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  3. Best Wineries to Visit in Tuscany

Best Wineries to Visit in Tuscany

By Food & Wine Updated June 16, 2016
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Villa Pomona
Credit: DiBacco Imports
Few wine regions have the instant name recognition of Tuscany’s Chianti, first legally defined in 1716 (but recognized as a wine region as early as the 13th century). Some of of Chianti’s most acclaimed wines, however, don’t carry its name. Only reds based on the Sangiovese grape can be called Chianti. Ambitious, rule-breaking Super-Tuscans, most often based on international grapes such as Cabernet, Merlot and Syrah, carry the humbler IGT Toscana designation. Vintners near the town of Montalcino make Tuscany’s greatest wine, Brunello di Montalcino, from a local Sangiovese Clone, Brunello. Here, the best wineries to visit throughout the region. — Richard Nalley
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Antinori Chianti Classico

Antinori Chianti Classico
Credit: Mauro Puccini

Arguably the most widely-known name in Tuscan wine around the world, Antinori’s new showplace winery in Bargino offers a wealth of visitor experiences, in addition to a “taste-your-way across Tuscany” lineup of wines in the tasting room. Book ahead for the various levels of guided tours and tastings, which include a short film, cellar visits, the art museum and of course, wine tasting. The rooftop Rinuccio 1180 restaurant offers glass-wrapped views of the countryside. antinorichianticlassico.it

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Avignonesi

Avignonesi
Credit: Guillaume Bodin

One of Italy's oldest wineries, dating to the mid-16th century, Montepulciano’s Avignonesi has been rejuvenated since coming under new ownership in 2009 (among other things, the estate’s 345 acres have converted to organic farming). The winery offers a broad range of bottlings—including its famous Vin Santo and Vino Nobile—plus a slate of tour, tasting and dining opportunities. Closed January and February. avignonesi.it

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Badia a Coltibuono

Badia a Coltibuono
Credit: Badia a Coltibuono

A former monastery, this impressive Chianti Classico estate is devoted now to the secular pursuits of wine and food (among other things, producing wonderful olive oil). Visitors here can choose from a menu of agro-tourism options, including stays in the comfortably refurbished ancient monastery (with a pool), wine courses and a cooking school. The formal gardens are worth a stroll themselves. coltibuono.com

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Barone Ricasoli

Barone Ricasoli
Credit: Courtesy Barone Ricasoli

Italy’s oldest wine estate—900 years and counting—and the one that essentially invented Chianti wine as we know it: The "Iron Baron" Bettino Ricasoli proposed it as a Sangiovese-based wine back in 1872. The Ricasoli family’s imposing Brolio castle opens its gates these days for a variety of experiences, from drop-in tastings at the wine shop to elaborate tours and gourmet dinners. There is also a lovely and private house on the estate for two-night minimum stays. baronericasoli.com

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Biondi Santi, Tenuta Il Greppo

Castello di Nippozano/Frescobaldi
Credit: Franco Origlia / Getty Images

The history of the noble Biondi Santi family is inextricably bound up with the Brunello wines of Montalcino—it was an ancestor of the current proprietor, Jacopo, who isolated its revered Sangiovese Grosso grape clone in the 19th century. This most famous of Montalcino estates comes down on the side of tradition, producing monumental, long-lived wines for collectors. This extraordinary estate offers a range of tasting options with cellar visits, but it’s a must to book ahead. biondisanti.com

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Capezzana

Capezzana
Credit: Capezzana

This is the flagship property of Carmignano, and often its trendsetter—the first to introduce Cabernet Sauvignon to its blends, for instance. The excellent wine lineup here ranges from affordable everyday drinking, like the Barco Reale, to the muscular super-Tuscan Ghiaie della Furba. The noble Bonacossi family offer their visitors an array of options, including guided tours that include tasting and lunch (book a terrace table at the Vinsantaia restaurant), and a culinary school. The estate also offers accommodations in two historic buildings, one a former hunting retreat of the Medicis. capezzana.it

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Capo d’Uomo

Capo d’Uomo
Credit: © Andrea De Maria/www.monteargentario.info

These vineyards, painstakingly terraced on the sea cliffs of the Argentario promontory, are among the most spectacular anywhere. The wines are two proprietary blends, a red and a white, named for the winds that sweep across the vineyards. A stylish, personal-scale winery that also offers sea-view accommodations. capoduomo.com

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Castellare di Castellina

Castellare di Castellina
Credit: Marilyn Krieger

Media magnate Paolo Panerai’s Chianti winery is one of Tuscany’s most acclaimed estates, for its top-of-the-line super-Tuscan I Sodi di S. Nicolo, its Chianti Classicos and Vin Santos. Its vineyards are located in a natural amphitheater at some of Tuscany’s highest altitudes. Book ahead for customized tours and picnics that take advantage of the estate’s grounds and commitment to bio-diversity. castellare.it

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Castello Banfi

Castello Banfi
Credit: A. Brookshaw

The Long Island-based Mariani family import Italian wine to the U.S.—including such stalwarts as Riunite, Cella and Bolla—and became vintners themselves 1978, buying up major holdings in Montalcino and across Tuscany. Today their portofilio includes an entire hamlet surrounding a medieval fortress they named Castello Banfi. This is a major wine tourism destination, which provides tasting opportunities for Banfi’s extensive range of wines, plus restaurants, a boutique hotel, a glass museum and a “Balsameria,” where fine vinegar is made according to ancient methods. castellobanfi.com

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Castello di Ama

Castello di Ama
Credit: Alessandro Moggi

Book ahead, and allow plenty of time, for a tour and tasting at this grand, deep-pocketed estate near Siena and its charming village. These wines, including the high-end Merlot L’Apparita and the Chianti Classicos, are highly regarded, with prices to match. You can also taste them at the winery’s wine bar L’Enoteca, in the village, or at a terrace table at Il Ristoro di Ama for lunch, but then you’d miss the impressive gardens, buildings and 14 art installations on the estate’s grounds. castellodiama.com

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Castello di Nippozano/Frescobaldi

Castello di Nippozano/Frescobaldi
Credit: Franco Origlia / Getty Images

One of five Tuscan estates owned by the 30th generation of the Frescobaldi family, a Tuscan wine dynasty, and the region’s largest vineyard owners. Wines like the wonderful Chianti Classico Riserva and the Mormoreto blend, are draw enough here, but the atmospheric castle’s picturesque perch above Pelago is added incentive, as are the comprehensive tours, tastings, and customizable private events. All of the Frescobaldi estates are open to visits (book ahead for tours). frescobaldi.it

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Castigion del Bosco

Castiglion del Bosco
Credit: Castiglion del Bosco

The Ferragamo family (of fashion fame) founded this luxury resort on a 5,000-acre property in Montalcino’s Val d’Orcia whose history stretches back to 600 BC. Things have been considerably updated, with a top-notch Brunello di Montalcino winery, restaurants that source from the estate’s own gardens, high-end accommodations (the resort is managed by Rosewood), and an 18-hole Tom Weiskopf gold course that takes full advantage of the rolling terrain. rosewoodhotels.com/en/castiglion-del-bosco

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Fattoria dei Barbi

Fattoria dei Barbi
Credit: Elio Lombardo / Alamy Stock Photo

The Colombini family has been making wine in Montalcino for 700 years, and its Brunellos and Morellino di Scansanos are among the region’s best. A visit to the hill-top winery includes a museum devoted to the family and the wines of Montalcino. Stay on for a meal at the taverna, which serves local specialties, including the roasts that so perfectly complement these wines. fattoriadeibarbi.it

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Fattoria La Loggia

Fattoria La Loggia
Credit: Courtesy of Fattoria La Loggia

Just south of Florence, this one-time Medici estate dating to 1427 is a complex of ancient stone buildings, walls, towers and cellars overlooking a panoramic view of the Chianti hills. The estate’s wines, including the Nearco “super-Tuscan” and a celebratory spumante, share pride of place at this stylish agro-tourism destination with the owners’ notable art collection. fattorialaloggia.com

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Fattoria di Lamole

Fattoria di Lamole
Credit: Courtesy of Fattoria di Lamole

Welcoming and rustic, this non-boutique-ified winery and farm complex outside Greve occupies a lovely hillside surrounded by painstakingly stone-terraced vine-rows, silvery olive trees and deep forests of chestnut and oak. The Chianti here, like the agro-tourism accommodations, is traditional and easy to enjoy. fattoriadilamole.it

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Fontodi

Fontodi
Credit: Stefano Scata / Getty Images

Nestled in a picture-book setting in Chianti Classico’s amphitheater-like Conca d’Oro (Golden Shell) valley, this is a large estate in Chianti terms, practicing organic and sustainable agriculture that extends not only to its vineyards, but to olive oil and cattle as well. The all-Sangiovese Flaccianello IGT is deservedly the star here, but the relatively more affordable wines down the line are sought-after, too. There are three guesthouses available for wine-country stays. fontodi.com

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Ruffino

Ruffino
Credit: Ruffino

One of Tuscany’s most familiar labels, Ruffino is also one of the most consistent of the large Chianti producers, turning out a vast selection of wines sourced from growers across the region. The firm own numerous estates in Tuscany, but typically receives visitors at Poggio Casciano, a 14th-century Tuscan villa just outside Florence with lovely grounds and a showplace barrel tunnel. Open weekdays only, by appointment. ruffino.com

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Salcheto

Salcheto
Credit: Salcheto s.r.l.

Visitors interested in biodynamics and sustainability—not to mention soft-textured, full-flavored Vino Nobile di Montepulciano—should visit this exceptional estate southeast of Siena. It is open year-round for tours and tastings, with a kitchen that serves locavore lunches—the seasonal black truffles are from the estate—at the lovely terrace restaurant with its picture-window views. Another bonus: the multi-lingual guide staff. salcheto.it

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Tenuta San Guido

Tenuta San Guido
Credit: Courtesy of Kobrand

The Marchese Mario Incisa’s odd desire to duplicate First Growth Bordeaux on his swampy backwater estate in western Tuscany in the 1940s not only lead to arguably Italy's most famous wine, the much-imitated, Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Franc Sassicaia, but also touched off a land-rush to the once-obscure northern Maremma reaches of Bolgheri. An appointment here is something of a pilgrimage for wine lovers, but there is also the allure of Italy’s oldest nature sanctuary and the estate’s historic buildings. tenutasanguido.com

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Val delle Corti

Val delle Corti
Credit: Val delle Corti, imported by PortoVino

Owner Roberto Bianchi is known as a traditionalist and Sangiovese loyalist—no Merlot here—and his organically farmed vineyards near Radda are at some of Chianti’s highest elevations. “The Hut,” a charming and well-appointed guesthouse on the property, offers both privacy and proximity for area touring. valdellecorti.it

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Villa Pomona

Villa Pomona
Credit: DiBacco Imports

A “heart of Tuscany” experience near Castellina, this lovely property produces worthy Chianti Classico (and fine olive oil), but enchants visitors with its age-old, rambling stone buildings and acres of diverse woodlands. Two guesthouses allow visitors to marinate in it all, and to swim in the panoramic-view pool. fattoriapomona.it

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    1 of 21 Antinori Chianti Classico
    2 of 21 Avignonesi
    3 of 21 Badia a Coltibuono
    4 of 21 Barone Ricasoli
    5 of 21 Biondi Santi, Tenuta Il Greppo
    6 of 21 Capezzana
    7 of 21 Capo d’Uomo
    8 of 21 Castellare di Castellina
    9 of 21 Castello Banfi
    10 of 21 Castello di Ama
    11 of 21 Castello di Nippozano/Frescobaldi
    12 of 21 Castigion del Bosco
    13 of 21 Fattoria dei Barbi
    14 of 21 Fattoria La Loggia
    15 of 21 Fattoria di Lamole
    16 of 21 Fontodi
    17 of 21 Ruffino
    18 of 21 Salcheto
    19 of 21 Tenuta San Guido
    20 of 21 Val delle Corti
    21 of 21 Villa Pomona

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