Top Winery in the World and Top Producer in Italy:   This winery was awarded first place in the World's Best Vineyards. This international ranking honors the most remarkable wine tourism destinations, voted by over 500 leading wine and tourism experts.  It is a sacred place of silence, a temple dedicated to the ancient rituals of winemaking, but at the same time it is a production facility that must meet specific quality standards.  It is so sacred that we are not allowed to include the name on our booking website or in any advertisements and as such, we will respect their request.    However, Victory has secured a wine tour and tasting reservation for our special 2025 Tuscany Wine and Food Tour guests which may not be available every year.   Please book early to ensure you are included. 

Cantina Vallepicciola:  A legacy born from the love of Chianti Classico.   In the late 1990s, the Bolfo family decided to breathe new life into the ruins of an old monastery located in the picturesque countryside of Pievasciata, a picturesque village in the municipality of Castelnuovo Berardenga (Siena). And it is from the vineyards of this monastery, transformed with love and care into the prestigious 5-star Hotel Le Fontanelle, that the story of Vallepicciola begins. 

In the heart of the cellar, the art of winemaking comes to life. This 6,000 square metre space is divided into three levels, two of which are underground, where all stages of wine production take place, and an external floor dedicated to hospitality.  The project was designed with dedication by architect Margherita Gozzi and completed in 2020, with the aim of blending in harmony with the natural beauty of the surrounding area. And it is thanks to its organic design that the winery is no longer just a building, but becomes a hymn to the land from which our wines are born, in total balance with nature.  (a more modern option of the 4 wineries visited to showcase a cross section of styles and the transition from old world to new world).

Abbazia di Monte Oliveo Maggiore (Monastery, Vinyard and Olive Grove):   From 1319 to Present Day.   We Benedictines of S. Maria di Monte Olive to follow the Rule of St. Benedict, summed up succinctly in the famous traditional motto "Ora et Labora". The Abbey was founded in 1319 and, as historical sources attest, the monks immediately they devoted themselves to agricultural activity, in particular to the cultivation of vines, olive, saffron and cereals. This astonishing place captures visitors with its unique atmosphere. The abbey was founded at the beginning of the XIVth century by Giovanni Tolomei, a nobleman of Siena. The great monastic complex of Monte Oliveo Maggiore extends along the ridge of a hill in the heart of the “crete senesi”; it has been described as a “city in the form of a monastery” because of the spaciousness of the buildings which compose it. Over the last few centuries the labor of the monks and lay workers has profoundly changed the surrounding landscape which was originally uninhabited and wild.  Historic research has shown that from the second half of the XIII° century and the start of the XIV° century viticulture was widely spread on the lands.  In 2002 the abbey began a program of renewing and enlarging the vineyard, by planting Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Vermentino. All the new vines, nurtured according to modern viticulture techniques, are situated under the hamlet of Chiusure di Asciano, on a south-east hill slope at an altitude of about 400m. The plantation is 2,5m between rows and 0,8 on the row (0,75 for Vermentino) with a density of 5000 to 5200 stems to the hectare and trained in horizontal lines with cord.

Castello Banfi:  Banfi was founded in 1978 thanks to the will of the Italian-American brothers, John and Harry Mariani. From the beginning, the goal of the two brothers was to create a state-of-the-art winery combined with the most advanced science in the vineyards for the production of premium wines. Together with the Mariani family, Ezio Rivella, one of Italy's foremost enologists, who understood that due to the richness of the soils and the privileged microclimatic position, the property would have great capacity of development. The Banfi estate extends to the south of Montalcino, to the borders of the Val D’Orcia. Of the 7,100 acres of land, about one third is under vine in a constellation of single vineyards, the remainder occupied by olive groves, fruit trees (mainly plums), woods and scrub.  Designed to protect the integrity and richness of the grape, the winery employs state of the art technology, the result of revolutionary technical research and innovation. And in this same philosophy, based on continual research, that a number of projects came to be on our estate, including the clonal study of Sangiovese, research on the composition and aging of wood for barrels–the great protagonist of aging wine –and the completion of our “Horizon” micro vinification area, creating a winery within a winery. This project, entirely conceived and developed by and at Banfi, is made up of a series of expedient high level solutions undertaken to improve upon each phase of winemaking.  The tremendous undertaking for vinification is followed by a long silent rest in wood, where the great wines of Banfi, principally reds, evolve over the passage of time and refine their most distinctive characteristics of strength, elegance and longevity. More than 7000 customized barrels, laid out in orderly rows, and large casks make up the heart of Banfi. 

Victory Travel & Events Sommelier in addition to a local Italian & English speaking coordinator/translator, will be your hosts:

Our North American Sommelier will travel with the group and provide:

Pre-Tour:  Gather info on your current wine preferences and what you want to takeaway from the tour.

Mid-Tour:  Provide highlights and individualized winery shopping preferences for everyone prior to or during the wine tours and meals.  They will give brief summaries on history of the winery and ready the group for their winery visits.

Post-Tour:   Provide feedback on similar products available to you in North America,  price points, bringing wine home through customs and ordering directly from each winery.