Chianti Countryside Bike & Wine-Tasting Tour

Cycling culture in this part of Tuscany

The area has a serious cycling pedigree. L'Eroica, a ride for vintage bicycles on gravel roads, is based in Gaiole in Chianti and draws enthusiasts in period wool jerseys. The professional Strade Bianche race uses the same kind of white roads and finishes in Siena's Piazza del Campo. None of this means a visit requires athletic ability, but it explains why drivers in the area tend to be used to cyclists.

For anyone planning a ride in hill country, a few general points are worth remembering:

• Sun protection and water matter even on mild days, because shade is patchy on open ridges.
• Gravel surfaces ask for a lower speed and gentle braking, especially downhill.
• Layers help, as a valley can feel cool in the morning and a ridge can be hot by noon.
• Wear a helmet and closed shoes, and keep a phone charged.

Wine and the saddle

Chianti Classico is built on the Sangiovese grape, which gives a red wine with bright acidity, firm tannins and flavours of cherry and dried herbs. The black rooster, the Gallo Nero, is the emblem of the Chianti Classico consortium and appears on the neck of bottles from the historic zone.

Tasting wine and cycling are a combination that calls for common sense. Tasting pours are small, and spitting into the bucket found in any serious cellar is normal and expected. Alcohol and bicycles do not mix, so pacing yourself, drinking water between glasses and eating alongside wine are sensible habits for anyone.

What the seasons do to the countryside

Spring brings fresh green vines and fields of wild flowers along the verges. Early summer is long and bright but hot in the middle of the day, so mornings and late afternoons are kinder for any physical activity. September and October are the harvest, the vendemmia, when the air smells of crushed grapes and the vine leaves turn gold and red. Winter is quiet, with bare vines, frost on the ridges and mist in the valleys.

What goes well with Chianti wine

Tuscan food is simple and built around good ingredients, which is exactly why it suits Sangiovese. Tuscan bread is traditionally baked without salt, so it works as a neutral companion to salty cured meats such as finocchiona, a salami flavoured with wild fennel seeds, and to aged pecorino. Olive oil from the same hills, peppery and green when new, is often poured over toasted bread. Tomato-based dishes echo the acidity of the wine, while richer meat dishes soften the tannins.