This is the fourth time I have been to Stefano's Accademia del Buon Gusto and as usual he did not disappoint. He has a great working knowledge of the local wines and other food products and presents them in a very entertaining way.I was with a group of friends and wine afficianados who were first time travelers to Italy. Before their visit, they thought our wine advisor in LA was the best ever, but by the end of their visit with Stefano, they had changed their minds. We tasted a large number of wines, the local olive oil and a few grappas. Stefano is very good at teaching about these products and before we knew it we had been there for hour.If you are in Panzano, you must pay a visit to Stefano, and if you are anywhere in the area it is well worth the trip. Still the best wine tasting adventure ever. I hope to return again soon.
We spent a late morning, before lunch, tasting at least 15 or so wines, and being entertained by the very charming Stefano. He absolutely adores what he does and his charming smile and one act show were one of the highlights of our two,week trip. The stick figure works of art with wine glasses are hard to pass up, and I had to have a bottle of the the limited edition extra virgin olive oil with his two daughters on the front (extra virginS). Great wines and a knowledgeable monologue. Not to be missed!
Stefano is just awesome!! We had so much fun stopping in here! We tried all kinds of vino, learned about wine, chatted about life and laughed a lot! Stefano is so warm and inviting! We followed this up by dinner at Dario's....what a day!
My husband and I stumbled into Stefano's shop while looking for a place to eat dinner in a town that appeared to be closed for the night. A local pointed to Stefano's shop to indicate that he spoke English and may be able to help us. What a surprise to walk into his beautiful shop and meet the most authentic and energetic man, who truly loves what he does! He sat us down and immediate begin pouring us taste after taste after taste of his fantastic wines - I'm guessing we had around 20 - along with some balsamic and olive oil. The entire time we were laughing and joking and having the greatest time! We must have spent over an hour with Stefano (it was only after we left that we realized his shop closed before we even got there!!) and we are so glad to have met him! Such an incredible night - one of the most fun things we did on our trip to Panzano! Stefano and his shop are true gems! Such a blast!
My husband and I stumbled upon Stefano when we stopped in Panzono for the day. He welcomed us into his space and let us try about 10 different wines all hand picked by him and his wife within 30km's of Panzono in Chianti. We wanted to go back later in the day to try his olive oil but didn't have time! Next trip Stefano! Thanks so much
We had a enigmatic afternoon here. Upon entering we where warmly welcomed by Stefano .. the wine professor .. what appeared a mere goofy way of tasting wine turned out to be a great lesson on local Chianti wineries. Stefano knows all about wine and knows how to entertain his customers. We tasted a plethora of wines and went home with a few bottles of amazing 'experiences'
An extremely nice guy, his story about philosophy kept me thinking for weeks laterI was wondering does anyone have a video of him?
Oh my goodness.... one of the biggest highlights in a trip filled with highlights. Somehow I stumbled across a review about Stefano before going to Italy, so I knew to search him out in Panzano. But I really didn't think he'd live up to his billing. Boy, was I wrong. Our party of five and a German commercial photographer wound up staying WAY past closing time having a blast with Stefano who clearly has a zest for wine, olive oil, chocolate and life... not necessarily in that order. As one of my good friends would put it, he is a 'hot mess' but you will have the time of your life! He has some great wines and great stories to go along with them. Stefano really brings the love for Tuscany and the passion for the local culture and flavors to life. We loved spending time with him and getting to know about his wife and daughters. He had lots of unusual things that we did not see at other stores and wineries (and we shopped a lot!) Will definitely make a special trip back again!
We came in and got the best lesson we ever had about wines. We got to taste at least 10 different types and also some olive oil and balsámico. Finally we really could tell the difference between types. All was in a very nice atmosphere and lots of information. Watch out - You Sure will find some wine you really like and maybe some more ( we get wine, spicy olive oil, balsámico and chocolate pastry with taratofu - yammmm).
Great dude with a knowledge and true passion for vino and more... A must see to verify what your personal Chianti direction is before you steer your ship into the deep red sea of delicousness.