Two Chianti Wine Festivals, Tuscany ITALY
September 7-11 in Greve, Italy
September 15-18 in Panzano, Italy

The Chianti Wine Festivals give its guests a wonderful way to experience the culture of Italy. Have conversations with the local wine producers, who are all in one place ready to share their love and knowledge of wine.

Greve Chianti Classico Wine Festival
Traditionally 2nd weekend in September (including Wednesday and Thursday)
2016:
September 7, 2016 (Wed) – September 11, 2016 (Sun)
Hours: 10:00 am – 9:30pm
Greve in Chianti, Tuscany, Italy
Piazza Matteotti – main square of Greve
Greve in Chianti, FI 50022

Cost: Around 10-12 Euros for a glass, wine free

Chianti wine, Chianti Classico, is produced in the beautiful hillsides of Chianti. It’s the ‘heart’ of Tuscany (Toscana), between Florence and Siena (See the green area on the map). It’s wonderful driving along the winding roads through vineyards and olive trees. 

I’m excited because for the first time during my Italy Retreat For Women in September, I’ll be taking my group to the Greve Wine Festival, the Greve Chianti Classico. I have visited Greve a couple times and recently my family and I rented an apartment in Greve for a week. We enjoyed the local stores on the piazza and some delicious restaurants. Our favorite was Gallo Nero, on the corner of the square, piazza. Greve is about 30 minutes south of Florence driving on SS 222. If you want to take a look at Greve from the comfort of your home, watch the movie, Much Ado About Nothing, which was filmed in a palazzo (palace) in Greve.

The Greve Chianti Classico Wine Festival takes place in the large Piazza Matteotti of Greve in Chianti, the ‘heart’ of Tuscany, Italy. You will be standing, while visiting and tasting at the booths of the local wine producers and not sitting at tables. 

There are no train stations in Greve, so you will need to take a bus, rent a car in Florence or somewhere else in Italy. The last bus departs from Greve to Florence between 6:30pm and 7:30pm. For more information you can read the Greve website or check out wine tours and guides on the Chianti website.

Tuscany

One of the wine producers at the Panzano Wine Fest

Panzano Vino al Vino Wine Festival:  2016: 
Thursday, September 15th          4:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Friday, September 16th          12:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Saturday, September 17th        11:00 am – 8:00 pm
Sunday, September 18th       11:00 am – 7:30 pm 

Cost: around 10-12 Euros
Life Jazz Music Saturday & Sunday from 6-8 pm

Panzano, italy wine festival

Panzano Wine Festival

Panzano:
In 2011 we happened upon the wine festival in Panzano, Vino al Vino. We found a parking spot in this small Tuscan village, and walked into Piazza Bucciarelli, the main square. Panzano is halfway between Florence and Siena. To enter the festival and taste the local wine, we bought tasting glasses with neck pocket to carry around our necks. We chose someone to be our designated driver and began tasting and learning from the 20 vineyard owners. One of my favorite memories is the local woman who was selling pecorino made fresh from her sheep. To eat some of this mouth-watering cheese along with the fried bread that the men were cooking across the street in the parking lot, washed down by the local vino, is a meal that I’ll always remember. Simple, local, delicious.

Panzano is only about a ten minute drive from Greve.  Wine from many of the Panzano wineries is available to taste and purchase.

Enjoy your adventures in Chianti Wine Tasting!

Learn more about traveling to Italy on Lenora’s Italy Retreats For Women
Find out more about Lenora’s Sweet Life Workshops and Sweet Life Happiness Coaching.

You’re welcome to reprint, copy, or distribute Lenora Boyle’s article, provided author credit is included.