Chianti olive oil tasting school: Learn to taste EVO

From grove to glass: how to recognize quality olive oil by taste

A three-hour olive oil tasting school in Chianti Classico where you walk the olive groves, learn how oil is made and graded, then blind-taste three types of EVO before sitting down to a four-course farm lunch with paired wines. The class teaches you the professional way to taste and judge quality, starting with the trees themselves.

The experience

The farm sits halfway between Florence and Siena in the Chianti Classico zone, and the class starts in the olive grove itself. You'll learn the Tuscan way of pruning, how to spot the different tree varieties by their characteristics, and what each one contributes to the oil you'll taste later. That practical grounding (seeing the trees, understanding what makes them different) is what separates this from a tasting room lesson.

Back at the mill, you move through the mechanics: how the oil is extracted, what Italy's classification system actually means, and why the temperature of the oil and the type of glass matter when you're tasting. Then comes the blind tasting of three different EVOs, where you learn the professional method: how to smell it, how to taste it, what to listen for in your own palate when you're trying to spot quality without knowing what you're drinking.

Lunch is four courses of home-cooked food (starting with ravioli with Parmesan, extra virgin olive oil and pepper) paired with the farm's own wines. By then you'll taste the oil in the food differently than you would have that morning.

What’s included

• Guided walk through the olive grove.
• lesson on oil extraction and Italian quality grades.
• blind tasting of three extra virgin olive oils with professional tasting instruction.
• four-course farm lunch with paired wines.

Before you book

Days and timesMonday to FridayDeparts at 10:30

Book up to4h before

AgesAdult (13 and older) · Child (3 to 12 years) · Infant (under 3): free

GroupUp to 14

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Low physical effortStroller-friendlyInfant seats availablePublic transport nearby

Operated by Cofferi1242 - Camilla Romoli

Is this one for you?Three hours is enough to move from the trees to the tasting to lunch, but not long enough for a second destination that day. Book this if you're spending the morning or afternoon in Chianti itself and want to go deep into one thing rather than skip across multiple towns.

Traveler reviews

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (3 to 12 years); Infant (under 3): free.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What's the difference between the olive varieties you'll see in the grove?

The farm grows several varieties, each with distinct characteristics that show up in the oil's flavor and quality. The grove walk teaches you to recognize them by sight and understand what each one brings to a blend.

How does the blind tasting work?

You'll taste three different extra virgin olive oils without knowing which is which, learning the professional tasting method (how to evaluate color, aroma and flavor), so you can spot quality on your own, even when you can't see the label.

Is this class suitable if I've never tasted olive oil seriously before?

Yes. The class is designed for anyone interested in learning. It moves from the basics in the grove through the theory at the mill and then into the tasting itself, so no prior knowledge is needed.

What's included in the lunch?

A four-course meal cooked on the farm, paired with the farm's wines. The first course is ravioli with Parmesan, extra virgin olive oil and pepper, and the meal is built around the oils and wines you've just learned about.