I love food tours! They are a great way to discover local cuisine and local culture. And to try some yummy food… So I was very happy when SlowTravel Italia offered me the chance to try a Turin food tour. And this one was rather special – a Chocolate and Wine Tasting experience, bringing together two products for which the region is noted.
Disclosure: My husband and I went on the Chocolate and Wine Tasting Tour as a guest of SlowTravel Italia.
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Chocolate And Wine Tasting
SlowTravel Italia describe their mission as “sharing Italian food & drink culture, anything more…” They offer a variety of tours across Turin, Verona and other Italian cities, including culinary experiences, factory visits, and walking tours. These are all in small groups, and are a fantastic way to discover Italian culture and enjoy traditional dishes. (Read to the end to see how you can get a discount on one of these tours if you are inspired to try it for yourself.)
I was on the Turin Food Tour with Chocolate & Wine Tasting. This was a 2 hour walking tour which included a traditional hot chocolate drink, artisan chocolate tasting, and wine tasting with local delicacies. Our guide was Fabio, a food expert who studied at the Slow Food University of Gastronomic Sciences, and who was a mine of information about chocolate, wine, and the food of the Piedmont region.
Traditional Turin Bicerin
We started at Caffè Elena, a historic café that has been serving customers since 1889. Here we tried the traditional bicerin, a confection of thick chocolate, coffee and cream that originated in Turin and became popular in the 18th century. Fabio showed us how to drink it the local way, keeping the different layers separate from one another.
As we enjoyed our drink Fabio explained a bit about chocolate and its long connection with Turin. In particular he talked about the creation of the local Piedmont variety: the addition of hazelnuts was originally due to a shortage of cocoa beans, but later became a speciality in itself.
We also heard about the local café culture. Turin was once a fashionable haunt for European intellectuals who – like today’s tourists – were attracted by the city’s food, culture and wine. Many cafés opened in the 19th century as meeting places for visitors, and still remained popular today.
A Gourmet Chocolate Tasting
Our next stop was a real treat, a visit to Chocolate7, described by Fabio as one of the finest chocolate shops in Turin. This is a real bean to bar shop, and the shelves were groaning with hundreds of bars of chocolate, all different from one another. There were also chocolate sweets, chocolate covered coffee beans and even chocolate jams!
We were greeted by the owner, Giovanni, who presented the different types of chocolate. We learnt that most chocolate is made from industrial cocoa, which is bitter and requires more sweetening, whereas his artisan products are made from fine cocoa. The chocolate in his shop comes in four basic varieties: dark, milk, white and hazelnut, but there are numerous variations. Over the years he has stocked more than 2,500 types of chocolate bar!
We weren’t just listening, we were sampling as well. Different types of hazelnut chocolate and pralines. Chocolate truffles with a whole hazelnut inside (fun fact: they got their name from their resemblance to the mushroom truffles for which Piedmont is famed). Then chocolate bonbons with different fillings, cremini multilayered chocolate, salt chocolate, and a variety of liqueur flavoured chocolates…
(Chocolate7 sells some of its products online but you need to go to the shop to see the full range. But be warned: you will definitely come away having purchased armfuls of chocolate!)
Local Piedmont Wines
But it wasn’t just chocolate: this is Italy, so of course we had to try a glass of wine. We left Chocolate7 and went to Bistrot Turin, a typical local wine bar. Here we had two wines to try, both young wines from Piedmont (a UNESCO listed wine growing area). Fabio gave us some hints for tasting the wine, how to detect the flavours first by smell and then by taste.
This was a food pairing as well as a wine tasting. Plates of organic meat and cheese appeared, carefully chosen to complement the wine. I had the vegetarian option: a variety of cheeses and a slice of bread and green sauce (a local speciality of parsley, oil and garlic). A great way to end the tour!
How To Take A SlowTravel Italia Tour
SlowTravel Italia has lots of choices for food lovers and for curious explorers. There is a range of experiences in Turin, and many more across Italy. Every tour is with a local guide who has a wealth of local knowledge to share.
I have a discount for readers – just use code BEWITCHED10 at checkout and you will receive 10% off your booking. Make sure that you are hungry and have comfortable shoes for walking, then get ready for a great time exploring and eating!
1 thought on “Experience Chocolate And Wine On A Turin Food Tour”
The combination of chocolate and wine tasting sounds absolutely divine—what a treat for the senses. I especially loved reading about the traditional bicerin and the fascinating history behind it. Fabio’s expertise and passion for local food culture must have made the tour even more enjoyable. A visit to Chocolate7 and sampling artisan chocolates sounds like a dream come true for chocolate lovers! This post has definitely inspired me to consider a SlowTravel Italia tour—exploring Piedmont’s flavors while uncovering its history sounds like an unforgettable experience.