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Suggested Self-guided Winery Tours

Six of us will be in Montepulciano Tuscany May 1-6. We will have 2 cars and are interested in a half to full day tour of wineries. Do you need to make reservations or just stop by like wineries in the U.S.? Does anyone have a specific itinerary they recommend? Grazie.

Posted by
9880 posts

Most wineries will require a reservation

Make sure you have 2 designated drivers - alcohol limits are much lower in Italy

Posted by
172 posts

Hi, Giangilberto from Milan, well, things don’t quite work that way in Italy.
If you want to go for a tasting at a winery, a reservation is required 99% of the time.
That said, not every winery offers tastings, though it has become a fairly standard practice. Once you’ve decided which wineries you’d like to visit, I’d suggest checking their websites, they usually have a dedicated section for this, or simply sending them an email or giving them a call to say, "I’ll be there with a group of [number] people, we’d like to do a tasting experience."
See what they say, because that’s how it works here, you can’t just show up and expect a tasting, that might be possible at a enoteca (wine bar/shop), but an enoteca is different from a winery, an enoteca carries labels from various producers, whereas a winery only offers the wines they produce themselves. In any case, Tuscany is home to a huge number of wineries, many of which are of exceptionally high quality. It really depends on what you’re looking for and what types of wine you enjoy, I’m a huge wine enthusiast myself, whenever I travel, I always make a point of going to tastings, but, as I said, it really comes down to your personal taste in wine.
Personally, I can’t really recommend any wineries in that area, as I tend to prefer other parts of Tuscany, for instance, the Livorno area or the region around Montalcino. That said, there are plenty of wineries to choose from, I suggest doing some research, taking a look around, and perhaps even reaching out to them directly to see which ones interest you most and to inquire about tastings.

Posted by
172 posts

Below, I provide the first two paragraphs of Article 186 of the Highway Code, which concerns driving driving under the influence of alcohol.

  1. Any person who drives while intoxicated shall be punished—provided the act does not constitute a more serious offense—as follows:

a) by an administrative penalty consisting of a payment ranging from 543 to 2,170 euros, if it is determined that the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) exceeds 0.5 grams per liter (g/l) but does not exceed 0.8 g/l. The establishment of this violation shall entail the additional administrative sanction of the suspension of the driver’s license for a period of three to six months;
b) by a fine ranging from 800 to 3,200 euros and imprisonment for up to six months, if it is determined that the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) exceeds 0.8 g/l but does not exceed 1.5 g/l. The establishment of this offense shall in all cases entail the additional administrative sanction of the suspension of the driver’s license for a period of six months to one year;
c) by a fine ranging from 1,500 to 6,000 euros and imprisonment for a period of six months to one year, if it is determined that the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) exceeds 1.5 grams per liter (g/l). The establishment of this offense shall in all cases entail the additional administrative sanction of the suspension of the driver’s license for a period of one to two years. If the vehicle belongs to a person not involved in the offense, the duration of the driver’s license suspension shall be doubled. In the event of a repeat offense within a two-year period, the driver’s license shall always be revoked, in accordance with Chapter II, Section II, of Title VI. Upon a conviction or a judgment imposing a sentence at the request of the parties—even in cases where a suspended sentence has been granted—the confiscation of the vehicle used to commit the offense shall always be ordered, unless the vehicle belongs to a person not involved in the offense.
For the purposes of seizure, the provisions set forth in Article 224-ter shall apply.

https://www.aci.it/fileadmin/cds/art-186.php

Posted by
8 posts

Thank you. Very helpful. We have non-wine drinkers so will have designated drivers. If someone has a suggestion for hiring a driver with a 6 passenger van, we will consider that also.

Posted by
9880 posts

Check ToursbyRoberto.com
Very well rated, books up early. I believe he customizes as well