Private 2-Hour Italian Cheese and Wine Tasting in Rome

Met Benedetta and walked to a lovely private patio (the establishment was closed except for us). Did a tasting of nine cheeses paired with several wines. Talked about the types of cheese, the freshness of local producers and how everything affects the cheese product (from what the cows eat to how make and age the cheeses). Benedetta was very knowledgable and passionate about the products and very engaging in the discussions. I will likely repeat this on my next trip to Rome it was so much fun.

During our final evening in Italy, just 2 weeks after our first four Local Aromas (LA) experiences (see our other review, “Five Stars for Each of our Local Aromas Experiences“), we were super excited to enjoy our fifth LA experience (this time a private tour) with very chic and friendly LA co-owner, Benedetta. An incredibly talented wine sommelier, olive oil sommelier and professional cheese taster, Benny really knows how to share her vast knowledge and appreciation of wines and cheeses while mixing it with her flair for an engaging and sophisticated, totally fun evening of learning and conversation. Visiting the highly respected Beppe’s, we had the most delicious sensory experience tasting raw milk cheeses paired with wines. Benny showed us how to examine each cheese visually, to notice the feel of the cheese as we broke open each slice, to inhale and smell the specific aromas like grassiness and herbs, and finally to place each piece thoughtfully into our mouths to taste the fresh, deliciousness as it delighted our taste buds. Pure heaven, especially with the proper wine pairings provided! Watch their website video to see more of what you'll experience when you book this tour. As Valeria says, “it’s a five senses experience.” Note: You'll be very fortunate indeed to be hosted by any of the LA staff for their classes and tours. We also had tours led by Eleanora, Erik, Francesca and Juliette. Each guide is extremely knowledgeable about regional foods, wines and beers and infuse their interesting tours with local history and fun facts.

My husband is a cheese-lover and a far more adventurous cheese-eater than I am. When I saw this tasting experience I was thinking he would really enjoy it and I would learn perhaps a thing or two. This wine and cheese tasting actually changed me for the better. I would even go so far as to say that I am a better cheese-tasting human now after this experience. This is all thanks to Benny, our very knowledgable guide on what was a fantastic wine and cheese voyage! Benny was already waiting for us at the venue when we got there. We walked in and the cheese lessons began immediately. She told us all about the cheese-maker and his family business and walked us a bit through the cheese cases, asking us to keep a few things in mind for later. Once seated Benny walked us progressively through 9 wonderful Italian cheeses from the mild to the bold in 3 distinct stages. We had cheeses made from cow, sheep and goat milk. She made sure that each stage was of accompanied by a lovely wine pairing specifically from Italy which brought everything nicely full-circle. She explained to us the various facets of the cheese-making process, and how they produced different cheese characteristics (smell, texture, taste, etc.). Here is also where those details from the cheese cases in the shop came into play. They were little things I had noticed about cheese before, but never knew where they came from until Benny explained their origins. Throughout the tasting Benny instructed us to break and smell the cheese before tasting it, as you can get to a deeper flavor by exposing the inside of the cheese to the air, which, sadly, is something I had never thought to do before. She also invited us to taste a cheese with the previous wine pairing to make a comparison between the two, also an eye-opening experience for this wine & cheese pairing newbie. As someone who had mindlessly enjoyed cheese in the past, the whole process of smelling and breaking helped me enjoy what I was eating more fully and really appreciate all the work that goes into producing cheese (really, it's a lot. I never knew!) For those of you out there who might have doubts about spending time and money tasting a couple stronger cheeses, I would advise you to lay those doubts and stinky-cheese fears aside and take the plunge. I had been previously scarred by past bad stinky cheeses before this tasting and now I realize that all those stinky cheeses of the past were either of poor quality or poorly paired. From now on I will boldly go forth to taste those stronger cheeses in all their blue and green-flecked glory! So as you can tell my husband and I thoroughly enjoyed our tasting experience. Benny was a real joy to meet and learn from. I also found it a nice touch at the end of the tasting that the company offers you contact information in case you have any questions during the duration of your stay. It was a very nice gesture that they truly want people to enjoy their time in Rome. I would definitely book another tasting experience with them in the future. Thank you, Benny!