Italy
Tuscany
tos-KAH-nah
Sangiovese, cypress, and estates that know how to host a lunch. Chianti Classico is the easy week. Montalcino is the detour.
Map
- When to go
- April–June and September–October. July–August is hot and booked.
- Grapes
- Sangiovese · Trebbiano · Canaiolo · Merlot
Tasting rooms
Agriturismo culture: you taste, you eat, you might sleep there. Book. Many estates want you for two hours, not fifteen minutes. Chianti roads are slow on purpose.
Antinori nel Chianti Classico
Bargino
Bookahn-tee-NOR-ee
The new cellar in the hill. A lot of people, still worth the architecture and the Chianti.
Book online. It's a campus, not a garage.
Sangiovese · Tignanello if they have it; otherwise the Classico
Castello di Fonterutoli
Castellina
Bookfon-teh-ROO-toh-lee
Mazzei family, village attached, Chianti that still tastes like Chianti.
Estate tasting. Easy to pair with Castellina.
Sangiovese · Fonterutoli Chianti Classico
Biondi-Santi
Montalcino
BookBYON-dee SAHN-tee
The estate that named Brunello. Not a selfie stop.
Appointment, often tight. If you can't get in, drink Brunello in town.
Sangiovese · Brunello di Montalcino
Castello Banfi
Montalcino
BookBAHN-fee
Big, organized, English-speaking. The castle is the postcard; the glass is Brunello.
Easier booking than the tiny names. Fine for a first Montalcino day.
Sangiovese · Poggio alle Mura Brunello
Avignonesi
Montepulciano
Bookah-vee-nyo-NEH-zee
Vino Nobile and Vin Santo. A different Sangiovese hill than Montalcino.
Book. Don't skip the Vin Santo if they pour it.
Sangiovese · Vino Nobile — don't skip the Vin Santo
Ridolfi
Montalcino
BookRidolfi
Northeast of town. Vineyard, barrels, and Brunello without a castle queue.
Book the tasting. Lunch if they are pouring it.
Sangiovese · Ridolfi
Fattoria dei Barbi
Montalcino
BookFattoria dei Barbi
Old Montalcino house with a cellar you can actually get into.
Easier than the trophy names. Book anyway.
Sangiovese · Fattoria dei Barbi
Itinerary
Chianti Classico, then one southern hill
3 days
Base in Greve or Panzano. One day in the Classico. One day south — Montalcino or Montepulciano, not both.
Day 1
Greve / Panzano
Walk, eat, one small tasting. Recover from the flight.
Day 2, morning
Antinori nel Chianti Classico
The modern cellar. Then a long lunch.
Day 2, afternoon
Fonterutoli
Village scale after the campus.
Day 3
Montalcino or Montepulciano
One hill town. One estate. Dinner in the piazza.
GPS will send you down gravel. Leave extra time. Harvest trucks don't yield.
Business inquiries
Have a room in Tuscany?
Featured placement, your booking link, ninety days. Drinkers stay free.
Business inquiries