Wine, Art and Culinary Unite with Alice Mizrachi in Umbria, Italy

Heathen Wine Tours is going to take you on a trip like no other. Led by wine pro, Heath Porter aka The Head Wine-O, you’ll travel off-the-beaten path to meet world-class producers and experience the very best of Umbrian cuisine, culture, and hospitality. However, this culinary and oenophile experience will not be like most tours. We have coaxed our dear friend Ms Alice Mizrachi, the talented artist and educator, to cohost the week. That’s right, the fabulous Alice will bless our intimate group with her charm, intellect and of course, world class creativity.

Our travel will take us to Umbria, Italy and our home for the week, Panicale. From the backroads of Orvieto to Assisi, Lake Trasimeno and back we will see historical hierarchy!  For centuries farmers and grape growers in this Central Italian region made their mark producing long lived, elegant, vineyard focused wines. But don't look now, there is much, much more than just vino in this UNESCO World Heritage recognized region!

Our home for the next six days will be Rastrello Boutique Hotel & Extra Virgin Olive Oil. This renovated fourteenth century farmhouse sits atop the medieval, walled village of Panicale. Here the Umbrians have been producing world class olive oil for centuries. We'll be the first group ever in a newly renovated part of the hotel, nestled amongst the medieval village walls and take over the property for our time in Panicale. That's right you'll wake up and go to sleep in an ancient medieval village, overlooking Lake Trasimeno.

We'll meet some of the greatest winemakers in the region. Poliziano, Silvia Rey, Le Velette and Terralsole, just to name a few. We'll dine at Michelin recognized eateries and have a private cooking class with Rastrello Executive Chef Nicola. We’ll head to nonna’s house and olive grove for an olive oil tasting and art class.

On the flip side Alice will take us through a local journey through her lens. We’ll incorporate the local history, architecture, culture and artisan products in our daily classes. Think about using local grape must from the harvest to paint renderings of vineyards. Grabbing bottles of olive oil from the family grove to create the newest façade on your mantlepiece. Did you even know one of Ms. Mizrachi’s best talents is ceramics? We’ll voyage to a local village and fire up the kiln with Alice and the most talented artist in Perugia. Must we go on, or should we just purchase our tickets today?!?!

Agenda includes

Duomo tour in Orvieto

Cooking class and lunch with Chef Nicola of Rastrello

Olive oil painting class with nonna’s olive oil lead by Alice Mizrachi

Vineyard painting class with grape must, tour and wine tasting with Silvia Rey of Villa Rey Winery

Cellar tour and dinner at Poliziano with 3rd generation owner Mr. Francesco Poliziano

Follow in the footsteps of St Francis in Assisi

Dinner at Michelin recognized Lilla Tatini

Free time in Assisi and Montepulciano to dine, see sights, shop, etc...

Cellar Tour and tasting in the vineyards with winemaker Corrado at Lavalette Vineyards

And many more surprises, tastings and of course the most scenic vineyards and villages in the country. We will have a private bus/driver for the week.

Sunday, Pick up in Rome at 12:30PM to head to Umbria. After checking in at our home for the next six days, we will have a private tour of the medieval village (Panicale) followed by dinner overlooking the garden with Ms. Alice Mizrachi.

Monday, Morning starts with a delicious European breakfast featuring local breads, eggs, cheese, charcuterie, fruits, juices, coffee and yogurt all served in the villa. Our first stop this morning will be to EVO lab to discuss the art classes for the week.

With as many as five local visits, we need to understand the assignment. After reviewing, we head to Orvieto to visit the world renown Duomo and Etruscan caves. Lunch follows in a traditional trattoria and then a tasting and tour of Levelete with owner/winemaker Cordero. Twelfth generation owners of the winery, they took over the property in the late 1800’s. Etruscans built the cellars centuries before, and the church sold the estate to the Cordero family. In the evening, we will return to Panicale where guests will be on their own for dinner in the village.

Tuesday, Your day starts with another great breakfast at the villa. That morning, we are in for a huge treat as we head to Lake Trasimeno for a short ferry ride to the island, followed by a guided tour of the village. After a seafood lunch near the water, we head back to Panicale for an afternoon of painting with grape must at Villa Rey Winery. Our host Ms. Silvia Rey is an avid cyclist and owns a small resort set in a boutique vineyard. As the sunsets we will set our easels near the pool for a tasting, snack and guided art class with Alice. That evening we will enjoy a group dinner at the famous Lilla Tatini.

Wednesday, after another fantastic breakfast we head East for a road trip to Assisi. After the short ride we will follow in the footsteps of St. Francis with a guided tour of the cathedral and town. With this much excitement we must stop for pizza and sparkling wine in the best restaurant in the city, followed with cannoli in the heart of the village. On the road back from Assisi we stop outside of Perugia to explore pottery with Alice and the greatest ceramic artisan in Italy. As we head back from such a great day what would be better than a spritzer in a small village, followed by a group dinner at Ristorante Masolino.

Thursday, starts the morning with local breakfast in the resort, and a short hike to the local church with a view of Panicale. Here we set our paintings to capture the morning light on this ancient village in the mountains. After our morning on the hill with the amazing Ms. Mizrachi, certainly hunger with set in. We head to our friend’s villa in the olive grove for an olive oil tasting followed with lunch. That evening we meet with Chef Nicola, to learn the art of pasta making. With the pasta made and wine in hand, we will enjoy the fruits of our cooking class and eat the fresh pasta for dinner.

Friday, begins with our favorite local breakfast in the resort. Our bus is off to Montepulciano to tour the village and understand the Roman conquests. Certainly, we will need time for lunch overlooking the valley and insane gelato to follow. A bit of free time ensues to shop, sightsee and enjoy some time on your own. That afternoon we head to Poliziano for a winery tour and tasting with our dear friend Mr. Francesco Poliziano. This third-generation winery is world renowned for its contribution to the region and some of the greatest Sangiovese grapes in the land. We will finish the day with a final group dinner at a private residence with an award-winning local Chef, and ingredients from her own garden.

Saturday, doesn't have to be a sad day. We'll finish with one more great breakfast in the resort. We then meet Alice for a final gathering of our artwork from the week. The group will depart for a 2 hour voyage to the Rome airport. Here we'll say our goodbyes to our new best friends by noon.

Accommodations in Panicale – https://rastrello.com/

All rooms, ground transport, tastings, meals (other than 2 nights on your own), visits, tours included. Airfare and time on your own not included. We have 14 spots for this once in a lifetime experience with Ms. Alice Mizrachi.

$5,000 per person for double occupancy

$5,800 per person for single occupancy

Please note a 3% additional charge will be added to all credit card purchases.

RSVP to hold your spot http://www.heathenwine.com