The Best Tuscan Wineries to Visit Near Florence, Italy

Produced by Federico De Cesare Viola. Profiles by Ray Isle, Åsa Johansson, Emanuele Gobbi, Giambattista Marchetto, Andrea Petrini, and Flavia Rendina.

Florence, the capital of Tuscany, is one of the world’s great cultural destinations, but it’s also the gateway to the hundreds–even thousands–of wineries in the province. Chianti, Italy’s most famous wine region, mostly lies just south of the city.

The heart of Chianti production is the Chianti Classico region, sandwiched between Florence and Siena, an hour’s drive to the south; one could easily spend a month exploring wineries here, if not a lifetime. But nearby there’s also Montalcino, home to the complex, ageworthy reds of Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montalcino; Valdarno, in eastern Tuscany near Arezzo; the little known but intriguing Colline Lucchese zone, northeast of the lovely city of Lucca; the coastal Maremma and Bolgheri regions; and many others.

Here are nine great producers to visit, all with exceptional wine tasting possibilities, and many with hotels and restaurants that rival anything in the country.

Il Borro, Caldarno

When you visit Il Borro, you aren’t just visiting a winery. Instead, you are stepping back in time to visit an entire medieval town. Beginning in 1993, the Ferragamo family started to restore a 12th century stronghold and village in the Upper Valdarno region of Tuscany. Today the property is surrounded by more than 1,100 hectares of organic farmland: vines, to be sure, but also organic vegetables, fruit trees, beehives, cheese production, eggs from free-range chickens, and more.

Touring the winery itself is well worth it — Salvatore Ferragamo and his team are making top-notch Tuscan reds from the Valdorno di Sopra DOC, both from Sangiovese and from international varieties such as Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon, along with a couple of white wines and an impressive sparkling rosé, Bolle di Borro. 

But there’s far more to visiting this place than just a winery tour (or vineyard tour, which is actually a better way to understand the organic viticulture practices the Ferragamos have put in place).The borgo, or medieval town, is itself home to 38 suites, as well as a number of small artisan shops, and staying there puts you into a timeless world that seems both ancient and (thanks to wifi and other modern amenities) luxurious in a contemporary way.

There are also several restaurants scattered throughout the property. Within the village itself is the Orto del Prete VinCafe, an excellent place to enjoy a light lunch or an aperitivo; Pomario offers pizzas by the pool; the Il Borro Tuscan Bistro serves, appropriately enough, classic Tuscan cuisine; and the flagship Osteria del Borro, with its views out over the village, is an elegant way to end a day of wine-tasting. Chef Andrea Campani’s beautifully precise cooking draws on produce from the estate’s farm, as well as other small local producers with dishes such as roasted duck with orange, celeriac, and vin santo, or pecorino and lemon ravioli with a zucchini and mint crema. Pro tip: book a cooking class with chef Campani or a member of his team — you won’t regret it.

Wine to try

Il Borro Petruna

This 100% Sangiovese is fermented and aged entirely in clay amphora, giving it a lithe, energetic character — the flavors and aromas seem to spring from the glass. Modest in alcohol, brisk, and vivid, it’s an alternative take on the classic Tuscan variety that’s well worth experiencing.

Castello di Ama, Chianti Classico

Castello di Ama, beyond its unquestionably excellent wines, may present the most substantial dialogue between wine and contemporary art in Italy, if not everywhere. The estate is filled with installations from acclaimed artists; in the words of Philip Larratt-Smith, curator until 2021, it is “a microcosm of time, history, nature and art; a contained and intimate sphere.

Here nothing is monumental, nothing is grandiose or exaggerated, there is nothing that does not blend harmoniously with the landscape. Everything is characterized by a sense of containment, balance and tranquility.” Those words get to the heart of Castello di Ama’s artistic project, and the ambitions of owners Lorenza Sebasti and Marco Pallanti, ongoing since 2000, when the first installation, Michelangelo Pistoletto’s “The Ama tree: multiplication and division of the mirror” appeared. 

Located in Gaiole in Chianti, di Ama is enriched each year with new works created in situ. Some of the world’s greatest contemporary artists have participated—Daniel Buren, Giorgio Andreotta Calò, Anish Kapoor, Louise Bourgeois, and others—and it has transformed this Tuscan winery into an international destination. “Just as wine is the fruit of our particular terroir, works of art are also born in this place and nowhere else,” explains Sebasti. 

To fully enjoy this immersive experience, guests can sleep in one of the refined suites of the Villa Ricucci, an eighteenth-century manor house. It’s also possible to organize private dinners with the chef of the Ristoro di Castello di Ama, who has a deft hand with local cuisine. Visits and tasting itineraries start from the Ark, a modern reception lounge that integrates perfectly into the historical context and also looks to the future; its basement houses a library of around 80 thousand bottles of historical vintages (including 10,000 large-format bottles), assembled over the decades. It’s a place that welcomes visitors and serves to remind, in case there was any doubt, that it is also thanks to Ama—and its focus on individual vineyards such as Bellavista, La Casuccia and San Lorenzo—that today Chianti Classico is a denomination on the map of world excellence.

Wine to try

Castello di Ama Chianti Classico Riserva Montebuoni

This austere but highly drinkable riserva, first produced in the 2018 vintage, expresses the elegance characteristic of Sangiovese grown at Ama. Intense red-fruit aromas of red fruits lead into a harmonious, long-lasting finish.

Castiglion del Bosco, Brunello di Montalcino

After a few kilometers down a dirt road in the middle of nowhere, you might wonder if you’ve taken the wrong turn. But no, that is the correct route — the road cannot be paved (fortunately), for you are in the heart of the Val d’Orcia natural park — and the way to reach Castiglion del Bosco. This monster of an estate, almost 5,000 acres, founded by Massimo and Chiara Ferragamo, gives the sense of being in a magnificent world set apart from the everyday world; a place in which to disconnect from the mundane and, potentially, to find oneself. 

Three projects here exist under a single name. First, there’s the five-star Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco wine resort; then the winery itself, with its 150 acres of Sangiovese vineyards; lastly, the golf club, whose 18-hole course was designed by British Open winner Tom Weiskopf. The hospitality throughout is at the highest level: there are 42 suites in the village, a small 14th century parish church much in demand for weddings, and 11 magnificent private villas with swimming pools, the latter scattered throughout the surrounding countryside and equipped with top-flight amenities (for example: a Land Rover Defender that’s available to drive). 

The cuisine draws from the estate’s large, organic vegetable garden, whether at the Osteria la Canonica, home to traditional Tuscan dishes (with some twists), or the Michelin-starred Campo del Drago restaurant, which offers laser-focused contemporary cuisine from chef Matteo Temperini. The kindness of the resort’s hospitality team and the precision of service in every aspect of ​​the estate just adds to the experience. 

Wine production, of course, is almost entirely concentrated on Rosso and Brunello di Montalcino. (Don’t miss the winery’s top bottling, the Castiglion del Bosco Riserva Millecento, which comes from the best 20 acres of vineyards.) Wine lovers can meet at the Millecento wine club, a refuge of sorts, with a calendar of private events and exclusive tastings, but overall there are more than eighty activities and experiences offered to guests, from helicopter flights over the Val d’Orcia to visiting to the Ferragamo Museum in Florence; from hands-on participation in the grape harvest to romantic dinners in the organic garden, with spectacular views of the valley and Montalcino. In short, to find oneself bored at Castiglion del Bosco is simply impossible.

Wine to try

Castiglion del Bosco Brunello di Montalcino Campo del Drago

Sourced from the highest elevation plot of the 3.7-acre Capanna vineyard, located 1,500 feet above sea level, this austerely elegant cru offers notes of pepper, mint and blood orange, and a long, complex finish.

Fattoria Sardi, Colline Lucchese

Though Matteo Giustiniani and his wife Mina Samouti define themselves as “guardians of tradition,”  they also know how to interpret tradition in a contemporary way. Both graduated with degrees in enology in Bordeaux, then purchased and began managing Fattoria Sardi, an estate not far from Lucca owned by the Counts of Sardi for over two centuries. They shifted to organic and biodynamic production in 2011, creating top-quality wines under both the DOC Colline Lucchesi and IGT Toscana (including a rosé and a pet-nàt) designations, as well as extra virgin olive oil, honey, and fruit juices. 

The couple has also focused on hospitality. The renovated rooms of the estate’s beautiful nineteenth-century villa, renamed Villa Renaissance, and its ancient farmhouses now host elegant rooms and rustic but welcoming apartments. Surrounded by vineyards, woods, and gardens (and with two swimming pools), they are an ideal base for discovering both the city that was home to Giacomo Puccini and the area between Versilia and Garfagnana.

There are plenty of opportunities here for wine travelers, from walks in the vineyard — from those adjacent to the villa up to the votive shrine of the Madonnina dell’Uva, on the hill—followed by a tasting, to lunches and dinners on the farm (with or without visits to the cellar), to dining at the estate’s restaurant, located in the barrel room.

The cuisine is entrusted to the talented chef Damiano Donati, whose cuisine leans to a vegetable-forward, “field to table” approach (utilizing both the estate’s private vegetable garden as well as the products of local farmers and artisans). The menu, as well as the opening dates for the restaurant, changes according to the months and the rhythms of the countryside. In summer you can sit on the beautiful summer terrace, enjoying an aperitif, with wines by the glass and an interesting choice of “small dishes” (also with live music on Wednesdays). Guests who stay in the Villa can also book personal dinners in situ with the chef’s dishes and the farm’s wines.

Wine to try

Fattoria Sardi Toscana Rosato Le Cicale
A blend of Syrah and Vermentino, this is a refreshing, savory, almost creamy rosé that is delicious on release, but also complex enough to justify aging for a few years in a cellar.

Lamole di Lamole, Chianti Classico

The winery Lamole di Lamole takes its name from the small hamlet of Lamole, in Chianti, close to Florence. There are several interpretations as to the origin of the name. Which convinces you more: “la mole,” in the sense of stone, a reference to the rock on which the castle of the same name is built? Or “lama,” like the stony basin where the Greve river’s origins are located? 

Anyone who visits this Tuscan winery (part of the Santa Margherita Group), can decide for themselves during one of the five visitor itineraries that Lamole di Lamole has created. Among them are a walking tour through the village of Lamole and the Chianti Classico area, with a short walk through the vineyards and wine tasting paired with local products, and a gourmet package that adds a stop at the winery’s fine dining restaurant, Vitique. Here the excellent young chef Antonio Guerra offers a tasting menu with dishes matched to the house labels, though there’s no need to stick to those pairings — there are over three hundred bottles from around the world, as well as others from the Santa Margherita portfolio. There’s also Suite Greve in Chianti, with five elegant rooms in a 19th century building overlooking the triangular Piazza Matteotti; the picturesque village is just five minutes’ drive from the winery.

And of course there are the wines. Lamole’s six organically-farmed vineyards are located in one of the highest points of the denomination, between 1,150 and 2,250 feet above sea level. where the temperature range, luminosity and breezes ripening the bunches perfectly, and, at the same time, confer elegance, freshness and aromatic power in the glass. The entire line of Chianti Classico Lamole di Lamole acts as a faithful guardian of this distinctive terroir.

Wine to try

Lamole di Lamole Chianti Classico Riserva La Reale 

Lamole’s Riserva bottling carries the essence of Sangiovese in its harmonious notes of berries and aromatic herbs. Keep it in the cellar for up to six or eight years, then open it with a Florentine steak.

Salcheto, Montepulciano

Almost thirty years have passed since Salcheto’s owner Michele Manelli transformed a multi-crop farm into one of the most sustainable and modern wineries in the world. Despite his Modenese origins, Manelli fell in love with Tuscany and brought his entrepreneurial vision to Montepulciano, always focused on progressive improvement of environmental, social (primarily among his employees), and economic sustainability. These values have allowed the company to achieve some extraordinary results: In 2011, Salcheto became the first energy-independent winery in Europe; its 148+ acres of vineyards are cultivated according to the strict standards of the European organic protocol; and finally it was the first wine company ever to quantify and certify the carbon footprint (in terms of total CO2 emissions) of a bottle of wine. Manelli and his winery also won the award for Social Responsibility in Wine at the 2022 Food & Wine Italia Awards.

In addition, Salcheto is a charming destination. Visits to the estate, with tours, guided tastings and blind tastings, are offered 365 days a year. Among the most attractive of these experiences is doing a vertical tasting of five different vintages of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, vinified from the estate’s oldest and most mature vines, which gives visitors an in-depth understanding of the winemaking philosophy here. Amid the vineyards is also the Salcheto WineHouse, a small, six-room hotel built on the remains of a farmhouse from the 1200s, where guests can immerse themselves in heated tubs under the stars, mere feet from the rows of vines. Gastronomically, there’s the winery’s restaurant, Indigeno: Cucina Terestre, whose name derives from Manelli’s ethical vision. Ingredients are home-grown, such as the farmyard geese used for the Gnocchetti with white ragù, or the excellent olive oil, to be tasted as an appetizer with homemade bread. Other local, organic producers also supply ingredients for the restaurant’s dishes, including tagliatelle alla Nerano with eggs from Paolo Parisi (the Pisan farmer and chef whose farmyard eggs are renowned in Italian culinary circles).

Wine to try

Salcheto Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 

Like most of the Salcheto wines, this is 100% Sangiovese that ages for a time in oak barrels to soften its tannins; it expresses intense notes of berries, lavender and currants on the nose, with a surprising mineral finish.

San Felice, Chianti Classico

Borgo San Felice, set in the beautiful Tuscan landscape in southern Chianti Classico, is a medieval village dating back to the beginning of the eighth century. Once a stop for pilgrims on the Via Francigena, in the modern era it has been transformed through an impeccable renovation into an exclusive destination (part of the Relais & Châteaux network). The five-star Albergo Diffuso is the hub of the village’s hospitality. Next to the hotel is the Poggio Rosso restaurant (Michelin star and a green star from 2022), which offers some of the best dining in Tuscany. 

Under the direction of the award-winning Tuscan chef Enrico Bartolini, young Colombian chef de cuisine Juan Camilo Quintero, whose career has included stints at Osteria Francescana and Arzak, subtly balances creative technique with respect for local traditions. Ingredients come from local artisans and from the Orto e L’Aia garden (created as a social project to provide meaningful work for disabled children). That project, created together with the non-profit Koiné Cooperative, reveals just one aspect of Borgo San Felice’s holistic philosophy for both wine production and hospitality. 

San Felice’s wine history has ancient roots. It began as early as 1700 with the Grisaldi del Taja family. At the beginning of the twentieth century, a member of the family was one of the founders of the Chianti Classico consortium, and in 1968 San Felice launched the first Supertuscan from the Chianti area, Vigorello. Initially made solely with Sangiovese and later with a percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon, Vigorello was a marker in the start of a revolution in the history of Italian wine. Today, San Felice group also owns the Bell’Aja estate in Bolgheri and the Campogiovanni estate in Montalcino. But it is the warm and refined welcome you’ll receive and the people who work here that make the real difference, and that make every visit to Borgo San Felice is an unforgettable experience.

Wine to try

Borgo San Felice Vigorello 

The very first Super Tuscan wine from the Chianti area (others from Bolgheri predate it) is well worth tasting; it’s rich and enveloping but never loses refinement.

Tenuta Casenuove, Chianti Classico

At Tenuta Casenuove in Panzano, in the heart of Chianti Classico, different worlds merge in an extraordinary way. This ambitious project exists thanks to Philippe Austruy, a successful entrepreneur and lover of wine and contemporary art, who purchased the estate in 2015, seduced by the beauty of the Conca d’Oro valley. The property needed a complete renovation, but Austruy had had both significant experience in Bordeaux, Provence, and Portugal, and also substantial resources. Austruy hired local artisans, brought the dry stone walls and terraces back to their ancient splendor, and dedicated himself to the production of high quality wines (together with Florentine winemaker Alessandro Fonseca and a talented young team). Together, they planted Sangiovese, Colorino, Ciliegiolo, and several international vines, creating one of the most ambitious Chianti projects of recent years. 

But the distinctive aspect of Casenuove is its integration with art, thanks to a collaboration with Galleria Continua, which has spaces in San Gimignano, Beijing, Havana, Rome, and Paris. The result is “Il Vino dell’Arte,” a space that combines an art gallery and a unique environment for wine tasting with a breathtaking view of the Gallo Nero hills.

In 2020, Casenuove inaugurated a permanent exhibition by Pascale Marthine Tayou that includes a group of crystal sculptures: “The Geniuses of Casenuove,” which depict the people who live and work in and around the estate. Casenuove also hosts temporary exhibitions by internationally renowned artists. It’s a place where different worlds meet and mingle, offering an experience that nourishes the eye, the soul, and the palate; but one where you can also relax and immerse yourself in Chianti’s ambiance, whether you stay in the beautiful Villa Tenuta Casenuove or in the nearby Podere Lupinati farmhouse.

Wine to try

Tenuta Casenuove Chianti Classico 

A fresh, drinkable Sangiovese, this entry-level wine is simple without being dull, and carries in its flavors the essence of this beautiful place, the Conca d’Oro.

Terenzi, Morellino di Scansano

The authentic, wild, ever-changing Maremma is a different face of Tuscany, beautiful enough to fall instantly in love with. This is precisely what happened at the beginning of the 1990s to Florio Terenzi, who decided to move from Milan to the Scansano countryside and there give life to his dream project: becoming a reference point for a new, wine-growing Maremma. Today the Terenzi estate has over 148 acres of  vineyards and 34 acres of centuries-old olive trees – and is run with dedication and resourcefulness by Florio’s children, Balbino, Federico, and Francesca Romana. From the beginning, Florio Terenzi focused on a modern style, aimed at elegance and freshness, and aided by oenologist Beppe Caviola, has managed to give Morellino di Scansano the recognition it deserves.

In addition to wine, Terenzi also produces two very high-quality extra virgin olive oils, Purosangue and Madrechiesa. The wine tourism aspect of the estate comes into play with Locanda Terenzi, a residence with five double bedrooms, a suite, and an annex, furnished in the local style. In addition, there is a swimming pool covered in mosaics, which offers a view embracing the entire Albenga river valley up to Monte Argentario in the distance.

Each morning the Locanda offers a rich breakfast with homemade cakes and, for lunch, a traditional Tuscan menu to accompany the estate’s different wines, such as Madrechiesa, an emblematic single-vineyard Sangiovese, or Balbinus, a savory, juicy Vermentino. At the entrance to the estate, right in the vineyards, is “Venus Anadyomene,” a sculpture by Emiliano Maggi in wrought iron and glazed ceramic, which offers a sort of dreamlike portal to welcome visitors.

Wine to try

Terenzi Petit Manseng Passito

Terenzi was the first winery in the Grosseto Maremma to plant Petit Manseng, and this sweet passito, made from dried grapes, is a true gem. Its bouquet suggests honey, dried apricots, and tropical fruit, and on the vibrant palate, its sweetness is tempered by beautiful acidity.