Chianti Wine Safari by 4x4: Two Wineries and a Tuscan Lunch

The difference here is the vehicle. A 4x4 gets onto the private tracks between the vineyards, which is why this tour reaches viewpoints and estates that a coach cannot, and why the photographs from it look different.

The guide is an English-speaking sommelier, which raises the standard of what gets explained in the cellars.

Four versions run. The full-day Chianti safari goes deep into the Chianti Classico zone, with two top-rated wineries housed in Tuscan villas, their old cellars, tastings of Chianti Classico DOCG with cheese and cured meat, an off-road drive through private vineyards and a Tuscan lunch at a winery restaurant. Nine hours.

The full-day Val d'Orcia safari swaps Chianti for Brunello and Montepulciano.

The morning Chianti safari, seven hours, starts with the off-road drive and the panoramic stops, then a family-owned winery working organically, a guided tasting with cured meats and regional cheeses, and lunch.

The sunset version, also seven hours, leaves in the late afternoon, stops for a glass at a viewpoint as the light goes, visits a boutique winery for cheese, cured meats and Chianti, and ends with dinner outdoors: starters, handmade pasta and dessert with local wines.

All of them include olive oil tastings and transport in an air-conditioned 4x4. Up to fifteen people, in English. Minimum age eighteen. Lactose intolerance and other dietary requirements cannot be accommodated, and the tour is not recommended in pregnancy or with a spinal injury: moderate fitness is expected.