Truffle and Wine Tour

It is hard to put into words how much my wife and I enjoyed our truffle and wine tour this past August. Raffaella and Francesca (and her family) made us feel like we were part of their family. The whole experience was so unique (especially the truffle hunting part of it). People that enjoy this kind of thing usually go to wineries - but going truffle hunting with "Choco" (their incredible truffle hunting dog) and a true truffle specialist (Francesca) was a whole other level. During our trek, Francesca taught us so much about the region, their wines, and their way of life. It was incredible. The meal they prepared for us was next-level cooking and the truffle portions, as well as wine pours, were really really generous!! We had lunch at their beautiful family home, at their table. They even sat with us at times and even brought a cake and sang happy birthday to my wife. They were incredibly kind to us. We ended our visit at a nearby winery ("Fattoria San Michele a Torri"). The people there were terrific again, and they taught us a lot about their wines and wine in general. Once again, it is hard to explain how unique this experience was and I would strongly recommend it to anyone that can appreciate the Italian culture.

I can not overstate what a unique and valuable experience this was. The highlight of our trip.
We started the day at a rural villa/farm in San Miniato. The farm produces Chianti wine, pecorino cheese (from sheep), olive oil, honey, and truffle products. ALL from the land of the farm. We spent time outside with a truffle hunting dog “Choco” and the truffle hunter Francesca - who is also an incredible host and chef. Francesca owns the villa where we had our lunch.
After truffle hunting, we had a home-cooked meal of fresh truffle-based appetizers, truffle pasta, a side dish, and a dessert. The courses were paired with different wines direct from the vineyard/distillery onsite. This is not the wine tasting though! We were embarrassed to ask for more wine, but our guide, Vittorio, advised us that in Italy “wine is like water” and we began pouring our own glasses, and finished off a bottle of truly amazing wine.

We really enjoyed our lunch and speaking to Victorio about Italian history and politics. It was a very insightful conversation for two Americans. After lunch, we headed to another winery for a wine tour and tasting. We stopped at the city center of San Miniato.
San Miniato is a small Italian town with an interesting medieval history. There are no major landmarks here and it is not a tourist destination. It was a great experience to walk through this town. We felt a little bit like intruders being tourists in this town, but it was beautiful and we loved being there.

The winery was another great experience. Great tasting wine, great tasting olive oil, and great hosts/company. Vittorio was very knowledgeable and explained to us all about the different types of Chianti regions and wines, as well as some tips for getting the most flavor from the wines while sipping. This day was a highlight for our trip and worth every penny. It was a truly unique experience and we would recommend it to friends in a heartbeat.

We were a group of five that thoroughly enjoyed our day with our great guide, Matteo. He was personable, interested in his guests, and a had a great rapport with the truffle and winery folks. He was a professional sommelier and knowledgeable about a wide breadth of topics - enough to answer our questions for an entire day of touring! The farm that you visit for truffle hunting is about an hour outside of the city, so be prepared to spend some time driving about. The experience was authentic though - you really just go out with a woman and her truffle-sniffing dog tromping through her backyard. Lunch was delicious and the winery after was exceptional. Matteo was an excellent ambassador for Italy and we highly recommend booking this tour!