Face to face with wine: from simple pleasure to cultural event
Tuscany: only excellent products
Wine was born to help people live better: it gives pleasure to those who drink it, helps to socialize, enhances the taste of foods. In a glass of wine there is not only a drink, but a world of dreams, stories, traditions, territories, landscapes. If you agree with all this, you should also follow this simple rule: wine consumption should not be an anonymous and distracted experience, but should become a cultural event and an occasion of personal enrichment. The opportunities are not lacking, especially in a country like Italy, with its millennial wine tradition, especially in regions renowned for their excellent wine, like Tuscany, and known all over the world thanks to their precious nectarines, such as the Chianti and Brunello di Montalcino, to name a few among the greatest. Every year you can take part in several wine and food events and wine shows, and you can experience these occasions as guests, but also as protagonists. Wine tourism, in fact, is an expanding phenomenon. As the international success of its production grows, it also increases the number of people willing to know wine better, interested in experiencing the emotions that only a less chaotic lifestyle in harmony with the environment can give. From tasting courses for fans to multi-level training to become a sommelier, from blogs to online guides, from open wineries to international salons: the opportunities to train, get informed and become aware of what you are drinking and the reasoning behind it are really endless.
You can become a Sommelier!
When talking about a sommelier, one thinks of the impeccable expert figure able to talk of the characteristics of the wine and its combinations with food. The term derives from the French saumalier, meaning a driver of beasts and, originally, it was the person in charge of the food, then with time it was identified with the one in charge of the wine cellars and then with the winemaker. All in all, therefore, the sommelier is a trusted person, who carries with him a real “baggage” of technical and cultural knowledge. But anyone can overcome the role of the simple amateur and aspire to the title of sommelier. The various educational courses organized and promoted by associations such as the AIS (Italian Association of Sommeliers) are aimed at enhancing the culture of wine and are intended for everybody.
A calendar full of events in Tuscany
Whether you want to become a professional expert in the food and wine world or you’re just trying to enrich your tasting skills, the first step is to be informed. By contacting the regional headquarters of the chosen training association, you can join its annual courses, but you will also be able to know the dates of various occasional events promoted in different locations, such as our 4 star hotel, the Garden Hotel in Siena, which often hosts meetings organized by the Italian Sommeliers Association . The seminars will involve different topics or types of wines, promoting the encounter between producers and enthusiasts of the “nectar of the gods”. Never forget the most important thing: drinking and tasting a good glass of wine is always a great pleasure.