ExperiencesWine Tours & Tastings
Private wine tours and tastings in Tuscany.
The experience
How we
arrange it.
Tuscany is one of the few places where the wine you drink at lunch is made on the hill you can see from the pool. We arrange the visits that make the most of that: private tastings at the producers we know, scheduled with the owner or winemaker where they do not take public bookings.
Some of the estates in the collection make their own wine and run their own tour, at partner estates such as Castelfalfi, a wine tour and tasting of the estate's cellar is part of the offering. Elsewhere we book the names worth the drive: Castello di Volpaia and Fontodi in Chianti, Biondi-Santi and the Brunello houses in Montalcino, the Super-Tuscan estates of Bolgheri on the coast.
Tastings at the Estates We Know
The value is access. A good part of what we do is arrange the private, owner- or winemaker-led visits at producers who do not accept public bookings, and to time them so the day flows, a morning cellar, a long producer's lunch, an afternoon estate to finish. We arrange a driver so the tasting can be enjoyed properly.
The Estate's Own Cellar
Where the villa estate makes its own wine, the simplest tasting is the one you can walk to. Castelfalfi runs a wine tour and tasting of its own cellar; other estates in the collection pour their own label at the table as a matter of course. It is the rare luxury of drinking the wine where it is made, and sleeping a hundred metres away.
Where It Happens Best
Stay where the wine is made. A day with a winemaker in Chianti Classico shows what that looks like from the villa side. The Castiglion del Bosco villas put Brunello country outside the window, Villa Casa del Fiume looks toward Montalcino itself, and at Castelfalfi the estate's own organic vineyards begin at the village edge, a stroll from La Pergola.
Choose a route that fits your villa
Build a tasting day around one area rather than trying to combine Chianti, Montalcino and Bolgheri in the same outing. Tell us where you are staying, how much time you want to spend out and whether lunch should be part of the day. A route with time to talk to a producer can be more rewarding than a long list of stops.
Our guide to Tuscan wines explains the styles before you choose. If your dates fall around harvest, read what to expect during the vendemmia. A tasting appointment does not automatically include access to picking or cellar work.
What to confirm before the day
Ask for the planned duration, number of estates, tasting format, language, lunch arrangements and what is included in the quote. Confirm pickup and return, or agree who will drive. If some guests are not drinking, or children are coming, ask whether the proposed visits will suit them.
Access varies between estates: tell us about any difficulty with steps, uneven ground or standing for a tasting. Working wineries may change arrangements during harvest, so confirm the programme for your specific dates. Bottle purchases and shipping should be discussed separately from the tour cost.
What we arrange
- Private tastings with producers we know
- Owner- or winemaker-led visits at estates closed to the public
- Tours of the partner estate's own cellar where there is one
- A route across Chianti, Montalcino or Bolgheri
- A driver so no one has to count their glasses
- Cases shipped home where the estate ships
Frequently asked
- Can you book tastings at estates that don't take the public?
- Yes, a good part of what we do is arrange private, owner- or winemaker-led visits at producers that do not accept public bookings.
- Do any of the villas make their own wine?
- Several. At partner estates such as Castelfalfi you can tour and taste the estate's own cellar without leaving the property.
- Can you provide a driver for a wine day?
- Yes, we arrange a driver so the tasting can be enjoyed properly.
- Which region is best for wine?
- Chianti Classico for the density of estates; the Val d'Orcia for Brunello and Vino Nobile; the coast for Bolgheri's Super-Tuscans.
- Can we ship wine home?
- Where the estate ships, yes; we arrange it at the tasting.
Enquire