On a recent trip to the Cortona area of Tuscany, Italy in September, six girlfriends and I visited the Baldetti Winery (Azienda Agricola Baldetti Alfonso; Loc. Pietraia 71/a - 52044 Cortona) for wine tasting and a cooking class. I made the reservation about a month in advance. From the minute of arrival, the Baldetti family and the staff at the winery could not have been nicer. Gianluca Baldetti greeted us, then turned us over to Marketing Director, Giulia, who translated the entire day. Paola Baldetti, wife of the winery owner, taught the cooking class. We had coordinated in advance for one of the participants who is Vegan, and the entire day flowed very smoothly. Generous pours of all the wines they make at the winery were served throughout the class and at lunch. The meal was a traditional Sunday afternoon Italian dinner, even though the class was on a Thursday. Dishes included homemade pasta with beef ragout; for the Vegan, the pasta was without egg with a tomato/garlic sauce. The main dish was roasted pork loin stuffed with sausage, pistachios and apples along with potatoes roasted with olive oil and rosemary; for the Vegan, Panzanella, a Tuscan salad made with bread, olive oil, and local fresh vegetables plus tofu. Dessert was Harvest Cake, a buttery, crumbly cake baked with Paola's homemade cherry marmalade in between the layers, traditionally served during the grape harvest. For the Vegan, dessert was fresh fruit salad. The cost was very reasonable at 75 Euros each which included several glasses of champagne and various rose and red wines, along with the cooking class and the food. Do the wine tasting and if you have the time, the cooking class. It was scheduled from 10 am to 2 pm but we left around 3 pm after eating, a winery tour, then buying wine and olive oil to take home or ship. The winery even sent us home with the leftovers which we ate the next day on our final day in Italy. Wine was shipped quickly and arrived in about a week or two after the trip ended. If you love good food, wine, and cooking, this is a must. read more