller producers in the area as well as the larger properties.

More information on upcoming Chianti wine festivals.

More about Greve in Chianti.

More about Panzano in Chianti.

Author: Anna Maria Baldini

All content copyright © ammonet Website Promotion 2012 - 2016. All rights reserved.

Super Tuscan wines: what are super Tuscan wines?

For many visitors to Tuscany, our wines are one of the things they plan to enjoy while they are here. No doubt that's also why I fairly frequently hear the question: What are Super Tuscan wines ?

The answer is very simple but with interesting ramifications - super Tuscan wines are wines made in Tuscany that are very good to drink and that do not conform to one of the standard wine compositions - meaning the percentage of certain grapes used to make the wine.

Sassicaia - the first and one of the greatest Super Tuscans.

The Super Tuscans originated in the 50's and 60's when Chianti wine was not all that good - indeed, when it was plonk, and when there were even growers who proposed to rip up all the vines and put cows on the Chianti hills instead. That's how low morale had fallen. However, coincident with the introduction of modern wine-making techniques, a few lateral thinkers decided to grow non-native grapes and make blends with sangiovese, the best of the autochthonous Tuscan grape varieties, and in some cases the results were phenomenally good. Since then, the wine consortia that set the composition rules have become more flexible but nevertheless there are still excellent wines with grape composition outside the rules. These are designated IGT (the former "Vino da Tavola"). Most are good, some are outstanding, but remember that some are also indifferent. There's nothing on the bottle to guide you. You need to do some tasting and also read the wine reviews to know which Tuscan wines are super Tuscans and which are still simply just table wines. They don't have to be expensive (although the famous ones are very expensive) because there are more and more super Tuscan wines out there waiting to be discovered.

More about Super Tuscan wines.

More about the new Chianti Classico top quality designation.

Vacation rentals in Chianti

Chianti Italy Tourist Information

Author: Anna Maria Baldini

All content copyright © ammonet Infotech 2010 - 2013. All rights reserved.