Recommended wineries in Tuscany

Hi Annalisa,

My husband and I were there in May and did a wine tasting at Castello di Verrazzano (http://www.verrazzano.com/). It was only a 30 min bus ride from Florence to the Chianti Region and was near the town of Greve. It was very easy to figure out. It was the highlight of our trip.

It was an approx. 1 hour tour of the grounds/wine making and then we did the lunch tour option (the Chianti tradition) which was fabulous. We sat on the terrace overlooking all of tuscany which was beautiful. Each person got a huge plate of a mix of meats and cheeses (there was a vegetarian version available). Then we sampled 4 wines, and after they poured they left the remaining bottles for the table to finish (and there were only 6 of us at each table). We also sampled a dessert wine and balsamic vinaigrette. And there was also bread with olive oil drizzled over it.

I would highly recommend this place. The views were amazing and the people were so friendly!

Have a great trip!

Annalisa: The best answer to your question depends on your method of transportation: rental car or public transportation (train/bus). Please get back to us on that, so we can advise you further.

Kent, tell me you are employed by Rick Steve's?? You are all over this! :)

As for transportation, we are planning on traveling by bus.

Thanks in advance for the helpful tips!

Using only buses and not wanting to do a tour, those two things are going to limit your choice of wineries.

And so, Marla's post is looking better and better for you, since they were able to figure out how to find a Tuscan winery by bus. Maybe you want to send her a Private Message to get more details from her about how they did this.

Other discussions of Tuscany wineries here have usually been by people who had a car or did a wine tour. You say you don't want to do a wine tour, so that narrows your options quite a bit.

Another thought about the bus system in Tuscany: limited service on Sundays. Just finding bus schedules online, for Tuscany, has been a challenge that few here have been able to figure out.

My thought would be: either get the details from Marla and stick to the one place they went; or reconsider your decision not to do a tour. Many people here have enjoyed wine tours from Florence into the Chianti wine region south of Florence.

If you do reconsider re the wine tour, people here can give you more suggestions, or I can link you to some prior discussions of Tuscany wine tours.

Let us know.

Verazzano also has a small restaurant (Cantinetta di Verazzano via de tavolini, 18/20r near Orsanmichele I believe) in Florence that I can highly recommend. Had lunch there and did platters of various types of bruschetta....do try the wild boar it was wonderful and I am a very picky eater... with a wonderful bottle of their chianti. Friends of ours had brought us a bottle back from their trip a few years ago, so we really wanted to try it again.

I have some info on our visit to Verrazzano here:

http://www.florence-journal.com/florence/2006/04/chianti_castell.html

Marla I am curious about your bus trip there - I know the bus goes down the 222 and through Greve - did it let you off on the road and did you walk up to the castello? Or did they come to get you?

I think Verrazzano is a good first visit and I agree it is a little hard without a car. The only other option is a guided tour (driver tour). Here is the info page for Verrazzano tours:

http://www.verrazzano.com/en/index.php?c=visiteguidate

There are many other (hundreds) wineries but not sure if the buses come close enough!

Some of the ones I have visited:

Casa al Vento http://www.borgocasaalvento.com/

Casa Emma http://www.casaemma.com/

Fattoria di Rignana http://www.fattoriadirignana.com/

Castello Sonnino (Montespertoli) http://www.castellosonnino.it/

Badia a Coltibuono http://www.coltibuono.com/

You can visit those websites and call them directly to see if the bus stops are near by. The SITA buses run into Chianti and most towns south of Florence -

If you really just want to pop in on wineries get a car for the day, get the Gallo Nero map (http://shop.chianticlassico.com/sho_main.aspx?t=5&cat=3364&az=390260&codice=CCSH-AC02), and just call some places before. Panzano, Greve, Gaiole, Castellina, etc. all have wineries all over.

We are renting a car in Pienza in May. We hope to visit wineries but I'm concerned
about the driving after. Other than a private driver or tour do you have any suggestions?
Thanks
Judy

Marla: Same question to you that Anthony has already asked (see his post above) about the details of your bus trip?

The details of how you did it by bus become important to the OP, who because she doesn't have a car, may not to replicate what you did.

I actually recommended Verrazzano to Marla and her description is perfect. You would have a great time and it was one of the highlights of my trip last November. Be sure arrangements are made to pick you up at the bottom of the hill, as it is quite a climb to the top. They will do this; just be sure arrangements are made in advance. Have a wonderful time. I'd love to go back!!! Susan, Raleigh, NC

Anthony, a day trip to a winery sounds wonderful. We are staying at a hotel near the Santa Maria Novello train station, (7 women with little sense of direction), can you tell me your best choice for a day trip,to include being picked up at our hotel and returned, enjoy lunch and just relax and look out a Tuscany for an afternoon (heaven). And could you give me an idea of the cost? Thanks in advance.

One of the absolute BEST winery experiences we've had was in Montepulciano, and we live near Napa / Sonoma and have tried many...check out Avignonesi. It's an awesome winery. Yes, it's pricey for the tour and lunch, but worth ever euro. It's an experience you won't forget soon. Multi course luncheon, tour, wine tasting - fantastic! check out their offerings via the website and call before you go as they book up early!

Sorry it took me a while to get back. I didn't re-check this post until today :-)

The bus was very easy. At the bus station in Florence just buy a ticket to the Town Greve. They will tell you which # when you buy your ticket and will also give you the full schedule. We told the bus driver when we boarded where we were going so he would let us know where to get off. You actually get off in village of Greti which is right before Greve. There is a HUGE sign for Castello di Verrazzano. When we booked our tickets for the winery online they also gave us specific directions on how to take the bus. It really was easy.

Good luck and hope you have a great trip!