Tuscany Food and Wine Trails

[Romeril]

Hello,

Oceania offers shore excursions through a company called Food and Wine Trails. I am particularily interested in the Tuscan tour which includes a wine tour, tasting, and multi course lunch with pairings as described on Oceanias web site.

 

It' is expensive, so I'm wondering if any one has joined this tour and what was the experience like.

 

I can't find an independent tour that is as comprehensive, unless anyone could recommend on for me!

 

Thanks,

 

D.

[newbie60]

Food and Wine Trails is a travel agency specializing in wine focused tours, both land and sea. There was a large group traveling with them on our most recent Australia/NZ cruise. However, unless you booked your entire cruise with them, you couldn't just add yourself into one of their excursions.

 

If you have other information, I'd like to see it - thanks.

[iMarco46]

Hello D,

 

Oceania offers shore excursions through a company called Food and Wine Trails. I am particularily interested in the Tuscan tour which includes a wine tour, tasting, and multi course lunch with pairings as described on Oceanias web site.

It' is expensive, so I'm wondering if any one has joined this tour and what was the experience like.

I can't find an independent tour that is as comprehensive, unless anyone could recommend on for me!

 

Food and Wine Trails is a travel agency specializing in wine focused tours, both land and sea. There was a large group traveling with them on our most recent Australia/NZ cruise. However, unless you booked your entire cruise with them, you couldn't just add yourself into one of their excursions.

 

If you have other information, I'd like to see it - thanks.

 

I believe that newbie60 has that right.

 

We sailed on Riviera - Venice to Barcelona - Sept 2013 and did the Ornellaia & the Super Tuscans of Italy
 excursion as well as Parker's Passion for Chateauneuf du Pape.

 

A few snaps from the Ornellaia tour:

 

Mediterranean sea in the distance.

 

Ornellaia's signature oak tree and viewing platform.

 

Hospitality deck.

 

 

Both winery tours appeared to be FWT exclusives, but because our cruise was booked with them, the exclusivity was invisible to us.

 

It would be interesting to know if you are able to book the tours through a different TA or directly with Oceania.

 

As you noted, the excursions are a bit spendy but the multi-course "lunches" with wine pairings were w-a-a-a-a-a-y over the top.

 

The entire area is so charming that we returned to Bolgheri for a few days on our own last year.

 

"Too much Tuscany is never enough!"

[LHT28]

Not really clear on the the OP is looking for but

Oceania does offer shore Excursions that go shopping with the Chef then return to the ship to cook what you purchased

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/experience/ashore/culinary-discovery-tours/

 

They are now going to be offering 2-3 day pre/post cooking tours in 2016

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/media/2015/Oceania+Cruises+Announces+2016+Culinary+Creations+Land+Tours/

[TrulyBlonde]

We were docked in Livorno and used Guido's Tours (wine tours of Tuscany) and highly recommend him. He has great ratings on Trip Advisor.

He can recommend places for lunch, but we had him take us to" Osteria di Passignano" in Chianti region for tour and fabulous lunch. Cin Cin

[ChatKat in Ca.]

We were on Regent and one of the tours in Marseille was a Food and Wine Trails excursion to a winery in Provence. We had a tour of the winery and lunch. It was extra about $250 per person (remember excursions were included). The luncheon was multi course. The tour was led by an American living in France who taught cooking - a friend of mine had done one of her courses. In any case - it was a nice tour but it was on a full bus and we were very disappointed. For more or less $500 we could do our own private tour in most ports via cab/van with a guide.

[iMarco46]

We were docked in Livorno and used Guido's Tours... we had him take us to" Osteria di Passignano" in Chianti region for tour and fabulous lunch. Cin Cin

 

We were on Regent and one of the tours in Marseille was a Food and Wine Trails excursion to a winery in Provence. We had a tour of the winery and lunch. It was extra about $250 per person (remember excursions were included). The luncheon was multi course. The tour was led by an American living in France who taught cooking - a friend of mine had done one of her courses. In any case - it was a nice tour but it was on a full bus and we were very disappointed. For more or less $500 we could do our own private tour in most ports via cab/van with a guide.

 

I'll begin by saying that the OP and other posters in this thread have far more cruise experience than DW and I.

 

D -- I'm mostly guessing, but is this the excursion under discussion?

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/Mediterranean-cruises/athens-to-barcelona-RVA151005/port-florence-LRN/?voyageday=6#all

 

Food & Wine Trails - Wine Trails Of Tuscany (LRN-011)

 

Tuscany produces some of the most important reds in the world. It is a region full of tradition, but in continuous evolution since the introduction of international grape varietals that became common in the seventies. The term “super Tuscan” was penned when a group of winemakers began producing wines not in accordance to traditional blending laws. Today, you will visit the estate of one of those winemaking rebels and taste some of their “super” wines.

 

First, you will make a short stop in the medieval town of Suvereto. An hour from Livorno, this 10th-century village is surrounded by stone walls that were built to protect the paved streets lined with rustic houses, historical buildings, and impressive churches. Here you can grab an espresso or cappuccino before taking a stroll through the heart of the 10th Century village.

 

Next, you arrive at the Super Tuscan estate Azienda Agricola Tua Rita. This family-run winery began as a humble family project conducted in a tiny, rustic cellar. Not seeking commercial or critical recognition, it took only a few perfect ratings to turn a wine of disarmingly simple origins into a staple of the cult genre. Their renowned merlot, Redigaffi, received a perfect 100-point score from the Wine Spectator in 1997 and then in 2000 became the first Italian wine ever to receive the same perfect rating from Robert Parker. As their guest you will experience true Tuscan hospitality during a tour of their state of the art wine cellar, followed by a delicious multi-course lunch paired with a selection of their current vintages.

 

Oceania Cruises is proud to partner with FOOD & WINE TRAILS, America’s foremost culinary travel company, in the offering of this tour. F&WT tours are always kept intimate and visit sites not typically offered by mainstream travel suppliers. Their tours are always led by a knowledgeable, English-speaking sommelier, wine or food expert, cooking instructor or chef, who enjoys introducing visitors to some of the best and most authentic food and wine of their region.

 

The Oceania web site doesn't directly state that booking the cruise through FWT is a prerequisite -- additional inquiries through your TA or Oceania might be worthwhile.

 

The excursion's description leads one to the Tua Rita winery and its hospitality facility. The "News" and other links make clear that Tua Rita is a pretty special venue.

http://www.tuarita.it/en/

http://www.tuarita.it/en/hospitality/

 

 

Going back to our 2013 experience... the current price of a wine tasting plus multi-course lunch at Ornellaia is €200 per person without any consideration of transport costs.

 

And the food on the Chateauneuf du Pape excursion was nothing short of spectacular.

http://www.latabledesorgues.com/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are no doubt many many options to have a memorable wine experience in Tuscany.

 

My question is --

How do you veteran cruisers evaluate total costs vs. value for a port never before visited?

[TrulyBlonde]

IMarco46,

The tour we did with Guido was private with just the two of us, not a cruise tour.

The Osteria I mentioned is one of the Antinori estates and we chose that because the Bolgheri area (Sassicaia Super Tuscans) was closed due to a Holiday. If I recall correctly Guido charged approx $500 US for a full day tour and since we chose the vineyard and Michelin restaurant, that part was on us. An expensive day, but well worth it for food, wine, and tour of Tuscany wine region. He will take you to places you choose or he will plan wine tour for you. He is extremely knowledgable.

[iMarco46]

IMarco46,

The tour we did with Guido was private with just the two of us, not a cruise tour.

The Osteria I mentioned is one of the Antinori estates and we chose that because the Bolgheri area (Sassicaia Super Tuscans) was closed due to a Holiday. If I recall correctly Guido charged approx $500 US for a full day tour and since we chose the vineyard and Michelin restaurant, that part was on us. An expensive day, but well worth it for food, wine, and tour of Tuscany wine region. He will take you to places you choose or he will plan wine tour for you. He is extremely knowledgable.

 

That Osteria looks wonderful.

http://www.osteriadipassignano.com/en

 

I was only trying to point out that while $500 USD may very well engage a car+driver/guide from Livorno -- lunches + wine tastings are typically additional and can vary widely in cost as well as cuisine.

 

Fortunately, wonderful food/wine options seem to be abundant in Tuscany.

 

We've also done private tours in Bolgheri. Sounds like Guido was a great choice. Was he recommended by someone you know or did you lean on Trip Advisor for the selection?

 

The reason I ask is that we are booked on Sirena next year (Wineries & Waterways) and will no doubt have to evaluate tour and excursion options. I'd be grateful for anyone sharing "lessons learned" and bad/good experiences in the selection process.

 

thanks in advance,

[TrulyBlonde]

That Osteria looks wonderful.

http://www.osteriadipassignano.com/en

 

I was only trying to point out that while $500 USD may very well engage a car+driver/guide from Livorno -- lunches + wine tastings are typically additional and can vary widely in cost as well as cuisine.

 

Fortunately, wonderful food/wine options seem to be abundant in Tuscany.

 

We've also done private tours in Bolgheri. Sounds like Guido was a great choice. Was he recommended by someone you know or did you lean on Trip Advisor for the selection?

 

The reason I ask is that we are booked on Sirena next year (Wineries & Waterways) and will no doubt have to evaluate tour and excursion options. I'd be grateful for anyone sharing "lessons learned" and bad/good experiences in the selection process.

 

thanks in advance,

 

I found Guido on TripAdvisor and we communicated via email about 6 months prior to cruise. I was also trying to point out cost of private driver to anyone interested vs cruise tour costs. Dining venues vary greatly in cost and this day for us was around $1000 total (driver and lunch with wine pairings). Of course, it was just the two of us and there are many other less expensive venues with wonderful food etc.

[willidc]

Hello,

Oceania offers shore excursions through a company called Food and Wine Trails. I am particularily interested in the Tuscan tour which includes a wine tour, tasting, and multi course lunch with pairings as described on Oceanias web site.

 

It' is expensive, so I'm wondering if any one has joined this tour and what was the experience like.

 

I can't find an independent tour that is as comprehensive, unless anyone could recommend on for me!

 

Thanks,

 

D.

 

We were on a Riviera Barcelona to Venice B2B and the first leg Barcelona to Rome had about 140 Food and Wine Trails guests. They were on the ship with the rest of us, but seemed to have quite a few of their 'own' events---be it lunches, dinners, tours, etc. It sure looked as if they were having quite a good time and I heard something like "yeah, 187 bottles of wine for 140 people last night". To be truthful, we were a bit envious at times.

 

After talking with some of the people when they were not in their own private events, I got the following website to check out: foodandwinetrails.com. They not only travel with Oceania, but use Silversea, Uniworld, Paul Gauguin and other higher end lines as well as some very nice land tours.

 

It is also very easy to sign up on the site and receive their emails and have the brochures sent to your home. It is a bit pricier to travel with their group, but from my perspective, I wasn't saying to myself "Gee, where is all that extra money going?" I could see what was being done for that group and it made for one heck of an Oceania cruise PLUS.

[robbie21]

First of all - Food and Wine Trails is a California based travel agency that organizes cruises and tours typically sponsored by California prestige wineries. They often use Oceania or Regent cruises and offer wine tasting and classes on board for the group as well as specialized Winery shore excursions for the group. These experience tend to be spectacular for wine enthusiasts. For example, on a recent Joseph Phelps sponsored cruise we tasted six vintages of their flagship Insignia wine including 83, 86, 92, etc. with commentary from the winemaker who crafted each of these vintages. A unique experience for wino's. We have taken two of these and they were both outstanding. Interestingly, the prices of these group cruises are quite similar to independently booked cruises on the same itinerary. The sponsoring wineries appear to "Throw in" the tastings and classes. The wine excursions are extra and tend to be expensive but of very high quality for winos and foodies :D.

 

Secondy, it appears that, based on their long association, Oceania has contracted to use Food and Wine Trails assets and connections for specific wine focused tours. I would expect them to be excellent.

 

Finally, as noted above, if you have the time and money you can always find and contract private tours that will give you an exceptional experience. That does take quite a bit of research and some clear ideas of what you want.

 

Good luck to all, Robbie

[LHT28]

We were on a Riviera Barcelona to Venice B2B and the first leg Barcelona to Rome had about 140 Food and Wine Trails guests. They were on the ship with the rest of us, but seemed to have quite a few of their 'own' events---be it lunches, dinners, tours, etc. It sure looked as if they were having quite a good time and I heard something like "yeah, 187 bottles of wine for 140 people last night". To be truthful, we were a bit envious at times.

There are many "groups" that do cruises & have their own special events & meals

They also may more to have those special events & hosted meetings

 

If you are interested in being treated to some of those special events check out alumni or food groups

 

more money = more events & fun

[newbie60]

Based on previous posts, it would appear that Food & Wine Trails is accepting passengers on Oceania for their private excursions. One would need to look at the cruise details on their website to compare and contrast what they are charging 'their' guests for the excursion and what Oceania is asking for the same excursion. I'll be doing that for our cruise on Sirena where I know that F&WT is advertising the same cruise....more to follow.

[marne-c]

Three things...

 

QUOTE=iMarco46;47300876]Going back to our 2013 experience... the current price of a wine tasting plus multi-course lunch at Ornellaia is €200 per person without any consideration of transport costs.

 

And the food on the Chateauneuf du Pape excursion was nothing short of spectacular.

 

First, I believe that my wife and I were on the same cruise and in the same Food and Wine Trails group as iMarco46 above, and we fully agree with his opinion that the lunch at La Table du Sorge was spectacular. And this was for a bus-full of foodies.

 

http://www.latabledesorgues.com/

 

Second, FWT does indeed manage tours for any/all Oceania pax in addition to the special group-only tours they offer for FWT group members. These non-group tours are not the same as the group tours, but benefit from FWT's extensive contacts with restaurants, wineries and knowledgable guides. The non-group FWT can be reserved through O's regular shore excursion desk and online system. It is this kind of tour that the OP refers to.

 

Third, the wonderful "Siduri and Stark at Sea" FWT group has a second O cruise planned for next summer, on the Sirena. A link to that roll-call thread is here.

 

--Marne

[marne-c]

Three things...

 

Going back to our 2013 experience... the current price of a wine tasting plus multi-course lunch at Ornellaia is €200 per person without any consideration of transport costs.

 

And the food on the Chateauneuf du Pape excursion was nothing short of spectacular.

 

First, I believe that my wife and I were on the same cruise and in the same Food and Wine Trails group as iMarco46 above, and we fully agree with his opinion that the lunch at La Table du Sorge was spectacular. And this was for a bus-full of foodies.

 

Second, FWT does indeed manage tours for any/all Oceania pax in addition to the special group-only tours they offer for FWT group members. These non-group tours are not the same as the group tours, but benefit from FWT's extensive contacts with restaurants, wineries and knowledgable guides. The non-group FWT shorex can be reserved through O's regular shore excursion desk and online system. It is this kind of tour that the OP refers to.

 

Third, the wonderful "Siduri & Stark at Sea" FWT group has a second O cruise planned for next summer, on the Sirena. A link to that roll-call thread is here. A Google search of "siduri stark 2016" will produce another useful link.

 

--Marne

Edited August 2, 2015 by marne-c

[marne-c]

How did I manage that? Maybe it was elevation-induced dementia. I was near the continental divide at the Rocky Mtn Nat'l Park Alpine visitor center (~12,000') when I posted...

 

Sorry!

 

 

--Marne

[Romeril]

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I have a much better understanding of the tour and it's value now.

We are the types to blow the dough on a great culinary wine experience, but not without some kind of research. This being an exclusive it was hard to get the low down, so thanks again.

 

I see the value now and will be booking this tour. All other tours on this cruise will be booked independently, and most will involve some wine and food for sure!

 

If anyone has been on this exact tour please chime in!

 

D.