ITALY BLOG SEPTEMBER 6th, 2025 - BOLGHERI

 

9/6/25– Second day in Bolgari and it begins with a knock at our door around 8am. I barely get out of bed to find the hostess frantically telling me that I need to move our car as tree trimmers are here. In a daze, I put on clothes and park down the street (albeit around the corner and down a hill). At least I’m able to pick up the hotel provided breakfast on the way back to the room.

We leave for our scheduled winery tour at 10:30am, giving us some time to take photos along the way. I just can’t get over how awesome this area is. Vineyards, hilltop towns, green everywhere, you name it.

  

We arrive at Le Macchiole at 11:15am and start our personalized tour of the vineyards, but I can’t help but be distracted by the picture frame view of the vineyards and let my camera rip away. I mean, we did already hear about the history yesterday on another tour but did my best not to be rude about it. I also can’t help but notice the lush color of the grapes on the vines which adds so much to the aura.

Just like the other vineyard, the hostess takes us on a tour of their winemaking process, from the grapes being destemmed to the barrel room. It’s quite interesting to see how their process is different from the other winery and how many options they have with just one varietal. 

The tasting room is very comfortable where we are presented with two reds. The first being 25 Euros for a table wine and second being 110 Euros for their flagship library wine. As most likely Sharece will drink this on the trip, and not store it for ten plus years, we opted for the cheaper bottle.

With the first place done, we are recommended to eat lunch Trattoria Aurelia not far away. We order the best bruschetta and parmesan tortellini we’ve had so far and for a reasonable price. Highly recommend, although they do close at 2pm for several hours.

Now it’s time for our next scheduled tour at Terre del Marchesato. This one is a bit different than the others as we are part of a small group instead of by ourselves, but didn’t mind the extra company. We start off with the hostess talking to us about their vineyard in the direct heat, which we didn’t understand why not in the shade at first, but soon after we see the vine picking vehicle roar down the row and realize we are getting a first-hand peak at the harvest process. Wow, so very cool.

 

We then are treated to the picking of the grapes as they move from the truck and into the crushing machine. They allow us to taste them fresh from the vines and it’s so sweet, I could definitely eat a whole bowl.

The tasting consists of four wines (normally three but Sharece got an extra 100% Cab Sauv and I got a taste of their sweet wine). We bought two more bottles and now have no idea how we are going to get them home. Looks like we’re drinking them on the trip.

The wine tasting part of our trip in Tuscany is now at an end, but it’s a magical experience that I’m very happy with. I was concerned with only being able to reserve times instead of just walking in but the tours made the difference in these family owned vineyards. But now it’s time for the twenty plus minute drive back to our hotel in Guardistallo.

Before calling it a night, we venture out one last time to view the sunset and have dinner. The pasta is of very small portions, the outside table is not very pleasant with the wind gusting, and the glasses for our drinks say IKEA on the bottom; however, it’s an experience none-the-less and a good way to end our day.