Dario Cecchini Tour: Chianti Wineries and a Steak Lunch in Panzano

Stop by Stop

The group meets at the Grape Tours cheese and wine bar Formaggioteca Terroir at Via dei Renai 19, about 15 minutes before the start. That bar is also the drop-off point at the end of the day.

From there the day moves into Chianti and Chianti Classico. The first stop is a tour and tasting at an organic winery, then a second organic winery with the same format. The guide explains terroir at each and how Chianti and Chianti Classico are made, which sets you up well for the wines on the table at lunch. Lunch at the butcher Dario Cecchini follows, with traditional dishes and steak and drinks included. After the meal there is a stop for a stroll, then the group returns to the meeting point in Florence.

Included and Excluded

The price includes the wine tasting of around 10 wines, lunch at Dario Cecchini, and alcoholic beverages. The day itself runs in a small group of up to 8 guests with a Grape guide who explains terroir and how Chianti and Chianti Classico are made.

Hotel pickup and drop-off are excluded, so you make your own way to Via dei Renai 19. Gratuities are not included either. No tour on the site includes hotel pickup on its standard option, so this is normal for the field. Bottles you buy at the wineries are yours to pay for separately.

One rule to weigh before paying: all sales are final, no refund on cancellation. Book only a date you are sure you can keep, and if plans might shift, look at the Tuscan Wineries Tour with Lunch or another listing on the winery tours from Florence homepage with free cancellation up to 24 hours.

The Stated Limits

Minimum age 18. The listing runs for ages 18 to 90 and the minimum drinking age is 18, so no children travel on this day. For a day you can bring kids on, the Chianti Bike Tour with Wine Tasting runs for ages 10 and up.

No refund, ever. This is the only non-refundable listing on the site: all sales are final with no refund on cancellation. Every other tour offers free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start. If your travel dates could still move, book the Tuscan Wineries Tour with Lunch instead, which includes a Tuscan light lunch and 3 wineries on the 9:00am option with free cancellation.

No hotel pickup. You reach Via dei Renai 19 on your own. That is true of the standard option on every tour listed here, so plan the walk or ride before the start time.

Fitness and diets. The listing says the day is suitable for all physical fitness levels, so walking is easy. The lunch is built on meat, with no vegetarian or gluten-free version of the Cecchini feast. Vegetarians should look at the Small-Group Chianti Wine Tasting Tour, which lists a vegetarian and gluten-free menu on request, or browse the Florence winery tours homepage for other food options.

The Wine in Your Glass

The table gathers the figures a traveler decides with, all from the wine consortia, US CBP and TSA.

The Chianti Classico zone covers 71,800 hectares shared between the provinces of Florence and Siena, and the whole territories of Greve in Chianti, Panzano's home valley, Radda, Castellina and Gaiole lie inside it. The harvest runs from the first half of September to the second half of October, so a harvest-week tour may see busier cellars and vineyard work in progress.

Bringing bottles home: US CBP allows one liter of alcohol duty-free in the returning resident personal exemption if you are at least 21 and it is for personal use. Anything above that liter is dutiable. TSA allows carry-on liquids only in containers of 3.4 ounces or less, so wine goes in checked luggage. Wear closed-toe shoes in the cellars.

The Lunch Venue

Dario Cecchini is an eight-generation butcher in Panzano in Chianti who works nose-to-tail, and his dining rooms include Officina della Bistecca, Solociccia and Dario Doc. Here it comes as part of the day, with traditional dishes and steak and drinks on the table.