Going to Tuscany for the vineyards - Where to stay?

There aren't bus tours or some way to get around otherwise? I loathe tours but we're just wary of driving in another country, and let's be honest, there will be too much wine consumption to drive

We are staying here in September http://www.canalicchiodisoprawinerelais.it/web/index.cfm?id=0E97327C-789D-4A5E-88F742FAB6074C5D&home
That puts us close enough to Brunello country and the town of Montalcino. I agree with other posts; you can't do Tuscany without a car.

Wow those places look great

We're going to look into hiring a driver or possibly just staying in a town with several vineyards nearby

We just got back. I very much agree, don't do it without a car. We stayed at a house rental that was centrally located and each hill town was about an hours drive. You would spend you life trying to figure how to get there with public transit.

My husband and I just spent 5 days in Fiesole, 20 minute bus ride outside of Florence, We hired a private tour guide, who picked us up and we spent the whole day visiting 5 different "little" towns in the Chianti region. She was wonderful and personalized the tour to our preferences. Though my husband and I didn't do a "wine tour", I'm sure it's something she would have arranged had we asked. She was reasonably priced, so if you are interested, let me know thru this post.

Hey Lonnie, that sounds amazing. Which company did you go with? Were meals included in the price of the tour? Which towns did you enjoy the most? We're wavering between staying in Florence and staying somewhere like Greve or another smaller town

For another recommended private guide, who lives in Siena, see Roberto Bechi at www.toursbyroberto.com.

@Lonnie... tried to send you a PM, but would not let me... you might want to take your email off this public forum. Not a good idea on a public site... could result in tons of spam. Send a PM instead to whoever you want to have your email.

I did a few wine tours last fall from Florence. They were fine as I did not want to rent a car on that trip... but I have also done Tuscany with a car and that is my preference. You can see so much more at the time when you want to see it, and move on when you are ready, not just when the bus leaves. The tour was fine and if I hadn't had independent travel I probably would have been impressed.... the one nice thing... it was easy and I didn't have to think. I would choose to stay in a smaller village and have my car.