Fattoria Il Palagio is a winery in the middle of Tuscany. Think vast scenery of Tuscan landscape…read morewith vineyards, yeah that's it. Our Contiki group came here as part of our tour and we were treated to a tour of the cellar, a brief discussion about the winery, and wine tasting complete with cheese pairing. They also offered olive oil tasting which was not to be missed. We tried the chianti and the chianti reserva (aged longer). Both wines were very nice and affordable. I opted to buy a bottle of chianti to bring back in my suitcase whereas others bought them to ship back home. One girl bought a few bottles to smuggle in her suitcase. You're allowed to bring back 2 bottles at the most so I don't suggest trying it but she managed 10. We also tried the vinsanto with almond biscotti. That's a dessert wine the monks used to use as 'medicine'. Nowadays, they serve it with biscotti to dip into while sipping it as a dessert wine. They also sell special bubble wrap in the shape of wine bottles to protect your new investments for 2,10 euro. Not too bad if you think the TSA will be rough with your luggage and most of the time that's true. The staff was very kind and they take US dollars as well as euros.

I loved coming here. I went for a wine tasting and it was amazing. The wines are very tasty and…read morewell priced.

Wine tasting while the kids make fresh pasta? In Tuscany?!! Ummmm, yes please!! This place was a…read moredream! An absolute dream! I didn't book a cooking class in advance because I had no idea on our last trip just when we would be in Tuscany, but I knew I HAD to get my kids one! Wasn't leaving without one. Luckily, I came across this place who snuck me in a private class for the same day, at the time of MY choosing! Amazing! (Especially in prime time tourist season!) Communication was a tad iffy at first, but the owner himself called me and spoke English well enough to explain everything to me....the €50 per person price and they even send me the coordinates to this, one of a few locations of Torciano on Whats App. We were greeted so warmly by all upon arrival. The kids were told to wash up and then they were suiting in aprons. They were regular sized but the staff folded them just so to fit. I was immediately handed a glass of rose' and thought to myself "yaaaaaaassss". The kiddos were brought back to a professional kitchen with a chef who spoke pretty fair English. She had the kiddos mixing the flour for their own dough for pasta, chopping herbs and peppers with huge knife that honestly had me a tad nervous, but I trusted her. They boiled and peeled tomatoes for their sauce and rolled out their dough. They cut it by hand and not in a pasta making machine, which I personally loved! I actually loved the in consist shape and size of their noodles! It gave the dish such a rustic organic feel. I was such a proud mama!!! They mixed cheeses and plated their tri pepper crostini and their bruschetta. Not without a taste first. They also mixed sugar with marscapone for their tiramisu! It was a different type of tiramisu than I've seen. It was simply placed in a bowl. No fancy layers, just uber thick, creamy cheese with a powdered cocoa top. Since the kids are vegetarians they nixed making the white wine pork chop dish, which is usually included in this class. The chef did however still show us how to make it from afar and replaced that entree with a hearty omelette instead when it can time to chow down. All the while I was given a sample of the most incredible balsamic I have EVER tasted as well as many different wines. This was even before my proper tasting! They made me feel like royalty! We were soon seated at a lovely table where my tasting official began with a super informative, friendly sommelier!! I didn't try a wine I didn't like! I wound up purchasing the rose' and the prosecco, which is usually too sweet for me. This was actually on the drier more subdue (in a good way) side! I also bought an incredible cab sauv/Merlot Tuscan blend and their Vernaccia, a delicious crisp white. I was actually gifted a bottle of their All You Need Is Love, which retails at €120! It was fascinating to not only learn the process for making each specific variety, but also to hear which regions in Italy each grape grows and the reasons for the locations such a temperature etc. They also served us the 4 course meal the kiddos made! Everything was outstanding and that pasta I'm still dreaming about. Thick tagliatelle cooked perfectly al dente. It was UNREAL!! Our super kind waiter suggested I tried some pepporcini oil to drizzle atop the simple pomodoro covered pasta. It made the dish even more delicious, if you can imagine! It was the perfect amount of heat and flare. I bought a bottle of this to take home also. He said it was fantastic just drizzled over grilled veggies. It is!! I would absolutely recommend this place to anyone!! I appreciated them treated my nature 7 &9 year olds like adults in the kitchen. The class wasn't "dulled" down for them and they learned a ton. Since we've been home they've had a desire to help in the kitchen even that much more than they did before. They know how to properly chop veggies and use real knives. We plan on hosting a big family dinner making exactly this menu and popping open a bottle or two of their incredible wine. Overall such a wonderful experience for both my children and myself! Come VERY hungry and make sure to leave some room in your luggage for all the wine and oils you'll want to purchase. (I actually ditched most of my large toiletries and my hair dryer in exchange for these wines ((covers eyes)).) They do ship charging only a flat rate but you must buy a case of each type of wine, at a 30% discount though! Once I enjoy MOST of these bottles, I'm certainly placing a international order! It all just fantastic!

From the owner: Vieni a gustare la cucina toscana a Bottega Torciano! Bottega Torciano si trova a Poggibonsi, a…read morepochi minuti da San Gimignano dove gustare ottima carne alla griglia, pasta fresca fatta da noi e i vini della nostra azienda. Fatevi coccolare dai nostri antipasti, con i migliori salumi e formaggi toscani. I primi piatti comprendono pasta al ragù tradizionale o di cinghiale, la classica ribollita e la pappa al pomodoro. Oltre al menù stagionale, fatevi consigliare i piatti del giorno dal personale di sala! Durante le stagioni del tartufo, potrete gustare ad esempio piatti a base del tartufo che raccogliamo nella nostra Tenuta. Potete scegliere se accompagnare il vostro pranzo o la vostra cena con un bicchiere di vino o con una bottiglia ad esempio di Brunello di Montalcino, Chianti Classico o Vernaccia di San Gimignano, tutti di nostra produzione, che potrete anche acquistare al ristorante. Infine potrete deliziarvi con uno dei nostri dolci, sempre fatti da noi. Vi aspettiamo a Bottega Torciano!

My husband and I were on our 10th wedding anniversary and spent the day with David and Tuscan Wine…read moreDog. What a lovely day it was. I actually think we were probably the last couple to enjoy this beautiful space before Covid & Shelter in place occurred. We had a grand tour of the magical land, got to taste from the barrel in the cave and we dined on delicious local treats made by David. I still make the cannelini bean salad we had that day. You can probably tell but I shared a special day with Tuscanwinedog, he's lovely dog. Last but not least, was the delicious wine accompanied by the great conversation, I could have drank more, more & more! Thank you, we can't wait return and visit again. Cheers, Rae & Garrett Mill Valley, CA

This is definitely the best (and tastiest) wine tasting we ever attended. We booked the tour and…read moretasting and definitely enjoyed the behind scenes look at this family run winery. David was an amazing guide and during the tour did a fantastic job of sharing the history of the winery. The actual tasting and the accompanying snacks were wonderful. We can away with 3 bottles of wine and we plan to order more when we get home. Meeting Suleiman, the famed Tuscan wine dog was also a treat.

An incredible experience from the beginning to the very last sip of the delicious wines. Lorenzo…read moreand Beckie were warm and welcoming. Beckie's food presentation was beautiful. Lorenzo, one of the owners, was friendly, incredibly knowledgeable and obviously passionate about the winery and the long-standing family traditions and processes of winemaking. Don't miss this magical place.

From the owner: Producing wine and oil is our specialty, sharing it with others is our joy…read more We look forward to having a welcome drink together, then we can visit the company and the vineyard, discovering our work, until you get to the table, where we can share with you the fruits of our labor. During our tastings you can taste our organic wines, vin santo and our evo oil, accompanied by seasonal fruits and vegetables from our organic garden and carefully selected cheeses and cold cuts.

This was an amazing tour and total experience! Our tour guide, representative, wine educator, etc…read morewas excellent! Her knowledge of the property, the amazing history, and wine was so very nicely portrayed in her excellent tour. The history here is stunning too. Wines were so very good that we bought a case to be shipped back home, to the states. Check on buying wine, as they price it with shipping. The property is gorgeous and historic! Highly recommend this particular winery to visit and tour when visiting the area!

I was so excited to visit Castello di Verrazzano and I'm disappointed that I did not have a…read morepositive experience. As a Black woman from the U.S., I faced poor customer service and discrimination. My tour guide, Tomaso, was rude and condescending. First, he ignored me and other people of color in my group by not speaking to us or even giving eye contact at the beginning of the tour. Second, Tomaso told me that I wasn't allowed to record videos as this was the owner's rule and he demanded that I delete any videos from my phone. I felt that he was singling me out and trying to embarrass me. This "policy" was not shared in writing or verbally in advance. Also, I've seen other guests post videos on social media, even days before my visit, which included Tomaso's face. The energy of the tour felt unwelcoming. During the tasting, no one followed up to ask how I was enjoying the wines or if I was interested in purchasing. It felt like the establishment didn't care about my business. Next, the staff said I could take photos with my wine in front of the amazing terrace view, then they refused. The castle shouldn't schedule tastings right before closing if guests will be pushed out. The only reason I didn't leave a one star review is due to a good experience with an outstanding staff member. Sole was very nice and offered me a ride to my car! She's the kind of employee who should be rewarded for going above and beyond and providing wonderful service to guests. Overall, the castle was beautiful, but the tour was dry with no enthusiasm and the service was lacking. Some staff seemed more concerned with showing attention to white guests and heading home than providing a memorable visit for everyone. I envisioned a once-in-a-lifetime experience that would leave me feeling enlightened, supported, and valued. Instead, I felt dismissed, excluded, and disrespected. I will return to Tuscany, but to a different winery that prides themselves on excellent service and fairness for all.

The food was amazing. Service was amazing…read more The ambiance was amazing with olive trees, a farm and the beautiful sun of Italy full of grape vines. The Bolognese was amazing. The meat sauce was perfect and with adding the extra olive delicious. Their fresh charcuterie and cheese was to die for. The service was world class and very calm.

We had an absolutely wonderful time here as a part of a Trafalgar tour. The food and wine were…read morefantastic. The setting is beautiful inside and out. We enjoyed the tour up to the vineyard. Definitely go here if you have the opportunity!

Toured this beautiful winery with my daughter and a friend who lives in Montecarlo. It was…read moreinformative, and the wine and antipasto, delicious!

We went during the High Season when most wineries required a reservation and we were able to walk…read morein and begin tasting wines. The staff couldn't be any friendlier or more accommodating. They walked us through a tasting of about 5 whites and 4 reds. Everyone in out group found a couple wines they really liked. They made shipping wine back to the US very simple and even called a local restaurant and asked them to stay open and await our arrival (which they gladly did). If you're in the area I recommend you eat there (Osteria Del Vecchio Oliva)..it's about a mile away.

We had an amazing wine tasting and lunch experience here. Alberto guided us through his family's…read morehistoric wine estate. It is stunning; inside and out. He personalized the wine tasting to feature reds since they are our favorite ! The lunch was delicious and plentiful ! We ordered a couple bottles to even send back home. Highly recommend !

This experience was the highlight of our group tour to San Gimignano from Livorno. It was part of a…read moreNCL tour that included a visit to the medieval village, but with emphasis on the wine of the region. We were taken to this lovely estate, while dodging roosters and chickens as our bus entered through the main gate. It's such a picturesque setting for a wine tasting. I can see that many events are celebrated in these vineyards all year round. The beautiful rose bushes along the trail leading to the wine tasting room added even more charm. Gabrielle was our guide for this tour. He gave us a great presentation of all that Tenuta Torciano has to offer. It all started with the appetizer plate that went perfectly with their amazing Vernaccia wine. It is such a beautiful golden color with a bright and crisp fruity taste. The grape is only grown in this region. It's a must try when in San Gimignano. I was also very much in love with the Rosato IGT Toscana wine that is very deep pink in color. It looks so pretty in the bottle. It was my second favorite of the 9 or 10 different wines that we tasted. It was an extremely generous amount for the cost. I even purchased a couple of reds, which I'm not usually fond of because they give me headaches. These did not have that affect on me. The Super Tuscan red wines called Bartolomeo & Baldassarre totally won me over. In all honesty, I've never spent this much on wine in my entire life. It was worth it. They ship it straight to your home. They have a stateside warehouse in Chicago which makes it so convenient. The package arrived a couple of days after we returned from our trip. It was exactly what we ordered, and packed with such wonderful care. Great service! We also were given the opportunity to try their flavored olive oils and balsamic vinegar. The truffle oil was drizzled over the lasagna for the tasting, but it was the balsamic vinegar that was a big hit with my husband. We've been getting a lot of use out of it when making bruschetta and caprese salad at home. It's delicious! The sweet ending to our tasting was the Vin Beato dessert wine. We dipped the cantucci (or biscotti cookies) into the wine. It was the perfect ending to a lovely wine tasting experience. I really wasn't expecting a full meal, nor was I expecting so many different wine samplings. It exceeded our expectations. I believe they have a number of different experiences here like truffle hunting and horseback riding. Just check out their website. I would have never known about this place had I not booked a tour through the cruise line. It was a memorable visit with an excellent wine tasting. I'd do it again if ever in San Gimignano.

Went for a wine tasting and I'm not into a four hour tour so this was perfect for us, about an hour…read morelong. The property was beautiful and we did it on a patio with an amazing view of San Gimignano in the distance. We had five wines to taste and and an amazing charcuterie tray which was more than enough to be our lunch.

What an amazing stay!! Nestled in the Tuscan countryside, it was one of our trip's highlights !!…read morePricing is so reasonable given quality of stay & services. Our apartment had beautiful views, and the interior had a rustic country charm. Breakfast pastries just so delicious.. and the special four course dinner by the chef was just too good. Short walk to San Gimignano... a medieval town, that gives vibes of the Harry Potter railway station.. kiddo expected a vampire to snatch her away at every corner !! Overall just so good