Tuscany · Greve in Chianti · sagra
Chianti Classico Wine Fair
Rassegna del Chianti Classico
september· verify before attending
Every September the second weekend Greve's triangular piazza fills with around 70 Chianti Classico producers pouring under canopies. A single tasting glass with lanyard buys access to all stalls; small plates of crostini cinghiale and pici come from the surrounding restaurants. The scale is small enough to actually meet the winemakers — many pour themselves.
NoteThe tasting glass is sold at the gates; bring cash. Sunday afternoon is the busiest — go Friday or Saturday morning if you can.
Greve in Chianti
19 km from Florence · pop. 13,322
Source
Related
Oct 25·Montalcino· verify before attending
Thrush Festival of MontalcinoSagra del Tordo
On the last Sunday of October four quartieri of Montalcino compete in archery inside the medieval fortezza dressed in fourteenth-century costume. Outside the walls long communal tables serve roasted thrush — the dish that gives the festival its name — alongside Brunello and ribollita. The day ends with the winning quartiere parading the trophy through town.
Sep·Pienza· verify before attending
Cheese Fair of PienzaFiera del Cacio
On the first Sunday of September Pienza closes its small Renaissance piazza for the Palio del Cacio Fuso — the rolling-cheese contest that gives the fair its name. Local pecorino producers bring fresh aged truffled and ash-rinsed wheels; the cheese-rolling itself is a balance of skill and luck on the cobbles. Piazza Pio II hosts long communal tables and a Sunday market that doubles as a tasting course in Tuscan cheese.
Aug·Castagneto Carducci· verify before attending
Wine Festival of Castagneto CarducciFesta del Vino
Mid-August Castagneto's centro storico turns over to the Bolgheri wine zone for two evenings of open cellars and tastings under the cypresses Carducci wrote about. Producers from the coast pour Sassicaia-adjacent bottles at fair-tasting prices; restaurants set tables in the squares; folk bands play through both nights. Easier to navigate than the bigger fairs further inland.