Hello,
My husband and I will be visiting Tuscany in Aug 2026. We will be staying in Montepulciano and also renting a car. We would like to go for some wine tasting but I find that there is no option of pick up and drop off from/to the hotel. I also read that public transport is not frequent and taxis are very expensive. So how do people go for the wine tastings without having to drive back?
You can wine taste right in Montepulcano or hire a driver to visit vineyards
ToursbyRoberto.com gets good reviews
Designated driver.
Wine tasting in Italy is not like the casual drop-in that you may have experienced in CA or the US. Most of the better wineries will require a reservation and a fee. And they are pretty rigid about the reservation. However, there are several nice tasting rooms in Montepuiciano that you can walk to. You will not see any production but you can taste the wine. And some of the wineries will have restaurants offering three to five course meals with pairings. Expensive but terrific. If you want a great experience do a lunch with pairings.
Well, you are already wine "pasting" so maybe you should walk. LOL, just kidding. Or a taxi. Here is a source. Find a winery you want to visit and contact one of more companies now and just ask them the fare. They may not be that expensive. No idea. I trust very little of what I read: https://montepulciano.apartments/taxi/
You can even do a group tour for the wine tasting day. There are several ones in Tuscany and being on group the cost for the driver and shuttle is shared.
As mentioned above, wine bars and restaurants in Montepulciano will have an awesome selection of wines; priced ridiculously low by American standards. If you really want to try a wide selection of wines, this can't be beat. With that said, I 100% understand that a winery visit is a fun experience and a great memory to make. As a "wine geek", my advice would be to focus primarily on places with a great view, a tasty lunch and some cool evocative buildings. Soak up the vibe and enjoy the view. Don't try to do five tastings like you might in Napa.
I can't give you a location specific suggestion but where I live, wine is a huge thing. Nothing beats winery tours, especially the little mom and pop wineries where you can meet the owners, and for that nothing beats a guide that knows wine, the language and the winery owners. So, that's a thing. But the wine tasting events here are almost one a week. Most all require an advance ticket and almost all of them are 95% locals which gives a great insight into local culture. So what you are asking about is a great diversion on a holiday.
Search FaceBook events and every other source you can dream up for the tasting and find a wine guide for the wineries. Its time well spent.
