We would like to go to some wineries while in Siena. There are tours offered through Viator.... Wondering if anyone has gone to wineries on their own, maybe getting a driver to take us? Has anyone done anything like this? Wondering if hotels would set something like this up for us?? We will not have a car while in Siena, and don't think it would be wise to get one to head out in.
Posted by
Folsom
2739 posts
My experience in Europe (I've not done the region you are referring to) is that wineries are not uniformly open for tastings and tours, unlike in the US. I think you would save time and frustration by doing a tour.
Posted by
Wyckoff, NJ, USA
8077 posts
I am not going to talk you out of avoiding driving after visiting wineries. I'll just say that we were ... content ... with visiting only one winery a day, and only those that had ambitious restaurants associated with the winery. In fact, we had only small-plates or snacks for dinner (which avoiding staying up later than we want to, for continental meal times, BTW). Anyway, with a full meal, and a place to walk around, shop for wine and boutique items after the meal, we felt confident just to drink a sensible amount of tasting with the large meal. The experience was very good, and much nicer than some of the elbow to elbow tasting counters we saw - for example at Antinori, which was a zoo. All the meals were 40 or 50 Euros per person, I think.
A downside is that you have to reserve well in advance, and sometimes pay in advance, non-refundable. That's how popular these restaurants are. I'm sorry to say that the one meal/tasting we had closest to Siena, Antinori, was our lowest rating - atlhough it wasn't actuall "bad", it just was a noisier, more crowded (even in the restaurant) experience than the other places (Poggio Antico and Aviognesi wineries) we went. I told our small luxury hotel to book three places for us, sight unseen. I was pleased with the results.
Posted by
278 posts
Viator is not a tour company. They are a reseller. Your better off going directly with a tour company rather than placing a reseller between you and the tour company. People have had problems with Viator. Again they aren't a tour company. Check threads at trip advisor that have gone over this quite a bit in the recent past.
Posted by
Atlanta
1005 posts
We stayed at an organic winery in Siena, but I don't have much more experience with wineries than that. However, while in Siena, we did engage a wonderful guide for a private walking tour, Antonella Piredda, whose main area of interest is wine and food. You might have a look at her website and see if she could help you. She's very knowledgeable about the area and great fun to be with. And she will drive, so you can enjoy the wine! http://www.antonellapiredda.com/eng/