Chianti Wine Tour: Origins of an Italian Wine in Tuscany

Chianti, one of Italy’s best-known wines, was born out of central Tuscany. Following my week of walking on the Via Francigena, I had the opportunity to spend a day on a Chianti wine tour learning about the origins of this famous wine.

The tour departed the town of Montecatini Terme, where I was staying, by bus on a Monday morning in October for the one hour and forty-five-minute drive south toward Ricasoli winery.

It’s a shorter one and a half hour trip from Florence and just 45 minutes from Siena.

The Ricasoli family has a long and storied history in the Chianti region.

Written records exist as evidence they owned Brolio Castle, a symbol of the region, and produced wine as far back as 1141.

However, it wasn’t until 1872 when Baron Bettino Ricasoli, two-time Prime Minister of Italy, came up with the original formula for Chianti wine, now known as Chianti Classico.

Our tour began with a one hour hike through the forest…