The Perfect Bike and Wine Adventure in Tuscany

posted on : October 11, 2022 posted by : GNExplorer 0 Comment

Is an e-bike the way to go?

e-bike rented from ByeBike, Montepulciano

Tuscany is like a candy shop for grownups. There is so much to do and of course taste: wines, olive oils, and cheeses. It can be tricky to prioritize your activities. My husband and I agreed that a bike and wine tasting tour in Tuscany was a major priority for us.

We secured a few nights lodging at Podere la Rocca, a delightful agriturismo close to Montepulciano. A few weeks prior to our September departure we went ahead and booked e-bikes for a full day from ByeBike, a local bike shop.

Everything was going according to plan. Our agriturismo had wonderful sweeping views of the Tuscan countryside along with a made to order complimentary breakfast. The morning of our scheduled ride we feasted on eggs, fresh fruit, pastries, and espresso to fuel up. Unfortunately, mother nature had other plans and large bands of thundershowers started rolling through the area. We had both brought Gore-Tex rain shells with us and were optimistic at first that we would be able to bike, until the rain started coming down in sheets combined with nearby lightning strikes. There was no way we were getting on bikes.

We hopped in the car and decided to explore Pienza on foot bringing along raincoats and umbrellas. This would have been our destination on the e bikes. Pienza is a beautiful ancient town, and we had fun meandering down the little alleys and checking out the architecture. We had a great light lunch overlooking the countryside at Bar Il Casello, a little place that had paninis and outdoor tables. It was about then as we munched on our sandwiches and looked over the wall at the sweeping views that we realized the storm clouds were clearing and it was a great afternoon to go biking. We contacted Andrea at ByeBike and confirmed our bikes for the rest of the afternoon. It wouldn’t be the full day we had planned riding from Montepulciano to Pienza, but at least we’d get to bike in Tuscany during our stay.

Andrea couldn’t have been more helpful. Our bikes were equipped with GPS, and he gave us an abridged loop that would take us through Val d’Orcia. He even suggested a couple of wineries we could stop at for a tasting. Andrea confirmed our belief that e-bikes were the way to go in Tuscany. It is one hilly place. My husband and I are both experienced road bikers, but the hills of Tuscany are long and intense. It was also quite hot despite the morning showers. There are plenty of people who go old school and forego e bikes, but I’m glad we trusted our gut. We were able to see a lot more in a short amount of time, and we still got a great work out. My trusty Apple watch indicated that I cycled 19.7 miles, burned 635 active calories with an average heart rate of 130 BPM, so e-bike naysayers may want to rethink their objections.

There was a bit of car traffic leaving Montepulciano from the bike shop. The roads are narrow and windy but manageable. We were conservative about using our juice, and only powered up our bikes slightly on the uphill to make sure we had enough for the whole ride. Andrea had told us that we’d be off the main road after a bit of riding, and he was right. The quiet country roads were beautiful. The scenery was spectacular; green and vibrant countryside speckled with olive and the iconic cypress trees. It was a thrill to speed down the hills. We paused to soak it all in and take pictures.

The Val d’Orcia is a UNESCO sight for good reason. It is gorgeous. Biking through it allows you to see much more than driving. There are grape vineyards and groves of olive trees everywhere. We had mountain e bikes, so we were able to ride on the gravel and dirt countryside roads with ease.

We relied on GPS but there were a few signs

We worked up quite a sweat and maintained a good clip. After just under two hours of riding we came to Fabricca Vineyards, one of Andrea’s recommended stops. The friendly staff at Fabricca gave us some water and described the three levels of wine tasting experiences available. They didn’t bat an eye at our wind ruffled, sweaty appearance. We opted for the basic wine tasting which would also include a chance to taste their olive oil. Fabricca is a relatively new vineyard, and their tasting rooms are modern and eye appealing with wonderful vineyard views. I would have loved a vineyard tour, but the day was getting late.

Fabricca’s full bodied red wines were our favorite and we ordered half of a case to be shipped home along with some of their fabulous olive oil. I can’t think of a better souvenir to arrive on our doorstep upon returning home.

We hopped back on our backs with happy glows and rode for about a half hour taking full advantage of the juice left in our e bike batteries. We arrived back in Montepulciano to return our bikes feeling very lucky that we achieved our goal of biking in Tuscany for the afternoon and didn’t feel guilty at all when we had a delicious three course dinner that night in Montepulciano.