Maybe you’ve been meaning to visit Italy for years and just needed a reason to make it happen. Maybe you’re already planning a European trip and looking for something that provides a little structure without too much of an itinerary.

A wine tour is a nice option. Not only because every day involves tasting cool selections of tasty wine (no complaints there), but also because wine provides a framework for understanding a place. Follow it for a week, and you’ll inevitably find yourself learning about food, agriculture, history, geography, and the people who have spent generations shaping the landscape around them.

That’s the idea behind the first international tour from This Is Wine School, a six-night journey through Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, and Florence that uses wine as the starting point for a deeper exploration of Italy.

As the team explains: “Just like in the classroom, our approach to travel is casual, but we care deeply about the outcome. We’ll include leisurely lunches at wineries or countryside restaurants, and some carefully chosen dinners at our favourite spots. Each stop is personally researched, vetted, and experienced ourselves to show you the best spots that are neither too stuffy nor too touristy.”

That balance between expertise and accessibility has always been part of what makes This Is Wine School appealing. The goal isn’t to rush people through a checklist of famous wineries. It’s to create the kind of trip that combines learning, good food, and the simple pleasure of spending time in beautiful places with curious people.

The trip begins in Emilia-Romagna, a region often considered Italy’s culinary heartland and the home of Lambrusco. Guests will spend two nights and two full days exploring local wineries and food traditions. As This Is Wine School explains: “We’ll see winemaking in action but also learn about the traditional foods of the region, including Parmigiano Reggiano, Traditional Balsamic Vinegar (the real stuff!), Prosciutto di Parma, and more!” It’s the sort of itinerary that recognizes wine doesn’t exist in isolation. Understanding a region’s wines often means understanding the foods, farming practices, and traditions that have developed alongside them over generations.

From there, the group heads into Tuscany for three nights in a private villa surrounded by vineyards. This is the Tuscany that tends to occupy people’s imaginations: rolling hills, long tables, and a culture deeply connected to food and wine. Winery visits and guided tastings are part of the experience, but so are hands-on cooking classes, pizza nights, and afternoons by the pool.

The final stop is Florence, where the group returns to city life for one last evening together. After a farewell dinner, guests are free to spend their final morning however they choose before heading home.

Leading the all-inclusive tour (September 27 to October 3, 2026) is sommelier and This Is Wine School co-founder Maude Renaud-Brisson. Those familiar with her classes will know that while her knowledge of wine runs deep, her approach is refreshingly unpretentious. Curious, generous, and quick with a laugh, she’s the kind of guide who can make complex subjects feel accessible without stripping away their depth. We suspect a week spent travelling through Italy with Maude would be a blast.

The trip is limited to ten guests. Large enough to meet interesting people, small enough that everyone fits around the same dinner table.

Worth knowing before you start doing the mental math: it’s genuinely all-in. Every breakfast, lunch, and dinner is covered, along with all winery visits, tastings, group activities, and private transport in their own minivan throughout. Accommodation across six nights splits between a mix of three and four-star hotels and, for the Tuscany leg, a private villa in the vineyards. The only things you’re sorting out yourself are flights to and from Italy and your travel insurance.

Double occupancy runs somewhere in the neighbourhood of $6,000 CAD per person. Solo travellers (or anyone who just really likes having their own room) are looking at $7-ish CAD.

Ten spots. September 27 to October 3. Just saying.

Details can be found here.