Known for its wine-soaked villages dotted amongst vineyard-laced hills which sit a few kilometres from cities famed for being high fashion and Renaissance art powerhouses; Tuscany has long had one of the biggest influences on Italian –and European– culture, as a region alone.
No other region in Europe has the reputation that Tuscany holds. If Naples is the place to sample the best Italian pizza, then wine tasting in Tuscany is an absolute must. Luckily, wine tours in this region exist in almost every form. From traditional Tuscan wine tasting tours from Rome and Chianti tours from Florence to making your way around centuries-old wineries on a Siena wine tour to everything in between, there’s a wine tasting experience to suit everyone.
When there is so much on offer, choosing a wine tour in Tuscany to suit you can be a little overwhelming. Luckily, we’ve put together a list of the best nine wine tours which take you to some of the best vineyards in Tuscany.
Post Contents
- Here Are the 9 Best Wine Tours Tuscany Has to Offer
- 1- What’s Included on a Wine Tour from Florence
- 2- Brunello di Montalcino Wine Tasting
- 3- San Gimignano Wine Tours
- 4- Wine Tours from Rome to Tuscany
- 5- Chianti, San Gimignano & Siena Wine Tours from Lucca
- 6- Montepulciano Wine Tour
- 7- Florence Wine Tours
- 8- Tuscany Food Tour
- 9- Tuscany Wine Tour and Pisa
- So, Are You Ready to Embark?
Here Are the 9 Best Wine Tours Tuscany Has to Offer
1- What’s Included on a Wine Tour from Florence
With the popular wine region of Chianti sitting just over an hour from the city of Florence, hopping out of the city to visit some of the best wineries in Tuscany requires very little effort.
As part of this luxury tour from Florence, you’ll discover the glorious Italian countryside as you are taken to the depths of the Chianti wine region to appreciate the grape varieties which produce the wonderful wines here.
Whilst Chianti Classico is the most famous, on this Chianti wine tour from Florence, you’ll discover different sub-areas, visiting hidden gems in Chianti Rufina and Chianti Colli Fiorentini. As you pass by rustic estates and drive through down country roads lined with rolling hills of endless vineyards, your anticipation will grow for your Tuscan wine tour.
Food & Wine Tastings in Vineyards near Florence
Your first stop will be at a boutique winery where the first taste of Tuscan wine will hit your lips. The Sangiovese grape is used to produce several of Tuscany’s most famous wines including Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Throughout the wine tastings, you’ll be led through the fine flavours and notes of each wine by an expert connoisseur.
Moving on, you’ll head to another wine tasting in Greve in Chianti where you’ll also enjoy a typical Tuscan lunch of fine homemade bread, locally-produced cheese and of course, more wine!
If you’d like food to play a more prominent role on your wine tour, you can spend a day gathering truffles with an expert truffle hunter before enjoying a Chianti wine tour with lunch on a rustic wine estate set amongst vibrant vineyards, complete with homemade “crostini toscani” and sublime Chianti wine.
Sightseeing on Your Wine Tour
As well as sampling wine in some of the best wineries to visit in Tuscany, you’ll also be able to mix in a good dose of ‘touristing’ on your Tuscan wine tour. After visiting a winery or two, you can stop by the charming, historical town of Greve in Chianti where you can stroll through its pretty alleyways and watch the world go by in its bustling piazzas.
To complete your trip, you can also visit the Montefioralle Castle and hamlet on your way back to the city. Dating back to the 10th century, the Montefioralle Castle is rooted in medieval Italy and has been home to many noble families over the years who have each left their mark on this impressive fortified complex.
Duration of Your Tour from Florence
Whether to do a full-day or half-day wine tour from Florence is completely up to you; the journey from Florence to Chianti wine region is only a 40-minute drive away so either is an option.
If you’re seeking affordable wine tours in Tuscany then choosing a half-day tour will be more reasonable and you’ll still be able to cover a few wineries with the addition of lunch if you choose to. A group wine tour of Tuscany is another way to reduce the cost.
Alternatively, if you wish to spend longer soaking up the charm of Tuscany, overnight wine tours where you stay in a traditional farmhouse or a thousand-year-old castle are the perfect option, just like this Montalcino wine tour.
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2- Brunello di Montalcino Wine Tasting
What’s Included on Montalcino Wine Tours
Sitting in the famed Val d’Orcia, this natural park home to lush green rolling hills and country lanes flanked by cypress trees – an iconic scene recognisable from most Tuscan travel books. Montalcino is a charming historical village famed for its wine production.
On this afternoon Montalcino wine tour, you’ll be chauffeured in a luxury car to a medieval village where you’ll taste sample the produce of the best wineries in Montalcino.
Montalcino Wine Tasting & Food Sampling
Often referred to by locals as the Tuscan table wine, Brunello di Montalcino is a go-to wine of the region. Over the course of your Montalcino wine tour, you’ll meet the winemakers who grow and nurture the grapes for many years before passing on their refined winemaking techniques to the next generation.
Montalcino is home to small, boutique family wineries, centuries-old wineries and very famous wineries and you’ll have the chance to taste different types of wines whilst being fascinated by the wonderful landscapes and sampling local cheeses and cold cuts.
Sightseeing on a Montalcino Wine Tour
Montalcino is encircled by four kilometres of outer city walls which are complete with 13 towers built to guard the town in the early 12th century. Following the surrender of Siena in the mid-16th century, Montalcino fortress was the last resisting fortress of the republic where 650 families stood their ground for 4 years.
Today, this charming hilltop town overlooked by the medieval castle of Montalcino maintains it’s 16th-century appearance and is the perfect place to sit back, sip a glass of the prestigious Brunello red wine, and to nibble on a bowl of homegrown olives.
Duration of a Montalcino Wine Tour
If you’re looking to do a wine tour in Tuscany from Florence then you can choose to spend a full day exploring the medieval villages on a private tour or you can explore the best wineries in Montalcino on a half-day wine tour. The choice is yours!
3- San Gimignano Wine Tours
What’s Included on a Wine Tasting in San Gimignano
This San Gimignano wine tour from Siena will educate you on the beautiful ruby colour and the characteristic fragrance with hints of violet that are the distinctive signs of the identity of one of the most famous wines in the world: Chianti.
Over the course of this small-group wine tour, you’ll visit some of the best wineries near San Gimignano where you’ll taste this refined product and discover the wonderful, unspoiled landscapes that have cradled the Chianti vineyards for centuries.
Food & Wine Tasting in San Gimignano
Known as the white wine of Tuscany, the origins of Vernaccia di San Gimignano lie in a particular grape which was introduced to Italy with the arrival of the Greeks many centuries ago. Throughout the years, the production of this particular wine peaked and troughed until it finally rose to its true glory in the 1960s.
On this tour, you’ll taste this famous wine in one of the best wineries near San Gimignano, accompanying it with a selection of bruschetta, typical local cheeses, Tuscan salami and cold cut meats.
Sightseeing on a San Gimignano Wine Tour
Encircled by 13th-century walls, San Gimignano is a UNESCO-protected medieval hill town southwest of Florence. San Gimignano’s old town centres around a square and is full of medieval houses and stunning 12th-century buildings such as the Duomo di San Gimignano; all lovingly protected by a 13th century law which prohibited the demolition of any old houses.
Known as the town of towers, originally, there were 72 medieval towers in San Gimignano, one built by each wealthy family to symbolise their power, today however, there are only 13, yet the atmospheric beauty remains.
San Gimignano Wine Tour Duration
Choosing to go wine tasting in San Gimignano is a half-day tour from the city of Siena, which is less than 45 minutes away from this medieval town.
If you would prefer a full-day Tuscan wine tour from Siena, you can extend the San Gimignano wine tour to include a wine tasting Greve in Chianti and a tour of the towns of Monteriggioni, Colle Val d’Elsa and Volterra to name but a few in Tuscany.
4- Wine Tours from Rome to Tuscany
What’s Included on a Chianti Wine Tour from Rome
In just three hours, you can reach the depths of the Tuscany countryside from Rome in a private, chauffeur-driven car like on this half-day Tuscan winery tour from Rome. Known and appreciated across the world, the Chianti region delights visitors with its stunning landscapes of green hills filled with wide fields of vineyards and olive groves.
Food & Wine Tasting on a Wine Tour from Rome to Tuscany
On this Chianti wine tour, you’ll visit one of the best wineries in Tuscany and sample a range of locally-produced wines.
If taking a different wine tour option, you can opt to begin the day searching for truffles with an expert gatherer of the San Miniato hills, and his dog, who will lead for a walk in the woods with them. You’ll then head to a Chianti winery where you’ll taste the wonderful products you’ve collected and wash them down with a glass or two of local wine.
Sightseeing on a Chianti Wine Tour from Rome
If you choose to extend your tour from this half-day Chianti wine tour from Rome, you can opt to visit the towns of Montepulciano (the 15th-century hill town famed for its red wine), Montalcino famed for its Brunello di Montepulciano wine or Pienza, one of Tuscany’s UNESCO-listed treasures.
Duration of Tour from Rome
To reach the heart of the Chianti wine region from Rome takes around three hours in a private-chauffeur driven car. A tour from Rome is perfectly achievable in a day, however you may like to stay overnight in a family-run wine estate for a true Italian experience.
5- Chianti, San Gimignano & Siena Wine Tours from Lucca
What’s Included on a Chianti Wine Tour from Lucca
On this Siena wine tour from Lucca, you’ll head out to the town of towers, San Gimignano where you’ll explore the old medieval towers, pop into the colourful pottery shops and perhaps enjoy a wine tasting of San Gimignano’s famed Vernaccia. Lucca is just 1.5 hours away from San Gimignano.
Moving on, you’ll lay eyes on the 13th-century Siena Cathedral, one of the most impressive sights in Tuscany. Before heading back to Lucca, you’ll stop to sample some wines in the wineries near Siena. Your guide will take you to an ancient winery in the heart of the Chianti hills with a fantastic landscape for a wine tasting.
Food & Wine Tasting in Wineries near Lucca
In the wineries near Siena, you’ll taste an excellent white wine, Vernaccia (unique from San Gimignano), and a red wine paired with typical Tuscan food like salami, pecorino cheese and extra virgin olive oil.
Sightseeing on a Chianti, San Gimignano & Siena Wine Tour from Lucca
Travelling with a local guide, this Siena wine tour from Lucca takes you to some of the most prized jewels of Tuscany as well as some of the best wineries near Siena. To begin the day, you’ll visit the medieval hill town of San Gimignano, encircled by 13th-century walls southwest of Florence.
You’ll then move onto Siena and it’s wonderful architecture before ending your Siena wine tour in an ancient winery in the heart of the Chianti hills.
Duration of a Tuscan Wine Tour from Lucca
This Chianti wine tour from Lucca spans the whole day but as there are many wineries near Lucca, you can choose to make this tour longer, with an overnight stay and dinner in a Chianti winery, or shorter. Connect with one of our Local Designers in Italy to customise any one of our Italy tours.
6- Montepulciano Wine Tour
What’s Included on your Tuscan Wine Tour in Montepulciano
A splendid outing awaits you on this Montepulciano wine tour. You’ll be chauffeured in a luxury car to the magnificent medieval village of Montepulciano and taken to one of the most famous wineries in the region.
Food & Wine Tasting in Montepulciano
The medieval village of Montepulciano actually produces five different wines, yet the most famous is that of the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, meticulously produced with 100% Sangiovese grapes: those that the Tuscans define as “the true table wine”.
On this tour, you’ll visit a selection of the most famous wineries in the region, meet the owners and learn about the production of this wine for an experience during which you’ll truly understand what wine tasting in Montepulciano is all about.
Sightseeing on your Montepulciano Wine Tour
With their proximity, it would be rude not to stop by the charming hilltop city of Montalcino on your Montepulciano wine tour. Dating back to the 9th century, Montalcino is characterised by its four kilometres of outer city walls which are punctuated by 13 towers which enabled Montalcino to become the last resisting fortress of the republic in the mid-16th century.
As both of these towns are just south of Siena, you can extend your Montepulciano wine tour by adding in a city tour of Siena, where you can stroll through its atmospheric streets and visit the cathedral.
Duration of a Montepulciano Wine Tour
Wine tasting in Montepulciano and Montalcino is an all-day event if you wish it to be. This Montepulciano wine tour is a full-day experience lasting eight hours. If you’re a little short on time but still want to do a the tour, you can just opt to visit one of the towns and do a wine tasting.
7- Florence Wine Tours
What’s Included on a Florence Wine Tour
Whilst it may be a shame not to head out of the city to peruse the wineries near Florence, you can still sample some of the best produce of Tuscany within the city.
A wine tasting in Florence is simply not complete without a taste of Tuscany’s ‘green gold’ – its renowned olive oil, as well as a variety of local cheese, salami and prosciutto, truffle sauces and balsamic vinegar.
On this Florence wine tour, you’ll head to the famous San Lorenzo Market with a local guide to sample some of the regions finest wines whilst soaking up the bustle of a local market.
Food & Wine Tasting in Florence, Italy
Of course, tasting the local culinary delights doesn’t stop at the market. You’ll continue to a local “fiaschetteria” where you will be treated to a tasting of some of the city’s traditional recipes including antipasti and delicious Florentine soups.
When you’ve had enough of wine, you can finish the tour in style at one of the finest gelato parlours in the city where you will have a choice of amazing flavours, each made with the freshest ingredients.
Sightseeing on a Florence Wine Tour
Whilst the beauty of Tuscany is hard to beat, the capital of the region, Florence, is just as romantic, enchanting and exciting for the senses. By doing a Florence wine tour, you’ll be able to combine seeing the extraordinary architecture of this city whilst tasting gourmet cuisine and local wines from the vineyards near Florence.
Duration of a Florence Wine Tour
This Florence wine tour with food samples aplenty will take up no more than your morning. However, if you’d like to extend it you can add on a city tour of the classic Florentine landmarks or perhaps lay eyes on The David in the Galleria dell’Accademia.
8- Tuscany Food Tour
What’s Included on Tuscany Wine and Food Tours
Tuscany wine and cooking tours come in all shapes and sizes; there are so many delicious gourmet products and local wines to sample in this region of Italy that you are spoilt for choice.
On this Tuscan food tour, you’ll discover Florence using your senses, dive into the local gastronomic heritage, taste mouth-watering traditional specialities and master the art of Tuscan cooking.
Guided by a local famous chef, you’ll explore the charming streets of historic Florence, visit markets and traditional Florentine “bottegas” to pick out your ingredients before heading back to kitchen to whip up an Italian storm!
Tastings on a Tuscany Wine and Food Tour
Following the perfect introduction to your Tuscany food tour, you’ll then lay out your fresh ingredients and get preparing. The menu you create will consist of home-made hand-rolled pasta, a tasty pasta sauce, a traditional main dish such as eggplant parmigiana and a typical dessert, called Tuscan “cantuccini” to dip into sweet Vinsanto wine.
Of course, you’ll reap the rewards of your morning as you sit down to enjoy everything you have cooked with a glass of excellent Tuscan wine to relish the best Tuscan meal ever: the one you made yourself, in the heart of historic Florence.
Tuscany Food Tours Sightseeing
Throughout this experience, you’ll have your world opened up to the charming shops, local bakeries and ancient “bottegas” where the local gourmands and chefs do their shopping!
Not only this, but you’ll begin by strolling through the charming streets of historic Florence and the Oltrarno neighbourhood, home to the city’s most historic sights.
Duration of a Food and Wine Tour in Florence, Italy
In order to incorporate the best of the markets, cooking and of course, tastings, a Tuscany food tour in Florence should be a full-day experience.
If you are not in Florence and would still like to do this type of experience, you can get a true authentic taste of northern Italy on a cooking class and wine tour in Siena where you’ll learn how to craft a delicious spread of Tuscan favourites, including bruschetta, crostini and pici, thick, hand-rolled pasta.
9- Tuscany Wine Tour and Pisa
What’s Included on a Tour to Siena, San Gimignano & Pisa
On this small group Tuscany wine tour from Florence, you’ll take in the main sights of Tuscany: Pisa, Siena and San Gimignano. You’ll marvel at the beauty of Pisa and its famous leaning tower, head to a wine estate in San Gimignano for lunch and a wine tasting from Pisa, and you’ll finish the day on a guided tour of Siena.
Food & Wine Tasting on Pisa, San Gimignano & Siena Wine Tours
After you have laid eyes on the beautiful architecture of the Pisa Baptistery and the Leaning Tower of Pisa, you’ll head to a beautiful wine estate in the foothills of San Gimignano. Here, you’ll enjoy a typical Tuscan lunch of local products complimented perfectly by a wine tasting of precious wines produced on the estate.
Pisa Sightseeing with Your Tuscany Wine Tour
The bell tower of the Pisa Cathedral, the Tower of Pisa was built towards the end of the 12th century and completed in the 14th century. During its construction, it became apparent that the ground was too soft on one side, as the building became taller, the tilt became more apparent. Today, this tilt makes it one of the most iconic landmarks of Italy and the world.
Following your Tuscan lunch and San Gimignano wine tasting from Pisa, you’ll move onto the jewel of central Italy, Siena, for a guided tour of its stunning medieval brick buildings.
Duration of Your Tour with Pisa
Combining a wine tour in Tuscany and Pisa sightseeing from Florence means that you stroll through medieval streets, marvel at Italy’s iconic landmarks and enjoy a wine tasting in San Gimignano all in one full day.
So, Are You Ready to Embark?
Our Local Designers in Italy can help to organise wine tours in some of the best wineries in Tuscany so that you don’t have to lift a finger and you can be soaking up the architecture and culture of this beautiful land whilst tasting some of the best Tuscan wines in no time!
Browse our range of fully-customisable food and wine tours in Italy today or design your own trip from scratch with the help of one of our Local Designers.
