Best places to eat and drink in Florence

Florence is a super fun city, I feel like it’s just the right size that’s small enough to walk everywhere but also big enough to have lots of things to see, eat, and drink. Here are some places I’ve enjoyed during my last trip.


Where to drink

  • Enoteca Pitti Gola e Cantina - Located right in front of Palazzo Pitti with a nice view outside. Great wine selection and fun wine flights with various older vintages. Food was great too!

  • Signorvino Firenze - Wine shop/bar with a great view of the Ponte Vecchio. Make sure to reserve in advance for the patio table. Long lists of wines by the glass.

  • Rasputin - Fun speakeasy with creative and delicious cocktails

  • View on Art Rooftop Cocktail Bar - Rooftop bar with the view of duomo

Best restaurants

  • Osteria dell'Enoteca - Affiliated with Enoteca Pitti Gola e Cantina so great wine selection. No official wine menu but you work with the Somm to pick a bottle from their selection! Known for steak.

  • Osteria Tripperia Il Magazzino - Fun tripe dishes if you are up for it! Tripe ragu pasta and tripe in tomato sauce were both delicious.

  • La Buchetta Food & Wine Restaurant - We skipped the more famous Osteria Dall'Oste and went here instead for steak. Felt cozier and the steak did not disappoint especially with a bottle of Brunello di Montalcino.

  • ANTICA FRIGGITORIA DELL'ALBERO - Napoli style pizza to-go spot for under 10 euro! Recommend if you are in the area

Others

Todo Modo - had this book store/wine shop bookmarked but never made it

Wine windows

See the full detailed post about best wine windows in Florence here.


See more wine travel on Instagram

Love being surrounded by all the greenery in Napa this time of the year 💚 Small but adorable and friendly tasting room in St Helena! Part of the Schramsberg fam so you get to taste reds and sparklings Bonus point for being so close to Azteca, the
Wineries that allow picnics (of offer food) are so clutch when you are trying to fill the day with more wineries🤣 This was a 3rd winery during my latest trip to Sebastopol and was possible because we got to bring food 🤗🙌 (from @pascaline.patisse
Have you gone tasting in Sebastopol? Great area to visit and find small family owned wineries that are laid back and so friendly! This tasting room had an adorable garden and a unique lineup of great wines. Think Italian varietals, red & white
This place makes you feel like you are transported to a small rural wine region 💫 Away from the main road, you will find this boutique family owned winery with a line up of unique varietals. (Have you heard of Picpoul Blanc?!!) Tasting started wit
Found a little gem in Healdsburg 🥰 Was delighted by this adorable setting, and then found out tastings come with wood fired pizza on weekends! I mean…😍 and every single wine we tasted were so good! Added another winery to our membership lis
I’ve been lazy about making weekend plans and Sonoma square is becoming my go-to for last minute weekend activity 😆 Was able to get a same day reservation at Sosie and so glad I did. Small new winery! Felt unique when we saw sparkling red, C
Brought this amazing bottle to enjoy with this view 🥰 From a new boutique winery in Paso founded by a wine loving couple! Small line up as wines tend to sell out but got to taste three of their amazing wines. 📍: @topwinery 🍷: tasted Grenache, G
I’ve been trying to better understand my preferences for sparkling wines so added Roederer to the list for my trip to Mendocino Tasting flight includes a side by side of the same blend in a regular bottle vs. Magnum and it was SO FUN to taste
🌟Save this place for your next trip to Northern CA🌟 Did you know there’s another Twomey tasting room in Anderson Valley? Twomey’s been on my list and when I saw they have another location on the way to the Mendocino coast, it was a mus
Super chill and inviting tasting room! Bonus points for this view and a great #cabfranc 😍😆 Heard Cab Francs are getting sold out everywhere in Napa, go get them before they are gone! Or don’t… so I can get them 🤣 📍: @reverie_wine



Where to go wine tasting in Tuscany: Montalcino wineries

Tuscany is a dream destination, not only for wine lovers but for anyone dreaming of picturesque vineyard hills and cypress trees. If you are planning a wine focused trip to Tuscany, Montalcino might be on top of your list as the birthplace of Brunello di Montalcino, one of Italy's most celebrated red wines.

I recently spent two nights exploring wineries and restaurants, and did a lot of research to visit mix of wineries that are small and big. Here’s the list of wineries with good wines and views:

Winery in an ancient Castle: Castello Tricerchi

Working winery is part of the family castle from 1441 located on top of the hill with an amazing view.

Historical family winery: Conti Costanti

Constanti family was the first to call red wines “Brunello” along with other producers in Montalcino in 1800s.

Most unique: NostraVita

Small family owned winery with lots of arts and unique museum like elements throughout the property. Amazing view.

Picturesque ground: Le Prata

Boutique winery and a hotel with a quintessential Tuscany building and ground.

Best tour and cellar: Argiano

One of the biggest wineries I’ve visited. Impressive cellar tour including their own wines along with a private collection of world class wines.

Other wineries I didn’t get to visit

I didn’t personally get to visit but have heard great things or got to taste them throughout the trip: Le Chiuse, Castel Giocondo, Tenuta Le Potazzine, Casanova di Neri, Uccelliera

Discover Florence's Best Wine Windows: A complete guide and review of 7 different wine windows

Florence is such a charming Italian city with amazing food and drinks. Tucked away in its narrow alleys and quaint corners are the cherished wine windows—portals to a delightful sip of local culture. The historical “Buchetta del Vino” (little wine doors) started back in 1600s to safely sell food and wine during the plague. There were 100+ of them but only a handful of them operate now all over the city.

When I found out there are more than one operating window, I had to try all of them. I ended up trying 7 out of 8 and thought each of them had their own charm. Here’s the summary of the ones I tried.

  • Babae: Window with the most wine selection. Most places have red, white, and prosecco but Babae also has orange wine! This might be the most well-known window.

  • Osteria San Fiorenzo Close to Bascilica of Santa Croce. There was a Christmas market in the plaza when we went. Has outdoor seating.

  • Ristorante Pietra Bianca They had a variety of spritz and cocktails on the menu. Their bell was the most fun to ring. Has outdoor seating.

  • Cantina de pucci Close to Duomo, friendly staff. You can sit and drink on their outdoor patio.

  • Il Latini Enjoyed their Prosecco! Not a huge difference, but was €6 a glass compared to €7 or €8 at others.

  • Osteria Belle Donne Pretty flower decoration. Make sure to knock hard 🤣

  • Fiaschetteria Fantappie Doubles as a wine shop, you can make a longer wine stop out of it. Didn’t see an official menu but I think you have a bit more wine choices here if you order inside and receive from the window. Has outdoor seating. Super friendly and gave us the wine map that started this tour of wine windows.

A few of them had outdoor seatings where you can sit and drink. You have to return your glasses or you can get them in a to-go cup. Note that wine selections are limited (you are not choosing between a Barolo or BDM), think house wines by the glass at restaurants. But all wines I’ve tried were decent and you can always opt for an Aperol Spritz! The only places with a very short line were Babae and Osteria Belle Donne, but there were just 1 or 2 other groups (I went in November). Wines cost €6-8 and spritz are usually ~€8-10. If you are in Florence and walking around the city, you will most likely find one nearby so definitely stop by!




Best place to stay in Tuscany: Agriturismo in Montalcino 

When I travel to wine regions, I always love staying at a winery owned hotel to best experience the region. Most wine regions have various wine or local produce farms operating a bed and breakfast. Different countries and regions have various names for them (for example, you can search for “Masseria” in Puglia) and in Tuscany, they are called “Agriturismo.” When I planned a trip to the Montalcino wine region and had a few criteria for choosing a place to stay.

  1. Must be close to the main town and other wineries in the region. I didn’t want to drive too far out so we can relax entirely at the resort but also easily get to town when needed.

  2. Picturesque view. We are in Tuscany, so the iconic cypress trees and a nice view of the vineyards was one of the priorities.

  3. On-site wines and dinners so we can dine and wine without having to drive. You can’t rely on private transfers or taxis in small Tuscany towns.

After various searches, I chose Villa Le Prata and loved every single minute of it. Here’s why I recommend the hotel:

Beautiful property and the ground

  • Infinity pool and jacuzzi with a vineyard view.

  • Cypress tree lined entrance. 

  • Traditional Italian building and well decorated gardens.

Spacious and renovated rooms 

  • 2023 is the 2nd full season since opening and the rooms were very clean, well renovated, and spacious. 

  • Most rooms also have windows with a view.

Wine and Food 

  • Group wine tastings based on their weekly schedule and private tasting can also be arranged for a fee. I absolutely enjoyed their wines and ended up purchasing bottles to take home. 

  • They also produce olive oil and you get to taste them during meals or wine tasting. We also bought a bottle of it to take home. 

  • Amazing breakfast buffet is included with your stay and you can have dinner on the property as well. Choose between 3 or 4 courses, both including a glass of wine. Fresh seasonal ingredients. 

Affordable luxury resort experience

  • Nice price point compared to other high-end hotels in the area, and still feels luxurious.

  • They offer fun experiences like cooking class, harvest, dining under the stars, and you really don’t have to leave the resort.

Overall experience was exactly what I was looking for when staying at a wine resort in Tuscany. I would love to go back during warmer months and when vineyards are more green to enjoy the scenery and additional outdoor activities!

Best restaurants in Reims and Epernay, Champagne

Champagne is one of my favorite wine travel destinations! It is Eesy to get to (1 hour train ride from Paris) and tons of places to eat good food and drink amazing Champagnes. Here are some of the best restaurants for food and good Champagne list

Reims

Epernay

  • La Grillade Gourmande - Love the outdoor garden seating, great wood-fire cooked menu and wine list

  • Chez Max - No frills, traditional French food. Super friendly and great wine list. Get the table side beef tartare!

  • Sacré Bistro - Ran by the same team as Sacre Burger, they always have a good lunch special

  • Les Avisés - This is a bit of a drive from Epernay but so worth it! Ran by the famous Champagne producer Jacques Selosse, great course meal that will definitely fill you up

  • I didn’t get to these places but have heard good things about La Table Kobus, Why Not, L'OBEN

If you are planning a trip to Champagne, get the full list of restaurants and producers to try in the Champagne travel guide with saved Google maps.

Burgundy Wine Travel Guide: How to plan a trip to Burgundy

if you are planning for a trip to Burgundy, you might notice that it is a bit more difficult to arrange wine tasting visits and plan. While Dijon and Beaune are two major cities, there are many small towns in Burgundy area so it’s important to pick your home based depending on what you are looking for. Here’s what I learned from planning a trip and spending a few days in the region.

For places to stay,

  • Choose Dijon or Beaune for easy access to public transportation, taxis, wine bars, and restaurants

  • If you want a quite wine country getaway but with some restaurants and bars, Vosne-Romanee, Nuits-Saint-Georges in between Dijon and Beaune.

Find a local guide

We usually hire a local driver when visiting a foreign wine region so we can taste wines without having to worry about driving. They are also usually well-connected in the region and can

Use local resources to find tastings

Wine makers/producers in Burgundy don’t usually have regular tasting appointments available to book online, especially. Few websites you can use to directly book are

  • You can find domaines/producers that accept online reservations here

  • You can search for domaines/producers and can email them from Vins de Bourgogne

Find wines at restaurants and wineshops in town

While it can be challenging to visit well-known producers, you are much more likely to find their wines at local shops and restaurants at a better price point compared to other parts of the world. You can find the list of places here.

Visit during off-season (Nov-Jan) for higher chance of visiting a winery

Wineries are more likely to accept visitors when they are not busy with harvest or working at the vineyards.

Follow @fine.vining on Instagram for more wine travel tips and inspiration!

Where to taste top Burgundy wines while traveling in Burgundy

I just got back from an amazing trip to champagne and Burgundy and have to say it wasn’t easy planning a wine tasting trip to a region I’m not too familiar with! Producers in Burgundy typically don’t/can’t host tastings mainly because because 

  1. They run a small operation and don’t have capacity 

  2. They sell out of their wines so they don’t have bottles available to open for tastings 🤣 

It’s a bit different from the US where wineries develop an entire tourism and travel experience around it. I came across Vosne Tasting Club while researching and thought it was a perfect place for wine enthusiasts like me with no connections in Burgundy whatsoever. 

Located in Vosne-Romanee, this club has long standing relationships with surrounding wineries in the area to be able to source bottles from hard to get producers and host tastings. All tastings are private and you can choose various packages to do a comparative tasting of different villages, taste Grand Crus, or create a custom package to open any bottles they offer. Packages range from €100-225 and custom packages vary depending on bottles you choose.

They have impressive line up of wines from producers like Domaine de La Romanee-Conti, Armand Rousseau, Meo Camuzet, Arnoux-Lachaux, Roumier, Barthod, Gerard Mugneret, Bruno Clavelier, Henri Gouges, and many more. If you are looking for ways to taste multiple bottles from top Burgundy producers, recommend taking a look at their website.

More posts coming up on additional ways and places to taste in Burgundy. Follow @fine.vining for updates and DM if you have any questions!



Best wine tastings in Santorini

I’ve had a few Greek wines here and there but didn’t know too much about various wine regions in Greece. While planning for a Greek island trip, I learned that Santorini actually has a long history of wine making and that winery tours and tastings are pretty popular among tourists. Whether you are looking to taste unique grape varietals or want to sip wine with a view, you can find a lot of options!

Best wines and for intimate experience: Gavalas wines

While researching wineries in Santorini, Gavalas came up on multiple places as making the best wines and I totally agree. Tasted through their line up of Asyritko, Aidani, Mavrotragano, and Vinsanto and they were all great! The host was also super friendly and walked us through the long history of wine making in Santorini, which is now 300+ years old.

Best winery for the view: Venetsanos winery

There are two wineries known for the views in Santorini, Santo wines and Venetsanos. I feel like you can’t really go wrong with either, especially if you are looking for a place to enjoy wines with a view. From the photos both places look amazing! I’ve read that Venetsanos is a bit less touristy and has better wines so decided to stop by for a glass. Overall, it was a great experience, loved the view and tried 3 different whites by the glass.

Best place to taste a wide variety of Santorini wines: Canava, Vedema luxury collection hotel

We stayed at the. Vedema hotel (part of the Marriott hotels) and found out that it is actually built on a old winery and they offer wine tasting experience in the historical wine cave. This is a great one because 1) Historical wine cave setting is amazing and 2) you get to taste wines from wineries all over Santorini. We tasted 5 wines from traditional method sparkling, 2 different whites, red, and dessert (vinsanto), all from different wineries.

Best place to taste wines from other parts of Greece: Boutari

Boutari came up as another wine tasting room near our hotel, Vedema, so decided to walk over and try their wines. When I got there, I was pleasantly surprised to find their wines from other parts of Greece, in addition to Santorini wines.

I wasn’t able to personally visit more wineries but have heard great things about:

  • Sigalas for winery close to Oia

  • Gaia Wines for great wines with ocean view

  • Hatzidakis Winery for high quality wines (actually tasted wines from here at Vedema and loved it!)

  • Estate Argyros for modern picturesque winery

See more real time wine and travel tips via IG @fine.vining 💕

View fullsize Love being surrounded by all the greenery in Napa this time of the year 💚 Small but adorable and friendly tasting room in St Helena! Part of the Schramsberg fam so you get to taste reds and sparklings Bonus point for being so close to Azteca, the
View fullsize Wineries that allow picnics (of offer food) are so clutch when you are trying to fill the day with more wineries🤣 This was a 3rd winery during my latest trip to Sebastopol and was possible because we got to bring food 🤗🙌 (from @pascaline.patisse
View fullsize Have you gone tasting in Sebastopol? Great area to visit and find small family owned wineries that are laid back and so friendly! This tasting room had an adorable garden and a unique lineup of great wines. Think Italian varietals, red & white
View fullsize This place makes you feel like you are transported to a small rural wine region 💫 Away from the main road, you will find this boutique family owned winery with a line up of unique varietals. (Have you heard of Picpoul Blanc?!!) Tasting started wit
View fullsize Found a little gem in Healdsburg 🥰 Was delighted by this adorable setting, and then found out tastings come with wood fired pizza on weekends! I mean…😍 and every single wine we tasted were so good! Added another winery to our membership lis
View fullsize I’ve been lazy about making weekend plans and Sonoma square is becoming my go-to for last minute weekend activity 😆 Was able to get a same day reservation at Sosie and so glad I did. Small new winery! Felt unique when we saw sparkling red, C
View fullsize Brought this amazing bottle to enjoy with this view 🥰 From a new boutique winery in Paso founded by a wine loving couple! Small line up as wines tend to sell out but got to taste three of their amazing wines. 📍: @topwinery 🍷: tasted Grenache, G
View fullsize I’ve been trying to better understand my preferences for sparkling wines so added Roederer to the list for my trip to Mendocino Tasting flight includes a side by side of the same blend in a regular bottle vs. Magnum and it was SO FUN to taste
View fullsize 🌟Save this place for your next trip to Northern CA🌟 Did you know there’s another Twomey tasting room in Anderson Valley? Twomey’s been on my list and when I saw they have another location on the way to the Mendocino coast, it was a mus
View fullsize Super chill and inviting tasting room! Bonus points for this view and a great #cabfranc 😍😆 Heard Cab Francs are getting sold out everywhere in Napa, go get them before they are gone! Or don’t… so I can get them 🤣 📍: @reverie_wine

Guide to wine tasting in Puglia

Puglia is not the first Italian wine region that comes to your mind but it definitely should be on your radar if you like Primitivos or refreshing Whites and Rosés. I didn’t plan this trip around wineries and tastings but we learned that Puglia is the second-largest producer of wine grapes in Italy and was able to stop by a couple wineries and wine bars in various small towns of Puglia.

Near Bari/Polignano a mare

Main pedestrian center in Polignano a mare is filled with cute restaurants, shops, and bars and it’s super fun to walk around. I found these two small bars next to each other and loved it!

  • HOPS Birreria & Wine Bar: various beers on tap and wines by the glass. They also had a “beer spritz”!

  • La Casa Del Mojito: This is technically not wine but who would’ve thought I’d have one of the best mojitos in Italy?! They use fresh ingredients and don’t skimp on them either. I tried ginger and passion fruit flavors and loved both.

Near Ostuni

  • Tenuta Santoro Wine Bar: Winery with a nice outdoor setting in addition to the tasting room inside a traditional Trulli! Tasted through 4 wines (2 reds, 1 white, 1 rosé) for €15 and bought a bottle of refreshing white and red. Puglia region typically doesn’t grow grapes like Cab or Merlot but their vineyard is located in a small valley that

  • Vinicolo: Charming wine bar in the Ostuni city center. Host was super nice and went out of the way to offer various wines by the glass. He also had great recommendations on other wineries to visit in the area. We ended up getting a glass of sparkling, white, and red.

  • Borgo Antico Bistrot: Located in the middle of switchback streets, such a fun unique place to enjoy aperitivo before dinner. We had an amazing fresh cheese charcuterie plate with a few drinks. There’s a cute instagrammable blue door on top of the street.

Near Lecce

  • Cantele: Their wines were fairly common on local restaurants’ wine list and seemed to be one of the bigger wineries in the area. We didn’t make reservations so didn’t get to do the full tour and tasting but the host was super nice to give recommendations in the area and we ended up buying a bottle to try!

  • Feudi di Guagnano: This tasting room is in the small town of Guagnano and their rosé was

  • L'Orecchietta: This place was recommended by the host at Cantele for lunch and local wines by the glass. Deli style counter has fresh hot and cold pastas, salads, seafood, meats, and veggies. They have an entire wall of local wines and have a lot of them available by glass. Great place to stop by for lunch with wine. I don’t know how pricing works (we just pointed at dishes that looked good 😆) but our 3 plates of food and 2 glasses of wine was around €20.

Otranto

  • L'Ortale Ristoro SAlentissimo: I loved this hidden wine garden. Lots of choices by the glass or bottle (each bottle was only 15-20) and the garden was the most relaxing place to sit and drink.

  • La Cambusa: This wine bar is located right in front of the Aragonese Castle of Otranto so you get a great vibe and view of the Castle. Good selection of local wines by the glass!

I’ve also bookmarked these wineries but did not get a chance to visit:

  • L'Astore Masseria

  • Michele Calò & Figli

  • Azienda Agricola Cosimo Taurino

  • Castello Monaci

  • Masseria Li Veli

Overall, Puglia wines are a great value at €10-30 per bottle and definitely recommend trying it out!