Tuscany Wine Tours & Tastings
Tuscany’s wine tours run on Sangiovese: Chianti Classico between Florence and Siena, Brunello in Montalcino, Vino Nobile in Montepulciano, plus white Vernaccia in San Gimignano and the Bordeaux-style Super Tuscans of Bolgheri on the coast. This page compares the top-rated winery tours and tastings across the whole region, then helps you choose an area, a departure city and a format, from a half-day with two Chianti estates to a private Brunello day with lunch in the vines.
Choose your area: Chianti is closest to Florence and the easiest half-day; Montalcino is Brunello, the region’s most serious red; Montepulciano pairs Vino Nobile with historic cellars; Bolgheri is for Super Tuscan collectors.
Choose your format: small-group van tours (8 to 16 people, two or three wineries, lunch included) are the best value; private driver-guides cost more but visit the estates you choose; Vespa and e-bike tours make Chianti the point rather than the transport.
Timing: spring and September to October are ideal; the grape harvest, the vendemmia, is late September, when some estates let you watch the crush.
Wine tours in Tuscany: the areas, the wines and how they differ
Tuscany has more than fifty DOC and DOCG appellations, but one grape runs through almost all of the famous ones: Sangiovese. What changes from hill to hill is the soil, the altitude and the rules, and that is what a good wine tour teaches. Chianti Classico is bright and savoury; Brunello di Montalcino is deep and built to age; Vino Nobile sits between them; and on the coast at Bolgheri the rules were thrown out altogether in favour of Cabernet and Merlot. Most tours visit two or three estates with a cellar walk, a tasting of four to six wines and, on full-day tours, lunch.
Chianti and Chianti Classico
The hills between Florence and Siena, 45 minutes from either city. Chianti Classico DOCG, marked by the black rooster, must be at least 80 percent Sangiovese; Riserva wines age two years and Gran Selezione is the top tier. Greve, Panzano, Castellina and Radda are the villages tours revolve around. It is the easiest half-day from Florence and the best first Tuscan wine tour. See Chianti wine tours.
Montalcino and Brunello
Brunello di Montalcino DOCG is 100 percent Sangiovese and cannot be sold until five years after harvest, six for Riserva, which is why it costs what it costs and tastes the way it does. Rosso di Montalcino is the younger, cheaper sibling from the same vines. Montalcino is 50 minutes south of Siena and about 1 hour 45 from Florence, so it suits a full day or a Siena base. See Montalcino wine tours.
Montepulciano and Vino Nobile
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG is made from Prugnolo Gentile, the local Sangiovese clone, and aged at least two years. The town’s cellars are its hook: barrel halls carved beneath Renaissance palazzi on the main street. Tours often pair Montepulciano with Pienza and the Val d’Orcia in one day. See Montepulciano wine tours.
San Gimignano, Bolgheri and the rest
San Gimignano makes Vernaccia, a dry white that was Italy’s first DOC in 1966 and is usually tasted on a Chianti or Siena day trip. Bolgheri on the coast is Super Tuscan country: Sassicaia, Ornellaia and their neighbours, Bordeaux grapes on Tuscan soil, at the top of the price list. Beyond those, look for Carmignano near Florence, Morellino di Scansano in the Maremma, and Vin Santo, the dessert wine served with cantucci at almost every tasting. See San Gimignano and Bolgheri.
From Florence or from Siena?
Florence is the departure point for Chianti, San Gimignano and most Bolgheri long days; Siena for Montalcino, Montepulciano and the Val d’Orcia. Some Florence tours do reach Montalcino, but it is a long day with a lot of road. If you are staying in Florence, start with wine tours from Florence.
Half-day, full-day or private
Small-group van tours of 8 to 16 people are the best value: half-days with two estates from roughly 70 to 120 euros, full days with three estates and lunch from about 120 to 200. Private driver-guide tours run from a few hundred euros per group and visit the estates you choose, which matters if you have a specific producer in mind. Vespa, Fiat 500 and e-bike tours cover fewer wineries but make the ride part of the day.
Read next: A Tuscan wine route: Chianti, Montalcino & Montepulciano · Tuscan dishes explained · 5 days in Tuscany for food & wine
How we choose
We list only experiences with a strong rating over a meaningful number of reviews and free cancellation where available, and we favour small-group and family-run hosts. FindEatLocal earns a commission when you book through GetYourGuide or Viator links on this page; it doesn’t change the price you pay. More about how we choose.
FAQ about Tuscany Wine Tours & Tastings
Frequently asked questions
Why book a Tuscany wine tour?
Estates here are small and family-run, many don’t take walk-ins, and the roads between them are the ones you don’t want to drive after four tastings. A tour solves all three.
When is the best time for wine tasting in Tuscany?
September to October for the harvest and the light, April to June for the vines in leaf. Estates are open year-round; winter tastings are quieter and often longer.
How many wineries can you visit in a day?
Two on a half-day, three on a full day. More than that and the tastings blur; the good tours know this.
Can I visit Tuscan wineries without a car?
Yes, and for most people a tour is the better choice: many estates require appointments, the roads are narrow, and someone else drives home.
Chianti or Brunello, if I can only do one?
Chianti from Florence if you have half a day; Montalcino from Siena if you have a full day and care about the wine itself.
What is included in a wine tour?
Transport, cellar visits and tastings at each estate; full-day tours usually include lunch. Bottles you buy are extra, and most estates ship.
What should I wear?
Flat shoes for gravel and cellars, a layer for the cool underground, and nothing you would mind a splash of Sangiovese on.