We are going to Tuscany next summer. Looking for recommendations for wineries to visit. I am interested in smaller, family run wineries with personal attention rather than mass producers. We will have a car.
Thank you
Enjoyed Istine and Felsina on our last trip
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Where are you thinking about staying? That can have a bearing on suggestions, and especially if it offers you the opportunity to leave the car parked up, if only for an afternoon.
Will be there for almost two weeks. Flying to Florence and then heading to the hill towns - Montalcino, Montepulciano, San Gimignano etc. But main focus of this trip will be wine, so I can tailor itinerary based on what wineries I find.
Cool. Although itās not really a wine town, Iāll flag Lucca up as a charming walled town, but also as it has a super wine shop - enoteca Vanni, with cellar out back.
I donāt know Montalcino (the place, and barely know the wines to be fair), but did enjoy Montepulciano. A shame Politian apartments arenāt operating any more. as they would have been n easy recommendation, so Iāll offer up a 2nd hand recco from a travel forum I post on https://www.santantonio.it/ as I recall it being a favourite of some posters there.
For wineries, two smaller / under the radar places:
Crociani, who have a tasting room (like many) in the town itself, but who seemed to treat us very well on the basis we made the effort to arrange an appointment. Very good Vino Nobile (IMO) but also a very good and fairly priced vin santo that controls the oxidation better than many Iāve had (but Avignonesi remain the stars of vin santo production).
Daviddi, who are based out near stazione Montepulciano and to the rear of Poliziano. They very much fit the āfamily producerā model you mentioned, and we found them exceptionally hospitable when we visited, including grabbing us some towels to dry off having got caught in the rain, saying we could stay as long as we wanted to dry off properly and dropping us off in the car at our next appointment. The sort of Italian hospitality you encounter off the tourist trail from time to time, but still shocks and amazes to be the recipient of it. Finally, the wines are very much under the (criticsā) radar, but they make a habit of holding vintages back, selling them there and also Iāve found aged examples in Torino. They seem to age superbly given the examples weāve drunk, and are fairly priced even the late releases.
Plenty of other good producers in and around Montepulciano, including Dei, Boscarelli etc. Indeed you could even spend a first morning cruising the drop-in tasting rooms, then organising visits at the wineries you liked for the following day(s). We didnāt visit Contucci but kind of regret that. They make a point of being open to visitors / tourists / direct sales, as an antidote to a distrust of critics. I think I got it in my head theyād be a tourist trap, but the wines are definitely better than that, and tradition doesnāt go any further back than them in Montepulciano.
Highly recommend a visit to Fuligni. We also wanted to go to Le Ragnaie but couldnāt make it work.
Renzo Marinai in Panzano always impresses me.
Thanks Ian. I will definitely check out these places.
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It looks amazing, Marco. I will see if I can stay 1-2 nights in it. The scenery is unreal.
I have one BdM winery on my list Santa Giulia. Will add this one too. Thanks
The tasting is usually only 10-15 euros and is great. They really make some exceptional wines (and olive oil). Castello dei Rampolla, Gagliole, and Fontodi are all close by as well. Of those, I had a great experience at Castello dei Rampolla.
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Recommend Castellāin Villa.
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If you are looking for a very small family run wineryā¦We absolutely loved Fattoria di Bagnolo in Impruneta (just south of Florence). We were staying in Impruneta and kind of stumbled upon itā¦ Owner Giovanna is delightful and offered a great tour of the grounds and a great tastingā¦We still order a couple of cases a year from them via email ordersā¦
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Thank you
Angela Fronti @ Istine. Her single vineyard crus are beautiful. Her vermouth is one of the best Iāve had in a loooong time. The vinery in on top of a hill above Radda, at the end of a dusty dirt trail. Very different from Antinori, ha ha.
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Iām a little late to the party but if your itinerary isnāt full the following have been some of my favorites over the years
Castello di Ama - This is a must for the tour alone
Fontodi
Montenidoli
Definitely second the La Ragnaie rec
Casanova di Neri
Poggio di Sotto
Pieve Santa Restituta
Ciacci Piccolomini dāAragona
Hey Kevin. Thanks! I am still working on my itinerary and dates. Probably gonna be early October.
I will definitely look into your recommendations. Nothing beats hills of Toscana. Paradise.
Here is my itinerary with a bit of pricing lines up close to Kevin I could not get into Ragnaie they were picking grapes. it is a must though. every one of Kevins are excellent
Monday, September 30, 2024
9.30 - pickup at the villa (https://maps.app.goo.gl/qV3BcnxExATvdCds8 itās the villa on the left)
10.00 - visit & tasting @ Altesino (ā¬ 32 per person)
12.00 - stop in Montalcino for lunch at Drogheria Franci (order and pay a la carte)
15.00 - visit & tasting @ Uccelliera (ā¬ 35 pp)
16.30 - visit & tasting @ Le Chiuse (free with purchase)18.30 - arrival back to the villa
Wednesday, October 2, 2024
9.30 - pickup at the villa10.30 - visit & tasting @ Fontodi (ā¬ 20 pp)
12.30 - visit @ Castello di Volpaia (paid online)
14.00 - lunch at La Bottega di Volpaia (order and pay a la carte)
16.00 - visit & tasting @ Felsina (ā¬ 40 pp)18.30 - arrival back to the villa
Thursday, October 3, 2024
9.30 - pickup at the villa10.15/10.30 - visit & tasting @ Sancarlo (free with purchase)
12.30 - visit @ Ciacci Piccolomini dāAragona with a food and wine pairing of cheese, cold cuts, bruschetta and dessert (ā¬ 50 per person)
15.30 - visit & tasting @ Casanova di Neri (paid online)18.30 - arrival back to the villa
RATE ==
ā¬ 1.000 per each day of tourTOT ā¬ 3.000 + 5% = 3.150
630 already paid on January 30th
Balance of ā¬ 2.520 will be automatically charged on August 30th (Please be sure to accept international charges from āLuxury Wild sncā, the legal name of our company)
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Wow Mitch. You should sell this itinerary 
What type of tasting you did at Casanova? On their website they have multiple offerings, some going up to thousand+ euro.
Its a must tasting because of the wines and the history. They said I can pick any tasting i want within 48 hours of arrival. The 2019 Brunellos are going to be stunning.