Wine tasting in Tuscany

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I purchased a wine tour for me and Kevin for €49 each that included transportation to the Tuscan region, brunch at a locals farm, a tour of Casa Sola in the Chianti Classico, and visit to a medieval castle (that still housed 50 residents).
The bus picked us up from the train station at 10am. We already got a head start on the day by sharing blood orange mimosas with our Canadian friends that were also taking the wine tour. Within 25 minutes we were outside of Florence and witnessing beautiful countryside. Our first stop was at a local farm and market, where they had a table set up for the twelve of us. They served bread, sheeps milk cheese with an assortment of jams, prosciutto and wild boar salami, pickled cabbage, breakfast wine and a red that they had poured straight from the barrel. After filling our bellies we headed up the hillside for a better view of the scenery. There we met a friendly cow that loved to lick and be fed by Kevin. She was really sweet and liked attention. After taking a few pictures we got back on the bus and headed to our tour of a prestigious winery in the Chianti region. Our tour of the winery commenced on a terrace over looking the vineyards and hillside. We were then greeted by our guide who took us down to the vines and led us through each step of the wine production. Casa Sola took a lot of pride in their wine and were very particular about every aspect from the barrels to the aging process, which took a lot longer than most wineries. She even took us down to a 15th century man made cave that they still use to store the barrels. It's actually fully functioning, without them having to change a thing, aside from replacing a brick from time to time. The temperature stays relatively the same year round, with an arched sealing and windows that lead to nowhere to keep the humidity in (to keep the barrels from drying out). After a thorough tour of the winery we got to taste two of their wines, and olive oil that they also produce on the property. She taught us briefly what to look for and how to enjoy the wine, what the legs reveal and so on. It was very informative and interesting but I wish we could've tried more wine!Our last stop was a medieval castle on a hill, that was literally the size of a football field. It's funny because our guide gave us a map of the layout, as if it was actually possible to get lost. You could walk from one end to the other in under five minutes. We enjoyed some gelato and shared a bottle of wine we purchased for only €10 then headed back to Florence. It was a great and educational experience and so nice to leave the bustling city for the countryside!

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