Sadly my twelve day tour of Tuscany is over. And I may need to buy new clothes after all of the fantastic food and wine I enjoyed while I was there! When I think of Tuscany I picture rolling hills, medieval towns and endless grapes vines and olive trees. The scenery is reason enough to come to Tuscany but the other main reason is the fabulous food and wine. I cannot think of a bad meal I had while I was there. From a simple caprese salad or pasta to multi-course meals (a special thanks to Alessandro of Casale del Cotone in San Gimignano for the amazing meal!), the food is fantastic.

Italy is known for its wines and for good reason. Wine is produced all over Italy and throughout the Tuscan region. I went to two of these regions, Chianti and Montalcino where Brunello wines are produced. In Chianti I went on a wine tour which included two wineries and a visit to two medieval towns. I tasted many fabulous wines, including Chianti Classico and some reserved wines, plus the olive oil, truffle oil and balsamic vinegar produced at each respective winery.

In Montalcino, I sampled various kinds of Brunello wines at the wine shop in the fortress. All of them were amazing! Brunello is becoming increasingly popular and winning awards. They can be more expensive than Chianti and started at about twenty euros a bottle at the fortress shop with many options to choose from.

But you can also spend a lot more!

The great thing about Tuscany is that you can find great food and wine at reasonable prices. Pasta at a small cafe can be inexpensive and delicious. Wine can be purchased in the grocery store for under a euro, and I have tried it and it wasn’t terrible, but not great either so I do recommend spending a bit more than that. Decent house wine can be found for six euros a litre, and a good bottle for nine or ten euros in many restaurants. Whatever your budget you can find a place to sample the wonderful food and wine of this region. Plus, the views cannot be beat!