We toured the vineyard just days after harvest and had a great experience. The views from the main…read morebuilding overlooking the vineyards are spectacular, especially when all of the leaves are changing color. Our tour guide, Daniella, explained the wines and motivation of Canneto while in the barrel room and made sure we had a fun tasting. The wines were all big and expressive of the land, packing a real punch without letting the alcohol overpower the taste of the grapes. Canneto is doing well recognizing their strength as a smaller producer in creating superior wines.

The price tag is a big hefty, but a wine tour with Tuscany Private Tours is oh so worth it…read more I was staying in the Castellina area of Chianti and was having a lot of trouble finding a company that would provide a private transfer to and from the hotel. Most tours leave from the Florence / Siena area, or have you meet them right at the winery. My feeling was that if I was spending a few days in Tuscany I wanted at least one day of not having to worry about driving to and from wineries. Thankfully we found Tuscany Private Tours and all was good. It is an extra 40 euro to add pick up and drop off at the hotel. But if you are going to all the trouble to arrange a private tour it would be the worst to have to drive 15-20 minutes to actually get to the tour. So again, you can really alleviate all driving with this if you want to. We took the 'Safari Tour' -- basically like a regular wine tour, except you get to cruise around in a super cool land rover. Our guide Paolo was awesome. He was super friendly and knowledgeable of wine and the area, and was overall just a really cool person to spend the day with. You visit three different wineries, tastings included at each and also have an included homemade winery lunch at your last stop. I liked that all three wineries have very different vibes. Our guide also mentioned that he chooses to do this on purpose. First stop -- a big commercial winery. Very cool to tour their production facility and then compare that to a production facility at a much smaller winery. Second Stop -- more of an urban experience. We visited a tasting room on the main street in Castellina. Paolo explained that he purposely takes people to this winery because it is one of the oldest in the area. After visiting several wineries in the rolling hills it was cool to also check one out in more of an industrial setting. Third Stop -- by far the best! Paolo took us to a very small winery. So small, that you'd probably only be able to find them if you have a tour guide that is friends with their family (ahem, Paolo). The grounds were absolutely gorgeous -- insane views of the Tuscan hills and gorgeous plants and greenery everywhere. We enjoyed a fantastic multi-course lunch -- pasta (of course), assorted crostinis, cheeses, meats and dessert. Because it's lunch (and maybe because it's the last stop?) we also had way more wine than just a taste. I'm here for it. If you want to try all wines before deciding which bottle to buy, they have every bottle available at the Tuscany Private Tour office. Tips for the tastings are included, but tips for your guide aren't, so be sure to bring some cash. Long review, but in short -- if you are not staying in the city and want to wine tour without worrying about driving then just do this. It's pricey but worth it for an incredible day. We will truly remember it forever.

Awesome wine tour! We had the best tour guide/driver GAIA! She was so sweet and we had the best…read moretime at all 3 wineries. We tasted a good mix of Chianti, Rosé, White blends, vin Santo (dessert wine), and a new fav Vermentino wines which you definitely can't find in the states! Ended the tour at a family farm house/ winery. We had a delicious farm to table lunch with limoncello and tiramisu to top it off. At the end of the tour you can "make your own box" of wines from each winery and ship it right to your house! Overall, excellent experience with the best views of Toscana, would def recommend to anyone looking for a private wine tour!

We had wonderful time on our honeymoon exploring different vineyards and tasting incredible wines…read morewith Alexandra. It was an unforgettable experience.

We had a private Brunello wine tasting with a sommelier and it was fantastic. They brought the…read morewines to our rented villa, we provided the food pairing. It was educational and fun. Alexandra and her knowledgable associates are highly recommended.

Davide is simply the best! My husband and I spent 2 days with Davide during our wedding/honeymoon…read more We would highly recommend Davide to anyone who is interested in seeing the Italian wine country!

From the owner: When visiting Tuscany, wine lovers like to have someone with local in-depth knowledge to share with…read morethem. I can give you an experience that will be refreshing, knowledgeable and fun in a way only a local sommelier can to give. I promise your time spent with me will truly be an unforgettable experience. Your adventure begins the minute you reach out to contact me; your friendly, English speaking, private guide. While with me you will learn all, you would ever want to know about wines from the Tuscan region with a deep understanding and feel for this beautiful land and for the people who live here and for those who dedicate their whole lives to wine making!

We had never travelled to Europe before and were looking for a special way to celebrate 30 years of…read moremarriage. When we found the Wine & Cooking in the Heart of Chianti and Florence, Tuscany trip on the CDV website, it seemed like everything we were looking for. Now that we are home, we look back fondly on a perfect vacation, and know we can't wait another 30 years to do it again. From the initial planning, CDV was super responsive and helpful in answering all our questions, and they sent detailed information about what to expect. When we departed for our trip, we felt comfortable that we were in good hands. Then, from the moment we arrived at the Florence airport, our host Lorenzo took over led us on the trip of a lifetime. The entire week was very well planned and organized, and we went to so many fabulous places, but whenever we discuss our trip, the thing that stands out most is the people we got to meet and spend time with: Lorenzo is an amazing host - fun, passionate, patient and knowledgeable. He did a great job transforming our group from strangers to close friends by dinner on the first day. He is a great person and we feel so fortunate to have met him. We still keep in touch with Lorenzo on WhatsApp. Gianfranco was not just our bus driver. He is part of our CDV family. Yes he got us safely from point A to points B, C and D comfortably and safely every day, but he also cooked with us, dined with us, and had fun with us. Unfortunately for Gianfranco, his job did not allow him to drink wine with us. Simonetta - our amazing chef and cooking teacher. We had two cooking classes with Simonetta and she prepared two of our dinners. I could talk about Simonetta for hours, but for this review I will just say that we love her. The cooking classes were so much fun and she is very special. CDV has close relationships with all the people we visited, and we especially enjoyed our time with Mourizio at Piombia; Enrico at De Rici - what a fun guy he is; Patrizia our cooking teacher in the Cortona countryside; Piero at Poggerino; and especially Simone and Chris at Castellinuzza e Piuca - I don't remember having a more fun evening than our time with Simone and Chris. There are too many others to list them all here, but every host was gracious and engaging. Grazie Mille CDV for a trip we will never forget!

VACATION OF A LIFETIME - ABSOLUTELY AMAZING…read more My lifelong dream has always been to go to Tuscany. After considering all options, I chose the Culture Discovery "Wine and Cooking Under the Tuscan and Umbrian Sun" vacation. I wanted to see the countryside, the small towns, the history and how the people really live. CDV gave me exactly what I was hoping for, and so much more. Italy was everything I had ever imagined it would be - the people; the food; the ancient, interesting small, hill towns; the spectacular scenery. I cannot say enough about how friendly, warm and welcoming every single person was. They truly made us feel like we were one of the family - family I would love to visit often. The other guests on the tour were a wide range of ages and from all walks of life. They were interesting and fun and everyone came together to have and make the best possible experience they possibly could. The small group size also contributed to that feeling of family. Our accommodation was absolutely gorgeous and CDV had thought of every possible comfort and welcoming kindness. The sightseeing trips were wonderfully selected, the cooking classes were more interesting and fun than one could hope for and the food and drink were just plain amazing. I would never consider traveling with another company after the incredible time I had with CDV.

Our family of five adults booked a half day custom tour a few weeks in advance for the 2016 holiday…read moreseason (Christmas & New Year's Eve). Never one to put all my eggs in one basket, I also booked two other tours with competing tour guides in Florence. If I had the chance to do it all over again, I would 100% use Florence Custom Tours for everything: food tour, museums, artisan shops, etc.. Scheduling the tour via email was easy and they even helped me modify one of their classic tours so my family and I could explore the city on our own terms. Our guide (Chiara) met us near our rented apartment and within a few feet started teaching us about hidden gems in the neighborhood that we had walked past dozens of times unnoticed. She was extremely knowledgable, courteous, patient, and also a "foodie" (Chiara helped mix in some delicious eats between our visits to the Uffizi and Galleria dell'Accademia). I would highly recommend Florence Custom Tours to anyone visiting this wonderful city and I will definitely be using them again upon my return.

From the owner: Custom Florence Tours tailors private & small group tours in Florence & Tuscany. Our Florence…read moretours focus on unique & off the beaten path sites as well as all the must see. Our Tuscany tours focus on small Chianti & Brunello wineries that have been rated 90 or more on Wine Spectator.

We did a Chianti Classico Wine tour with Tomasso on April 27th. It was the best day ever!!!…read more Tomasso took the time to show us the best of the local family vineyards. We also had a few stops in addition to the wine tasting- like at a meat and cheese store in Greve, and a small village with a castle wall around it - SO quaint and wonderful to see!! This made our day even more special. We highly recommend booking your wine tour with de Gustibus!!

Absolutely a great time to tour Florence on a sidecar. Gilberto and Ricardo took four of us older…read moreladies for the ride of our lives and we loved it. Visited landmarks in fFlorence and some of the best view in the city. It was educational, exhilarating and just cool. It end with an aperitif at a cozy restaurant. This is a tour not to miss.

Individually tailored experiences. Must have. Professional sommelier.read more

Yana treated my wife and I to a fantastic wine and cheese tour of the Montalcino area. We saw…read moreseveral family-run wine producers and sampled incredible wines and also artisanal honeys. Then, we went to a local family-run dairy farm where we were provided a generous sampling of pecorino cheeses and also got to see the animals. Yana gave us a tour that was both enjoyable and educational. It was great not only to try the wonderful wines and cheeses, but to also meet the people behind them and gain a deeper appreciation of the immense effort that goes into them. All in all an amazing experience. A must try. 5 stars.