Avanti Adds New Wine Villa Stays in Italy

For travel agents with clients who want to learn more about wine, Avanti Destinations has introduced new customizable stays at wine villas in four different regions of Italy, where the emphasis is on meeting the producers as much as sampling the wine. For clients who prefer to stay in the city – in this case, Florence – the company has two new add-on wine-tasting daytrips.

Clients can select one of the four-day, three-night wine villa stays, each offering three tastings, or combine two or more wine-growing regions for a grand tour of Italian wines, Avanti said. All villa vacations include accommodations at selection of four- and five-star properties where the owners grow the grapes and make the wine. Many owners have a long family history of wine-making, some going back more than 500 years, Avanti said.

One wine tasting is at the villa where clients stay; the second is at a nearby winery; and the third is a wine-pairing, gourmet dinner. Villa stays include a rental car for exploring the surrounding countryside. Prices for four-day / three-night modules range from $1,045-1,699 per person based on double occupancy.

For clients who prefer to stay in Florence, agents can recommend two new full-day wine-focused daytrips:

Select Chianti Tour with Light Lunch & Wine Tasting – An English-speaking driver-guide takes a small group (14 maximum passengers) to see the town of Greve, the “Gateway to Chianti”, where clients sample locally made pecorino cheese, meats, roasted bread, olive oil, and pasta dish while tasting four wines at a farmhouse. Next are stops at the cobble-stoned hamlet of Montefioralle, followed by the medieval abbey of Badia a Passignano. $249 per person.

Private Special Day for Chianti Wine Lovers with Tasting – A private car with an English-speaking driver-guide takes clients first to taste five wines and regional specialties at a Montefioralle farmhouse and vineyard run by the grandchildren of the founder, who took over a vineyard from a parish church. Next is Antinori Chianti Classico Estate, run by the same family for 26 generations (since 1385), where clients taste four wines. $499 per person.

In addition to these two new options from Florence, Avanti also offers more than 50 wine-tasting tours and packages throughout Italy.

Visit www.avantidestinations.com

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