This day tour will be an exploration of the heart of the Chianti Classico, the defined area that begins just South of Florence and reaches all the way to the North of Siena. While visiting the wonders of the area and in tasting its wines, you will understand the concept of terroir, and you will learn how Chianti Classico is made, how to distinguish the characteristics of the main grape varieties, and much more...
We depart from Florence and head down towards the Chianti Classico region. The first stop will in be Badia a Passignano situated on a hilltop and surrounded by vineyards and olive groves and home of "Cantine Antinori" wine tasting cellars.
[...the original Badia (Abbey) a Passignano was built in central Chianti near Panzano by Sichelmo in 890, in the shadow of the powerful Lombard castle of Passignano (whose central tower still exists).  In 1049 it became a daughter house of Vallombrosa - the reformist Benedictine monastery set up in the mountains to the East of Florence by S Giovanni Gualberto (who lies buried in the abbey of Badia in Passignano).  The Abbey flourished through the Middle Ages, but today, outside of the medieval tower, not much of the external building that you see is original.  The abbey was suppressed, privatised, "restored" and crenulated in the nineteen hundreds, though more recently it has been returned to the monks.  Set in the middle of the Antinori estate vineyards, olive trees, its own huge Cypress pines and the Chianti hills, it is, along with the valleys and ridges around nearby Panzano, one of the most photographable places in the very photographable area of central Chianti.]
From Badia a Passignano we proceed towards the village of Montefioralle and others town of Medieval origins, such as Greve and Radda in Chianti, to get the feel for a town that has been transformed by the importance of its wines, and to shop for local specialties and handicrafts.
There will probably be extra time for doing a tasting of fine Extra Virgin Olive Oils and Vinegars.
We will then head for our first local winery, whilst we drive thorough  and admire the wild but fantastic country side and to discuss the wine making of the area, its history and evolution. At the first winery you will see the cellars and receive a full explanation of the wines and other specialities that are produced. You will taste the wines of the winery which will typically include at least one Chianti Classico, a Riserva and an IGT Super Tuscan.
It is now time to sample tasty specialties of the area, so we will stop for lunch.
To help your digestion we will visit another winery, highly rated by  the most important wine publications. You will now begin to fully appreciate the range of aromas and flavors that Chianti Classico wines have to offer. Finally, we will visit another classic hill-top town or castle.
A little bit of history :
The first definition of the wine-area known as Chianti was made in 1716 by the Grand Duke Cosimo III de' Medici. It was described as the area near the villages of Gaiole in Chianti, Castellina in Chianti and Radda in Chianti; the so-called Lega del Chianti and later Provincia del Chianti (Chianti province). In 1932 the Chianti area was completely re-drawn. The new Chianti was a much larger area divided into seven sub-areas: Classico, Colli Aretini  Colli Fiorentini, Colline Pisane, Colli Senesi, Montalbano and Rùfina. The old Chianti area was ultimately a small part of the larger Classico area, with the original area described in 1716 occupying 40% of the extension of the Classico sub-area and about 10% of all Chianti. Most of the villages in 1932 that were included in the new Chianti Classico area added in Chianti to their name (the latest was the village of Greve changing its name to Greve in Chianti in 1972).
In 1967 Chianti was transformed into a DOC and the Classico sub-area was confirmed. In 1984 Chianti was transformed into a DOCG and the Classico sub-area was again confirmed. From 1996 the Classico sub-area was allocated a separate disciplinare (rules of production), similar to the rest of Chiantis but generally more strict in quality parameters.
The black rooster
A black rooster was the emblem of the Lega del Chianti during the XVII century. From 1967 until 2005 it was the emblem of an association of some of the producers of the Classico sub-area sharing advertising costs; therefore only some bottles of Chianti Classico had that symbol on the neck, regardless of quality. Since 2005 the black rooster was the emblem of the Chianti Classico producers association; from that year all Chianti Classico wines have had that symbol on the neck of the bottle indicating that the wine is produced in the Classico area and that it has been made whilst complying to the Chianti Classico rules