Wine Tasting Lunch at Castello di Gabbiano

As a wedding gift, Vidya and John got us a wine tasting lunch and cellar tour at a castle/vineyard called Castello di Gabbiano in the hills outside of Florence. After plotting out our course on the map, we got into our trusty little rental car from a good av rental company and ventured out into the Tuscan hills.

We arrived early at the castle, so we had some time to tour around ourselves before our scheduled tour of the cellars. The castle and wine cellars date back to the 12th century, although additions were made to the structure over the following centuries.

After our tour of the castle grounds and the wine cellars, we had lunch on the patio, including several courses and a wine pairing. My favorite course was the vin santo with cantucci (cookies very similar to biscotti, for dipping in the vin santo).

We were a bit tipsy after lunch, so we took a nap for about an hour on a couch inside the castle before continuing on our little car ride around Tuscany.

All in all, it was an extremely fun way to spend an afternoon in Tuscany and a great present!