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Forbes
a day ago
- General
- Forbes
White Wines To Enjoy During Summer
It's summer, which means that wine writers in the Northern Hemisphere line up to write about summertime whites. You know the style of wine I'm referring to, one with low to moderate alcohol, very little or no oak aging and impressive fruit flavors - these range from pear and melon to passionfruit and lime - good freshness, and of course, easy drinkability; these are not wines you need to think about too much. So this article will deal with several examples of whites wines in this manner that I have enjoyed as of late, but I refuse to call these wines 'summertime whites,' simply because that term limits how these wines can be enjoyed. Yes, summer is an ideal time for these wines, but all of them will drink well for at least another year or three, and a few of these will be in excellent shape in five years, so these are clearly wines for more than summertime. Also, summertimes whites call to mind a lighter bodied wine meant for lighter foods we enjoy in warmer/hotter weather, such as salads or fish. Yet a few of these wines can stand up to richer foods, so again, the term summertime white does not do justice to these offerings. Enough text - on to the wines. Note that I am not scoring these wines, as the issue here is pleasure, not points!Valle Reale (Popoli) Trebbiano d'Abruzzo 2023 - Trebbiano d'Abruzzo was historically a simple white with high acidity and only moderate pleasure. But over the past decade the overall quality has improved, and when made by a top flight producer such as Valle Reale, the wine offers notable complexity. Displaying aromas of melon, pear and elderflowers, this has impressive weight on the palate, good acidity and an elegant finish that has a delicate note of stone fruit. Enjoy over the next three to five years; pair with roast chicken, branzino or seared (Uruguay) Albariño Riserva 2024 Yes, there are some noteworthy white wines produced in Uruguay; here is one that is most enjoyable. Textbook aromas of yellow peach, lime, mango and orange blossom. Medium-bodied with very good freshness and acidity. This is nicely balanced and cleanly made and has great appeal with a light juiciness; enjoy over the next two to four (Sardinia) Vermentino di Sardegna 'Costamolino' 2024 Vermentino from cool climates in Italy - in this case from the island of Sardinia west of Tuscany, is a lovely example of how complex and refreshing a dry white can be. Aromas of pear, grapefruit and white flowers. Medium-bodied with appealing freshness, a clean, dry finish, very good acidity, and impressive harmony. This is the ideal summer wine – easy drinking, dry but not too dry and delicious! Enjoy over the next year or (Sicily) Lighea 2024 Lighea, with a colorful label of a woman overlooking the sea - the producer Donnafugata is known for such playful labels - is made entirely from the Zibibbo grape; typically produced as a dessert wine (Ben Ryé, the winery's exceptional passito is made from Zibibbo), Lighea is a dry white from this grape. Aromas of mango, honeysuckle, passion fruit, orange zest and yellow roses – just lovely! Medium-bodied with appealing, ripe, juicy fruit, lip-smacking acidity and a off-dry finish with just a hint of sweetness. This is so enjoyable on its own, while it would also be ideal paired with Lemon Chicken or Oriental/Thai dishes like sweet and sour pork . Enjoy over the next two to three (Santorini, Greece) Assyrtiko 'Monograph' 2024 Santorini is among the favorite destinations of summer travelers; their most famous white wine is Assyrtiko (pronounced a-seer-te-ko), a wine in which you can smell and taste the sea. Aromas of honeysuckle, yellow peach and passion fruit. Medium-bodied with good weight on the palate, lively acidity and a finish with excellent persistence and the textbook saltiness of this grape. Pair with crab, calamari or baccalà (dried salt cod) and enjoy over the next two to four years. (The producer's name is pronounced Yay-ya.) Delas (Rhone Valley) Cotes-du-Rhone Blanc 'Saint Espirit" 2023 A blend of Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Bourboulenc and Viognier: vinified in stainless steel. Bright, medium yellow, attractive aromas of pear, white flowers and citrus peel. Medium-bodied, this is delicious! There is excellent ripeness, a dry, clean, well balanced finish and good cleansing acidity. If I were a buyer for a restaurant, and I needed a glass pour white that could accompany a wide range of foods, I would by a few dozen cases of this! Enjoy over the next two to three Olivella (Vesuvius) Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio 'Lacrimabianco' 2024 Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio is a popular wine in the trattorie in and around Napoli and Pompeii; several producers with vineyards in the Vesuvius National Park produce this wine (there are white, red and rosato versions produced). This is a blend of Caprettone (80%), Catalanesca (20%), two native grapes of the Vesuvius area; Cantine Olivella is one of the premier producers of the territory. There are aromas of lemon pulp, orange zest and magnolias; there is good ripeness and freshness along with very good acidity. Nicely balanced with good persistence and a delicate note of minerality. Enjoy with lighter seafood over the next two to three years. (90)Pio Cesare (Alba) Cortese di Gavi 2023 Gavi is a famous dry white from the south eastern area of the Piedmont region; the wine is made entirely from the Cortese grape. Displaying aromas of pear, melon and a hint of wet stone, the wine is medium-bodied, and has good freshness, medium acidity and a well-balanced finish with subtle notes of minerality. An inspired choice for pairing with scallops or river fish. Enjoy over the next two to three years. (88)Feudi di San Gregorio (Sorbo Serpico, Campania) Greco di Tufo 2023 - Greco di Tufo, along with Fiano di Avellino is one of the premier producers of white wines in the province of Avellino (aka Irpinia) in the Campania region of southwestern Italy. This example of Greco di Tufo (Greco is the grape, Tufo is a local place name) is unoaked, rendering an appealing wine with aromas of passion fruit, orange peel and a hint of sage. Medium-bodied with good acidity, there is impressive balance, and the finish is quite dry with subtle notes of thyme. Pair this with a specialty fish dish such as baccalà and enjoy over the next three to five years.Régnard (Burgundy) Bourgogne Chardonnay 2023 A pleasant, non-oaked Chardonnay with appealing citrus fruit flavors, good (but not high) acidity, and a round, dry, pleasing finish. Very well made with impressive balance and varietal character. Enjoy tonight or over the next year or two; pair with lemon sole. Chablis Saint Pierre 2023 This is a true Chablis from the Burgundy region. Aromas of citrus peel, pear, chalk and dried yellow flowers. Medium-bodied, with very good complexity and acidity; unoaked, this is subdued, elegant Chardonnay that would be a pleasure to pair with lighter chicken dishes; enjoy over the next three to five years. Marc Bredif (Loire Valley) Vouvray 'Classic' 2023 Vouvray is made from Chenin Blanc, and while some wine lovers think this will mean a sweet or off-dry wine, this is quite dry. Medium-bodied, vinified in steel, with aromas of pear, lemon peel and magnolias. Good acidity with a clean, dry finish, this has the richness to pair with a chicken salad with a light cream sauce or sautéed scallops; enjoy over the next three to four Felluga (Friuli) Sauvignon 2023 In northern Italy, Sauvignon Blanc is typically referred to simply as Sauvignon. Displaying aromas of pear, basil, white pepper and orange zest, this is medium-full with excellent varietal character, good acidity and an earthy finish with notes of thyme and bell pepper. Enjoy with sea bass or aged cheese over the next four to six Barrantes (Galicia) Gran Vino Albariño 2022 (Rías Baixas) I wrote about an impressive example of Albariño from Uruguay earlier in this article, but if you are seeking the spiritual home of this grape, you need to taste versions from Rías Baixas in Spain. From one of the top producers of Albariño, this has lovely aromas of honey, apricot pit, stone fruit and lilacs, and is medium-full, with very good concentration. There is lovely fruit purity, excellent varietal character, vibrant acidity and a juicy, lush finish with pronounced sapidity. Enjoy over the next three to six years with Thai or Chinese cuisine, or spicy shellfish preparations. Yes, this is a lovely wine to be enjoyed during the summer, but this offers so much more.
CNET
4 days ago
- General
- CNET
Stop Your Wine From Going Bad Fast With These Storage Tips
If you're pouring just one glass and planning to save the rest of the bottle, it's natural to wonder how long the wine will stay good. Can you enjoy it the next day, or does it lose its flavor after just one night? The good news is wine does not spoil the moment it is opened. With the right storage, it can keep its taste for several days. Recorking the bottle, storing it upright, and placing it in the fridge -- yes, even red wine, can all help slow down oxidation. Exactly how long it lasts depends on the type. White and rosé wines often hold up for around five days, reds for about three to five, and sparkling wine for one to three, depending on the style and how tightly you seal it. Don't miss any of CNET's unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add us as a preferred Google source on Chrome. Read more: Need to Find High-Quality Wine on a Budget? Here's How Here's how long wine lasts and how best to store it Once any bottle of wine stays open beyond the few hours it takes to breathe and decant, its quality begins to deteriorate. That's why it is crucial to take some steps to preserve its longevity, should you want to finish the remaining beverage before it essentially turns to vinegar. According to wine educator Rachel Thralls, each wine type requires different storage methods. Here's a breakdown of the most common. Red wine Open red wine should be stored in the fridge to preserve it and removed about 10 minutes before serving. Pamela Vachon/CNET Days it will last in the fridge: 3-5 "Red wines can be stored in a cool, dark place with a cork or in your wine fridge or refrigerator," says Thralls. "The more tannin and acidity the red wine has, the longer it tends to last after opening." For example, a lower tannin wine like Pinot Noir won't last as long as rich reds like Cabernet Sauvignon. "Some wines will even improve after the first day open," Thralls adds. "If you don't have a wine fridge, your regular fridge is better than letting the wine sit out in a 70-degree room. Just take the red wine out about 10 minutes before you want a glass so it warms up a little. The red wine will also open up in the glass." Full-bodied white wine Days it will last in the fridge: 2-3 Fuller-bodied whites tend to lose their oomph a little faster. YourWineStore "Full-bodied white wines such as oaked chardonnay and viognier tend to oxidize more quickly because they see more oxygen during their prebottling aging process," explains Thralls. "Be certain to always keep them corked and in the fridge. If you drink a lot of this type of wine, it's a really smart idea to also invest in vacuum caps ." Not long after the cork is popped, all wine begins to deteriorate. Vacu Vin Sparkling wine Days it will last in the fridge: 1-3 Sparkling wine has the shortest shelf lives of any wine. Shutterstock "Sparkling wines lose their carbonation quickly after opening," says Thralls. "A traditional method sparkling wine such as cava or Champagne (which have more atmospheres of pressure, aka more bubbles) will last a little longer than a tank method sparkling wine like prosecco." Invest in a bouchon (sparkling wine stopper) for best results. If you're really serious about preserving your Champagne, Coravin makes a bougie sparkling wine preservation system that pumps carbon dioxide back into the bottle to extend its effervescent fridge life by weeks. Light white, sweet white and rosé wines Days it will last in the fridge: 4-5 Uncorked light white wines can go for as long as five days if kept cold. Fresh Vine "Most light white and rosé wines will be drinkable for up to a week when stored in your refrigerator with a cork," advises Thralls. "You'll notice the taste will change subtly after the first day as the wine oxidizes. The overall fruit character of the wine will often diminish, becoming less vibrant." Tips for storing wine How and where you store wine is important, before and after opening. Wine Enthusiast The aforementioned guidelines are helpful for any wine novice. Thralls suggests a few general rules to take into consideration with any opened bottle. 1. Invest in a wine preserver. "They work very well for keeping wine after it's been opened. You can use the cork and push it back in or try [a product such as] Repour, which removes the oxygen from the bottle." Coravin wine systems are pricier but these high-tech units actually refill the bottle with argon gas, extending the life of red and white wine for up to a month. 2. Store any open wine in the refrigerator. "Or a wine fridge, if you have one," says Thralls. "This cold storage will slow down any development of the wine, keeping it fresh. The ideal cellar or wine fridge temperature is 55 degrees Fahrenheit." 3. Keep wine away from direct sunlight or sources of heat. "This includes above a refrigerator or oven. It will get 'cooked' and ruin the aroma and flavor." Ideal serving temperatures for wine The Hyperchiller can help you chill warm wine to a proper serving temperature. HyperChiller One could argue that wine temperature depends on personal preference; there are optimal temperatures that somms and wine professionals aim for. Generally, wine actually tastes better served slightly cool, which applies to whites and reds. This $21 device can chill warm wine (or any other liquid) in seconds. "The same ideology of experiencing coffees, teas and sparkling waters at different temperatures also applies to wine," says Thralls, revealing that the more delicate floral aromatics in fine wines can actually be subdued at overly cool temperatures or burn off too quickly when the wine is too warm. "If you drink affordable wine most of the time, serving it slightly chilled will disguise most 'off' aromas," she says. "A wine above 70 degrees Fahrenheit will start to smell more alcoholic because of increased ethanol evaporation that occurs as the temperature rises." Thralls says that this is a good reason to not fill your wine glass up to the brim. "A typical serving of wine is about 5 ounces and a bottle of wine contains just over 25 ounces, so you should get about five glasses of wine per bottle," she explains. "The extra space in a typical wine glass is designed to hold the aromas when you swirl and smell your wine, so try and save some space." The ideal serving temperatures for each type of wine There's an ideal temperature for serving every type of wine. Africa Studio/Shutterstock Champagne and sparkling wines Affordable sparkling wines taste best served at 40 to 45 degrees Fahrenheit. If you have a high-quality, more expensive Champagne or sparkling wine, serve at ideal light white wine temperatures, which are slightly warmer. Light white wines and rosés Examples of light white wines are Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio. These wines are best served between 45 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit, slightly cooler than heavier white wines. Rosé wines also taste best and maintain their crispness and acidity at these temperatures. Heavy whites and light reds Heavier white wines, such as chardonnay, taste well at a range of temperatures depending on someone's personal preference, from 48 to 56 degrees Fahrenheit. Oak-aged whites' fruit tends to taste better when served slightly warmer. Lighter red wines such as Pinot Noir taste better at this cooler end of the spectrum. Read more: 5 Most Common Wine Drinker Mistakes to Avoid, From a Wine Expert Medium-bodied reds Medium-bodied reds, such as merlot, are best served right around 55 degrees Fahrenheit. This temperature is also the ideal cellar temperature. You can grab your bottle right out of your cellar and pour a glass. Keep in mind that wines tend to warm up in the glass as well. Full-bodied and aged reds Full-bodied reds such as cabernet sauvignon, syrah and zinfandel are best served between 59 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit. But isn't that too cold for a red wine? The wine will taste much better if cool and, as Thrall mentioned, the glass will warm the wine as well. No matter how you swirl it, a good wine is one that doesn't end up down the drain. If you must tap out and savor the remainder of your bottle for future imbibing pleasure, take all of these tips into consideration and you'll never waste money (and precious alcohol) again. Cheers. Wine expiration FAQ
Times
11-08-2025
- Times
14 essential wine accessories for summer pouring
The upcoming bank holiday weekend offers one of the last chances to uncork the last of the summer wine. If you fancy upgrading your at-home vinous offering, whether with a wine fridge or the perfect glassware, here's everything you need to know about pouring and storing wine at home. As a rule of thumb, to maximise both enjoyment and aeration, fill a wine glass to the sweet spot — usually the widest point, around a third full — to release the wine's aromatics. There's no judgment for chucking a few ice cubes into a glass or opting to serve boxed wine at a summer soirée. Forget the preconceptions: the new wave of box offerings are smarter than ever, and (unlike a standard bottle) will keep vino fresh for up to four weeks. • Read more expert advice on property, interiors and home improvement Try Bobo for premium organic French pours — their summery rosé, a grenache-cinsault blend from Aix-en-Provence, comes in a 2.25l box — the equivalent of three bottles (£39.75, while the 'bagnums' from cult Burgundian producer Le Grappin taste just as good as the bottled iterations (£37.30 for 1.5 litres, Cheers! Take notes from hospitality professionals and use an unfussy double-hinged lever corkscrew (aka a waiter's friend); a single-hinged version has less leverage meaning more yanking is needed and a higher chance of breaking the cork. Lauren Reynolds, sommelier and manager at JÖRO, a Michelin-starred restaurant on the edge of Sheffield, has used a Pulltaps Classic 500 waiter's corkscrew for the past eight years (€8.99, describing it as 'simple yet effective — I've never had one break on me and the screw remains sharp for years'. A similar version is made by Pulltex (£11.99, Meanwhile Isa Bal, the co-founder and master sommelier at Trivet — a two-star Michelin restaurant in London Bridge — swears by his Butler's Friend wiggle-and-twist, aka Ah-So (£5.95, 'It's not new, it's timeless, and a fail safe when hosting guests to avoid a cork crumble in any old claret or other wine in the cellar,' Bal explains. 'For something a little more revered, the Durand (£165, is the gold standard — a really expensive gadget — but the Ah-So also does the job without breaking the bank.' And for anyone who struggles with a manual opener, electric options exist. Cuisinart is good value, especially while its 4-in-1 cordless model is reduced from £80 to £20 ( Sunny Hodge, the founder of two south London wine bars (Aspen and Meursault and Diogenes the Dog), says that glassware from the German brand Spiegelau (a sister brand of Riedel) has served him well in a commercial setting for almost a decade. He uses Spiegelau's Authentis white wine stemmed glasses in his bars (set of four for £50, as well as the stemless versions for a more casual vibe (set of six, on sale for £30, 'They look the part and are seriously hardwearing and chip-resistant. I've worked with many fancier glasses that simply aren't economical and are far too frail in a day-to-day setting,' Hodge adds. If you want to emulate your favourite gourmet establishment, the name to know in handblown crystal is Zalto, an Austrian manufacturer whose elegant, ultra-thin-walled glasses are used in seven out of the UK's ten triple Michelin-starred restaurants. It takes 15 minutes to make each Denk'Art Universal glass (not including the hours of cooling time) and, at £50 a glass ( the price certainly reflects this. Bargain hunting? A top tip is to scour the reduced shelf in the kitchen section of your local TK Maxx for cut-price wine glasses — the likes of LSA or Nude Glass (used at Trivet) often appear among the rotation of brands on offer. Bespoke wine cellars are increasingly de rigueur in the poshest of homes. Demanda Custom Wine Cellars in South Wales, which provides custom wine solutions for residential and hospitality clients with prices starting from £25,000, has reported a 50 per cent year-on-year growth for these 'status symbol' installations. Yet there are plenty of options for those with more modest means. 'A wine fridge is not a necessity, though it does mean expensive bottles of wine remain at a good temperature, especially for serving,' says Emily Acha Derrington, the wine director at Manteca, an east London hotspot. 'You can manage it perfectly well without, if you plan in advance. I've stored wine at home for years [without a wine fridge] — it is hard in some of the apartments we've lived in, but I've managed.' She explains: 'Wine should always be stored lying down, so the cork doesn't dry out and at a constant temperature — ideally in a spare room, or at least away from the kitchen.' • How to start a wine cellar — and drink well for less Aside from guarding against temperature swings to maintain a consistent temperature between 10-15C, the right wine fridge will also offer UV and odour protection. Which? tested Caple's 35-bottle capacity WF334 and bestowed it with its Best Buy stamp of approval, praising it as 'one of the more powerful chillers we've tested' with annual running costs of £30.36. This freestanding model is equipped with UV-resistant glass, wooden shelves and a water tank designed to control humidity (£369.99, Higher-spec wine fridges may have two or three independent, stable temperature zones to keep red and white wines as well as fizz properly stored in a single unit. Haier's new dual-zone Wine Bank 50cm wine cooler comes in two size, holding 42 or 77 bottles respectively (from £469.99, while at the top end, Liebherr's swish Vinidor collection combines a fridge, freezer and wine tempering compartment in one (£5,099, • Move over Paris, London is now the wine capital of world For serving, the Wine & Spirit Education Trust recommend lightly chilling (around 10-13C) a full-bodied white (eg, an oaked chardonnay), while a light to medium-bodied white like a pinot grigio should be served a little colder; sparkling wines even more so. However, anything sub 6C can mask the flavours in white, rosé and sparkling wines. Light reds are great slightly chilled (13C) while a fuller-bodied red is enjoyed best between 15 and 18C. A speedy bottle-cooling hack from Sarah Heaps, a refrigeration expert at the appliance site AO, is 'to wrap the bottle in a damp tea towel and place it in the freezer for 15 minutes'. Derrington saves the ribbed ice pouches from veg deliveries and keeps them in the freezer. 'When I want to serve a wine and keep it chilled in the garden or for a picnic,, using these to surround the bottle instead of loose ice means the label stays intact and it fits all the way round the bottle,' she says. You can minimise wine wastage (a sin!) with a Vacu Vin, a gadget which preserves the contents of an opened bottle by pumping out the air and re-sealing the top, slowing the oxidation/spoiling process (£18.82 for a wine saver plus two reusable silicone stoppers, For fancier bottles, Coravin's natty wine preservation systems are used in many fine wine establishments (the Timeless Three+ starts from £279.99, A Coravin allows small amounts of wine (ie a glassful) to be poured out, replacing the volume with argon, an inert gas. Katie Toogood, the co-founder of the Prawn on the Lawn restaurant group, which has outposts in Cornwall and London, loves Coravins. 'We have them in all three sites and they allow us to be super flexible and minimise wastage. If you fancy splashing out, it's a great gadget at home too for when you fancy just a glass of that special wine rather than the whole bottle.' Coravin's Pivot+ (£199.99, is a simpler take, which Derrington uses at home: 'It's perfect if you want to enjoy a nice glass of wine from a bottle over a couple of weeks.' Victoria Brzezinski's book, Drinking the World: A Wine Odyssey, is published by Pavilion (HarperCollins) on November 6. Pre-order from or call 020 3176 2935. Discount for Times+ members
Daily Mail
09-08-2025
- Lifestyle
- Daily Mail
DRINKS
Daily Mail journalists select and curate the products that feature on our site. If you make a purchase via links on this page we will earn commission - learn more Southern Rhône whites serve up sips full of ripe fruit and fragrant aromas of florals, herbs and spice. The best part? You can bag a brilliant bottle for around a tenner. Made from sun-loving white grapes, these blends are often overlooked next to the region's famous reds (think Châteauneuf-du-Pape) but deserve attention for their easy-drinking charm. Gabriel Meffre Saint-Vincent Côtes du Rhône Blanc 2023 (12.5%), £11, waitrose £11.00 Shop Vignerons Ardéchois Grand Aven Blanc 2023 (13%), £14.95, Here is a gastronomic gem, crafted from a blend of Grenache and Marsanne. It delivers a full-bodied sip that's rich with white peach, citrus peel and almond. £14.95 Shop The Best Côtes du Rhône Villages Blanc 2024 (13%), £10, Morrisons. This dry and refreshing number is perfect for apéritif hour, with nuances of dried thyme and lemon oil. Serve with olives and salty snacks. £10.00 Shop
Vogue
07-08-2025
- Vogue
7 Best Places to Travel in Fall, from Upstate Cabins to French Vineyards
Amber-colored foliage, winding vineyards ready for harvest, a slight chill in the air that lends itself perfectly to a long day of sight-seeing (made even more perfect when it ends with a cozy bowl of risotto)… autumn may actually be the perfect travel season. Whether you want to book a country escape or lean towards a packed city itinerary, the best places to travel in fall are hardly a one-size-fits-all list. Neither are our recommendations: We included destinations far and wide, with plenty of stays that speak to a range of travel styles. Nature lovers will find lots to occupy themselves with in the sprawling Scottish Highlands or the lakeside hikes of Upstate New York. (Though if your idea of the great outdoors leans more to swirling glasses of Merlot among unending rows of grapes, a trip to Bordeaux or Tuscany might be more your speed.) For a dose of city charm, head to Kyoto to get your fill of historic architecture and buzzing markets. And if you're still not sure—well, you know what they say about Paris. Ahead, seven fall travel destinations for your next getaway. Upstate New York From Hudson Valley to the Catskills to the Finger Lakes up North, there's so much to explore in this region you may just have to slot in multiple weekend trips. (Cue the tiny violin.) Design magpies can make a whole itinerary based off the antiquing alone–from flea markets to standalone shops, you'll find no shortage of one-of-a-kind treasures to fill your home with. Prefer something more outdoorsy? The Catskill and Adirondack Mountains are prime spots for hiking with sweeping views. Courtesy The Six Bells The Hotel to Book The just-opened Six Bells Countryside Inn is a haven of cottagecore charm— and the perfect home base for your stint upstate. Between the folksy patchwork quilts and on-site 'tavern,' the quaint touches add up to quite the transportive experience. Courtesy Airbnb The Airbnb to Book For more space, an Airbnb gives you room to spread out. Right off the Hudson River in the town of Saugerties, this mid-century modern home can sleep up to six guests and is surrounded by trees for maximum seclusion. You'll want to spend each night huddled around the fire pit. Tuscany The tree-dotted rolling hills of the Tuscan countryside only get more charming with a gold wash come autumn. It's the season of the Vendemmia (the grape harvest) so plan accordingly and book a couple afternoon wine tours to break up lazy days spent strolling around Medieval towns like Lucca and San Gimignano. And if it's hearty fall fare you're after, a local cooking class where you can learn to roll pici from scratch is always a good idea.
