“You may have the universe if I may have Italy” said Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi.   Italy, particularly Tuscany, evokes all that makes life a gift, especially for wine and food aficionados.  It is in celebration of Tuscan beauty and bounty that Gold Medal Wine Club presents their newest wine contest.  From today until March 15th, enter to win a 7-day/6 night International Wine Country Getaway to Prato, a small city in northern Tuscany.  The contest includes continental breakfast, five nights of dining and wine tasting with world renown Italian winemakers and winery tours.

Prato is home to many museums and cultural monuments and is considered to be a centre for the ’slow food’ movement, boasting many local specialties.  Accommodations are for two at Prato’s fabulous Hotel Hermitage.  The hotel has been given five stars by tripadvisor.com travelers and is described as beautiful, quiet, and spacious, surrounded by olive groves and centrally located with just a 20 minute drive to Florence.

Tours and dinners have been arranged at five exceptional wineries in the area.  The wines of  Podere Le Poggiarelle and Cantine Bonacchi are currently featured as Gold Medal Wine Club International Series selections. Each wine was chosen by Gold Medal Wine Club for exceptional quality, prestige and requisition in the face of high demand.   The wineries are both located in the Montalbano hills and have been producing wines since before 1970 on vineyards with rich and ancient history.  Podere Le Poggiarelle winery is located on a restored Tuscan farm true to its ninth century roots whereas the Cantine Bonacchi wine making operation is centered in the town of Quarrata and includes a newly completed modern winery and bottling facility.

The three wineries of Fattoria Artimino, Cantine Borghi, and Fattoria Le Gallozzole, also located in and around the north Tuscany region, share the rich traditions in an area known for it’s 3000 year old history of grape and olive growing.  Each of these wine tours and dinners will offer the winner their own unique experience of the fabulous food and wines of Italy.

To enter the contest for the International Wine Country Getaway, please visit goldmedalwine.com.  Follow the button on the homepage.  No purchase is necessary and contestants are encouraged to tell a friend to enter.