Castello di Bolgheri & Exclusive Wine Tasting

Was just wondering if anyone had done this Regent excursion while in Florence? My wife is eyeballing this but it's a bit on the pricey side. Wondered if anyone had experienced this and could provide any feedback.

Thanks!

Bill, these excursions are so new that I do not think that anyone has experienced them on Regent yet. We have experienced culinary tours on Oceania and find them worth it.

However, having said that, we would take the Exclusive Cooking Class in Tuscany (same port) which is less expensive and gives you hands-on experience with cooking your lunch (unless this is not your "thing"). Here is a link https://www.rssc.com/cruises/EXP170409/activities/regent-choice-plus-free/day-4/LRN-008/default.aspx#Excursions

Also, Rome has an interesting Farmhouse Culinary Experience for even less $$$ which sounds amazing https://www.rssc.com/cruises/EXP170409/activities/regent-choice-plus-free/day-5/CIV-017/default.aspx#Excursions

Our favorite culinary excursions are ones that begin in the Culinary Center on the ship (in our case it was the

Riviera) and then go out to a restaurant to help prepare our meal. We did this in Malta (it was $599/person) and not only had hands on experience but had wine and ouzo available to help us enjoy the afternoon. Once we returned to the ship, we had a little break but then returned to the Culinary Center to prepare yet more food. We thought we would never eat again.

Anyway, I thought that our experiences might be of interest.

Bill, these excursions are so new that I do not think that anyone has experienced them on Regent yet. We have experienced culinary tours on Oceania and find them worth it.

 

However, having said that, we would take the Exclusive Cooking Class in Tuscany (same port) which is less expensive and gives you hands-on experience with cooking your lunch (unless this is not your "thing"). Here is a link https://www.rssc.com/cruises/EXP170409/activities/regent-choice-plus-free/day-4/LRN-008/default.aspx#Excursions

 

Also, Rome has an interesting Farmhouse Culinary Experience for even less $$$ which sounds amazing https://www.rssc.com/cruises/EXP170409/activities/regent-choice-plus-free/day-5/CIV-017/default.aspx#Excursions

 

Our favorite culinary excursions are ones that begin in the Culinary Center on the ship (in our case it was the

Riviera) and then go out to a restaurant to help prepare our meal. We did this in Malta (it was $599/person) and not only had hands on experience but had wine and ouzo available to help us enjoy the afternoon. Once we returned to the ship, we had a little break but then returned to the Culinary Center to prepare yet more food. We thought we would never eat again.

 

Anyway, I thought that our experiences might be of interest.

Jackie,

How dare you hijack this thread and not back it with facts?!?

Just kidding, of course. We have actually done the first one (with Bruno in his Osteria) and it was fabulous. And we had signed up for the one in Rome last month, but it was cancelled due to lack of bodies. We usually love the hands-on excursions, especially if they include food and wine.

No, the reason we're looking at the Bolgheri one is my wife loves their wines. The winery looks amazing but was looking for more input since it's not a cheap day...

Thanks for the options, though!

Bill,

Thanks for making me laugh - I needed that:D

I did what would appear to be a similar tour probably 8 or so years ago. It was not as pricy then but was for its time. It was a great tour. The visit to a castle where the wine tasting was was interesting. The wine was more than a taste. As much as you could drink and was exceptional. The food spread was also impressive. It was about 11 am or so in the morning so was a bit difficult at first. The afternoon around 1:30pm was lunch. A very high end notable place. Very good but after the wine tasting and the snacking could not do it justice. Someone in the group noticed that the wife of the Wine Spectator owner was a patron of the restaurant.

I looked at this for the September Explorer cruise we are on but opted for the Lucca wine tasting that was not as pricy and looked interesting.

Hope this helps.

Sure does, thanks!

Well, my wife chose to hold off on this one (for now). I won't be surprised at all if she changes her mind next week and books it. :)