Tuscany Wine Tasting Tour

Chauffeured Tour to Enjoy Wine-Tasting in Tuscany

Tuscany in unquestionably the most important region of Italy in regard to the production of wine. It is second to Veneto in quantity, but, in terms of gross income, it is number one. This implies that a smaller amount of wine sells for a higher value, therefore evidencing the superior quality. A visit to Tuscany could not be considered complete if you didn’t include at least one wine tasting tour. The good news is that when you book with us, we can pick you up for Tuscany wine tasting tour from Florence, Siena, Pisa, Lucca or Livorno regardless of where you are staying in the greater Tuscany region.

We should clarify that when traveling from Florence, Siena, Pisa, Lucca or Livorno to visit Chianti, Montalcino or Montepulciano should not only mean that you spend the entire day tasting wine. Although there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, to be sure. Tuscany, however, has a lot more to offer than wine. The region is rich and diverse in terms of history, architecture, food, and landscapes. We often give Chianti tours to people who neither drink nor care about wine-tasting and they are among those who enjoy the area the most. This is due to the fact that they are seeing the area for more than just its magnificent wines! To make sure that you are getting a good balance, we suggest that you do not visit more than one winery a day, and, perhaps, one additional tasting. This leaves you plenty of time to tour villas, gardens, museums, and other attractions without being pressured.

Wine Tasting vs Winery Tour in Tuscany

So, what is the difference between a wine tasting and a winery tour? Let’s go over a quick review of both and how they differ. It is important that you know the difference so that there is no confusion when you are working with us to plan out your itinerary.

Wine Tasting: These last from 15 to 30 minutes and involves stopping in at a wine cellar or a wine shop associated with a specific estate or producer. These do not usually require any type of advanced planning, unless you want to visit a specific estate that has a limited offering schedule.

Winery Tour (also called an Estate Tour): This involves visiting an estate and touring the premises, including the vineyards, the winery, and the main house if it is a part of the tour. The tour is usually led by an employee and there is an extended amount of time given to aspects such as wine philosophy, family history, and process. At the end of the tour, you can participate in a wine tasting, and may or may not receive a small bottle of wine as a gift to take with you. These tours last from 45 minutes to up to 2 hours. In many cases, you need to make arrangements for these tours well in advance since they are conducted only on certain days and times, and often in groups.

Some wineries only do a tasting, others do both tastings and tours. It’s a good idea to find out ahead of time which is offered at each location that you are interested in. We will be happy to help you decide which visiting schedule works best to visit the wineries and cellars that you are interested in. If you are set on buying some wine, you can also do that, and the manufacturers will usually be happy to help you ship it back home.

Places to Visit on Your Tuscany Tour

We can help you set up an itinerary which allows you to visit the four major wine areas of the region listed below from Florence, Siena, Pisa, Lucca or Livorno, as well as some of the major secondary wine areas, balancing in other activities which are related to Italian wine, cheese, food, music, culture, or art to build a series of well-rounded day tours that make up the vacation of a lifetime.

In Tuscany there are 4 Primary Wine Production areas:

Chianti Classico – This is unquestionably the most famous and celebrated wine production area in Tuscany, and therefore a must when it comes to wine-tasting tours regardless of where one stays in Tuscany. It is strategically and very conveniently located in-between Florence and Siena.

Montalcino – The tour will take you through this beautiful countryside of Tuscany. Once part of the state of Siena, you will have the chance to also visit the small city center, with the impressive 14th-century fortress at its core, which was used at that time by the people of Montalcino and those of Siena to defend the independence of the glorious republic. Don’t miss climbing its ramparts to admire the landscape of Tuscany and take advantage of the wine-tasting opportunity offered by the enoteca located in the cellars of the fortress, so as to have a personal contact with “King Brunello,” the best among the traditional DOCG red wines of Tuscany. We will proceed on to tour a renowned winery, including a visit to the cellars and a second wine tasting, which will, of course, include Brunello’s. If you have specific wineries in mind, please let us know, otherwise we will select them out of the 28 wineries can visit in Montalcino.

Montepulciano – This is another perfect tour in Tuscany. Its location is the Val d’Orcia, a part of Tuscany with some of the most unique and attractive landscapes. Montepulciano is synonymous with great wine and Renaissance beauty. Its nickname “little Florence of the countryside” eloquently describes the beauty and value of this town.

Bolgheri – This is the homeland of the latest Super Tuscan Wines. This is an area recommended only to those wine connoisseurs who can truly appreciate wine quality and want to take a top-quality wine tasting tour from Florence, Lucca, Livorno or Pisa.

Important Note: We pride ourselves on clarifying that our company is not a tour operator or travel agency, therefore it is NOT in our economic interests to include in the cost of our tours what wineries charge to give wine-tasting tours and visits. We don’t make a profit out of such bookings, therefore, we do prefer to limit our role to advising our customers as to where we should take them and just book the estate on their behalf for them to pay for it directly.