Wine and olive oil, made by a family.

This Chianti stop in San Casciano in Val di Pesa feels more like meeting a working farm than checking off a tourist checkbox. You get a look at how the wine and extra virgin olive oil are made on site, then you taste four wines and two olive oils with bruschetta.

What I like most is the small-group feel (up to 14 people) and the fact that you’re not just tasting blind. You’ll also have an optional vineyard walk, so the bottles you sip connect to the rows they come from.

The main thing to consider: this is a production-focused winery. If you want a perfectly staged, museum-like setting, you may find the working equipment and harvest-period mess a bit more real than pretty.

Key things to know before you go

• On-site production, not a display: You’ll see the machineries and barrels connected to how the wine and olive oil are actually made.
• Big flavor for the time: Four wines and two EVO oils in about 90 minutes, with bruschetta built for pairing.
• Chianti mix with a Riserva finale: You’ll taste IGT Toscana, Chianti Classico, and a Chianti Classico Riserva.
• Two olive oils, six bread bites per person: You sample each oil across three bruschetta tastings.
• Family hosting can make it feel personal: Names that show up in the experience include Mattias, Benedicta, and owner Niccolò Martelli.
• Harvest timing may look busy: The vibe can be active and practical, not postcard-perfect.

A Family Winery Near Florence, Where the Work Shows

San Casciano in Val di Pesa sits in the Chianti hills, and this winery experience lands you right in that everyday rhythm. You meet at Via di Perseto, 4, then the day’s pace stays relaxed: tour first, then tasting in their dedicated room. It’s offered in English and runs about 1 hour 30 minutes, which is a sweet spot if you want something substantial without tying up your whole day.

What makes it especially interesting is the mix of wine and olive oil in one session. Too many tastings focus only on grapes and fermenting vessels. Here, you’re guided through the processes for both wine and extra virgin olive oil, then you taste them side by side with bread.

One more practical plus: the group is capped at 14. That limit matters. It tends to keep the conversation going and makes it easier to ask questions, from barrels to olive harvest practices.

Your 90 Minutes: Tour, Tastings, and Bruschetta Pairing

Here’s what you should expect in order, and why it works.

First you arrive and get welcomed by the host—often a family member. The experience starts with a tour that explains the company history and what they produce now. You’ll move through the production areas and see the equipment and storage barrels. It’s not just a walk-through with vague talking points; the guide is there to explain how the wine-making and extra virgin olive-oil-making processes connect to what you’ll taste next.

Then comes the tasting room segment. You sit at tables in a larger dedicated wine-tasting space. The center of the tasting is bread-and-oil pairing, with both olive oils served on bruschetta.

Finally, you may be able to add a short walk in the vineyards. It’s optional, which means you can keep the tour comfortable even if you don’t feel like hiking. It also helps you match the flavor in your glass to the landscape the grapes come from.

Small detail, but it matters: the tasting includes bread for each olive oil, built so you sample each oil the intended way rather than taking a sip, then guessing what you should taste.

The Wine Lineup: IGT Toscana, Chianti Classico, and Riserva

You taste four wines:

• 2 IGT Toscana wines
• 1 Chianti Classico
• 1 Chianti Classico Riserva

That structure is smart for a first-time Chianti drinker. The IGT Toscana bottles help you get grounded in the house style without the pressure of a stricter label. Then you move to Chianti Classico for the classic benchmark. Finally, the Riserva gives you the richer, longer-aging end of the spectrum.

Also, because this is a working winery, you’re not tasting in a vacuum. When you’ve just heard how the wine is made and stored, the differences between the wines feel more meaningful. You’ll likely pay more attention to how aroma and taste change from one bottle to the next, not just the general fact that they’re all red.

One caution for expectations: this isn’t positioned as a slow, course-by-course wine seminar. It’s designed as an efficient tasting experience paired with olive oil, bread, and production context. If you’re the type who wants to spend hours comparing vintages with deep cellar talk, you might still enjoy it—but don’t assume it’s the length of a full wine education weekend.

Olive Oil Tasting That Actually Makes Sense

This is where the experience gets extra practical.

You taste two extra virgin olive oils, and each one is paired with bruschetta. The format is clear: for each person, you’ll have 6 toasted bread bites total—3 bites per olive oil. That gives you time to notice how the oils differ when they hit bread and not just when you swirl oil in a glass.

The oils are:

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil Terre di Perseto
• DOP Chianti Classico Extra Virgin Olive Oil Terre di Perseto

Having one basic EVO and one DOP EVO helps you compare categories. The bread pairing also does something useful: it softens the sharp edges and makes the oil easier to taste, especially if you’re new to olive oil flights.

If you like food-based tastings, this part is genuinely satisfying. The bread is doing the job of a simple carrier, so your attention stays on flavor, not on fancy glassware.

One more angle I appreciate: by tasting olive oil in the same setting as wine production, you get a more complete picture of what a Chianti farm manages. These aren’t two unrelated tastings—they’re part of the same land and daily work.

The Production Tour: Equipment, Barrels, and a Real Working Rhythm

Before you taste, you tour. You’ll see the machines and barrels used in their processes. You also hear how the company started and what they produce today.

That working-farm approach is a big reason this experience gets such strong recommendations. People describe the hosts as lively, fun, and willing to explain without rushing you through the moment. Names that come up for guiding include Mattias and Benedicta, plus the family presence around the farm.

That same realism is also the reason for the only major negative consideration. One reviewer said the facility looked run down and dirty, and that they left before tasting. The operator later responded with an explanation that harvest time is chaotic, and that certain barrels—including for Vin Santo made using a traditional long-aging method—can remain sealed for a decade-plus, which they say explains cobwebs in that specific context.

Here’s the practical takeaway for you: go in knowing this is a working cellar and oil production environment. You’re visiting a farm that makes wine, not a showroom meant to look perfect 24/7. If that aligns with your travel style, you’ll likely find it honest and interesting. If you only want polished surfaces and postcard grounds, you might feel disappointed.

Vineyard Walk: Linking Bottles to Rows

If the timing works, you can take a short walk in the vineyards. This is one of those small add-ons that makes a big difference in how you remember the tasting. Instead of tasting grapes in theory, you get a sense of where those grapes grow.

Because it’s optional and short, it won’t turn your 90-minute visit into a long hike. Still, it’s enough to help you understand how the hilly Chianti setting shapes the farm’s work and, indirectly, the grapes’ growing conditions.

If you’re traveling with someone who’s less into wine, this can also be a nice compromise. The walking portion is visual and outdoors, while the tastings keep the focus on food and drinks.

Price and Value: What $43.21 Buys You Here

At about $43.21 per person for roughly 1.5 hours, you’re paying for more than a basic wine pour. You get:

• 4 wines (including Chianti Classico and a Riserva)
• 2 olive oils
• bruschetta bread paired for each of the two oils
• a production tour with explanation of processes
• the chance of a short vineyard walk

For Florence-area travelers, this can feel like good value because the tasting isn’t just a generic lineup. The olive oil component is rare in many “just wine” visits, and the bread pairing turns it into a true tasting meal rhythm instead of two separate experiences.

The small-group size (maximum 14) also helps justify the cost. If you’ve done tastings where you’re packed in with people and the guide seems to race, you know how quickly that turns “value” into “you didn’t learn anything.” Here, the structure is built to keep the pace manageable.

One note: you can add extra food, wines, or liquors/spirits for an additional fee. That means you should treat the listed tasting as the core experience, then decide onsite if you want to extend.

Who Should Book, and Who Might Skip

This tour fits well if you want a hands-on Chianti experience that mixes wine and olive oil. It’s also ideal when you like learning through doing: you see equipment and barrels first, then you taste what those processes create.

I’d especially recommend it to:

• couples and small groups who want something more personal than a big bus winery
• travelers who enjoy olive oil tastings as much as wine
• food-minded travelers who like pairing flavors with bread
• anyone interested in how a real working farm operates during active times

I’d think twice if:

• you only enjoy highly polished estates with immaculate showrooms
• you’re looking for a long, in-depth wine lecture with zero food focus
• you want a full vineyard/estate stroll as the main event (this is optional and short)

In other words: this is a strong pick for authenticity and pairing, not for a staged fantasy of perfect grounds.

Should You Book TERRE DI PERSETO?

If your idea of a great Tuscany day is simple and real—wine, olive oil, bread, and a family-run production setting—then yes, you should book it.

You’ll likely leave with a clearer sense of what makes their wine styles click, because the tour sets up the tasting. And the olive oil pairing gives the experience extra flavor variety that most Chianti tastings skip. Add that small-group cap and the possibility of seeing the vineyard, and it becomes a solid “short time, high payoff” plan.

Just go with the right expectation: this is a working winery. If you’re comfortable with that, you’ll probably have a very memorable stop in Chianti.

FAQ

How long is the tasting tour?

It lasts about 1 hour 30 minutes.

What do I taste during the experience?

You taste 4 wines and 2 extra virgin olive oils, served with bruschetta (toasted Tuscan bread).

Where does the tour start?

The meeting point is Via di Perseto, 4, 50026 San Casciano in Val di Pesa FI, Italy, and the activity ends back there.

Are there group size limits?

Yes. The maximum group size is 14 travelers.

Is the tour offered in English?

Yes, it is offered in English.

Do I need a printed ticket?

No. The tour uses a mobile ticket.

Is a vineyard walk included?

A short walk in the vineyards is possible, but it’s not guaranteed and depends on how things work during your visit.

Is the tour suitable for people who need service animals?

Service animals are allowed.

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