This was my first time taking a wine and food tour, I will say that these are now my favorite kind of tours. Context Travel offers very small group tours, I chose to do their “Wine Tasting: Wines of Venice and the Veneto” tour in Venice. Although it was a wine tour there were lots of incredibly tasty appetizers which our knowledgable guide Tamora did a great job explaining how to pair with our wine selections. Wine has never seemed so interesting to me.
“We started out with two different types of white wines and later two different types of red wines. The Prosecco White Wine was a unique sparkling white wine we enjoyed before trying different cheeses. It’s also a great cleanser of the palate in between bites of different dishes.
After that we tried Kante Malvasia white wine-initially a Greek wine. Malvasia is a particular group of grapes that feature a variety of prominent colors. Greeks planted these grapes in Sicily, which then self mutated to the climate and to fit the conditions of the area over time. So the Venetians then started to plant them with success because they were so adaptable. The ground is “saline” in Venice meaning {we have risen from the seas} so the soil is great. This wine is full of diverse flavors that complimented our prosciutto very well.” –Friend, Gabriel Wright
The tour was at a moderate pace so that we really had time to make friends with the other people on the tour and truly enjoy the various wines, meats, cheeses and other appetizers. At one restaurant we were able to meet the owner and our guide Tamora always explained the origins of our food and wine. The group was small enough to ask questions, Tamora was a wealth of knowledge not only about food and wine but also local culture. We even invited a couple from our tour to share a bottle of wine with us on our rooftop afterwards. This was my favorite tour in Italy! I look forward to experiencing more Context tours in my travels.