Wine Tastings, Winery Visits and Wine Tours in Valdichiana

Wine tasting in the Valdichiana: which wineries to visit

The Valdichiana is a broad valley between Arezzo and Chiusi, in south-east Tuscany, with Montepulciano on the hills to the west and Cortona to the east. Montepulciano is about 110 km from Florence, roughly an hour and a half by car, and an hour from Siena. This page lists more than 40 wineries, over half of them around Montepulciano. A typical visit lasts one to two hours with three or four wines, and guests have left more than 600 reviews on Winedering.

Which wineries should you visit in the Valdichiana?

Start with the Vino Nobile estates around Montepulciano, which account for about eight in ten bookings on this page:

• Le Bèrne, in Cervognano: only the Natalini family, the owners, lead the visit, pouring six wines from a Viognier to the Vin Santo.
• Poderi Boscarelli, in Cervognano: the story of the De Ferrari Corradi family, a walk in the vineyard and four wines, including the Nobile and the Nobile Riserva.
• Podere della Bruciata, in Montepulciano: three natural wines on a terrace above the valley, with Pecorino di Pienza and bruschetta topped with aglione, the local giant garlic.
• Ercolani, in the old town of Montepulciano: a walk through the Underground City museum and the cellars where the Nobile ages, then five wines at the table.
• Palazzo Vecchio, in Valiano, between Montepulciano and Cortona: a 14th-century estate, a terrace with a 360-degree view and a Nobile from a 1951 vineyard.

Where are the wineries in the Valdichiana?

Most are in the province of Siena: on the hills around Montepulciano and, further south, a few smaller estates between Chianciano Terme, Sarteano and Chiusi. Many Montepulciano estates sit in hamlets such as Cervognano, Caggiole, Gracciano and Valiano, which also give their names to Pievi, the Vino Nobile subzones recognised in 2025. In the province of Arezzo the estates are fewer and further apart, from Cortona to the hills of Arezzo. West of Montepulciano begins the Val d'Orcia, with wineries of its own.

• Gabriele Mazzeschi, in Castiglion Fiorentino: seven organic wines, some made in amphora, and a garden with swings for children.
• Il Sosso, in Lucignano: an ageing cellar dug into the tuff under an old Leopoldine farmhouse, and Vin Santo with cantuccini to finish.
• San Luciano, in Monte San Savino: the family's vineyards, country churches and barrique cellar, then two whites and two reds.
• La Cignozza, near Chianciano Terme: the owner, Roberto del Buono, walks you through vineyards facing the valley, then pours up to seven wines, including Peregrinus, a 100% Sangiovese.

Is Vino Nobile di Montepulciano the same as Montepulciano d'Abruzzo?

No. Vino Nobile is a Tuscan red made around Montepulciano with at least 70% Sangiovese, here called Prugnolo Gentile, and aged at least two years, three for the Riserva. Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is made from a different grape, itself called Montepulciano, on Italy's Adriatic side. Many cellars also pour Rosso di Montepulciano, a younger, lighter wine from the same grape, and a few end with a Vin Santo. The new top category, Pieve, takes grapes from a single subzone: Vecchia Cantina di Montepulciano, a cooperative, pours four Vino Nobile wines and explains the Pieve. Cortona has its own DOC, best known for its Syrah: Cantina Canaio pours three Syrah wines and a Syrah passito, with a traditional local pasta dish.

Which Valdichiana wine tastings include lunch?

More than fifteen, about three in four of them near Montepulciano, including the most booked tasting on this page: at Terra Antica, in Cervognano, each course has its own wine, from a white with pecorino and honey to the Vino Nobile with peposo, a peppery Tuscan beef stew. At Tiberini, in Caggiole, you follow a truffle hunter and his dog, taste straight from the barrel and finish with a truffle lunch and four of the estate's wines. Half a dozen experiences are picnics: at Terra Antica among the vines or by the pool, at Podere della Bruciata on a lawn above the valley.

When is the best time for wine tasting in the Valdichiana?

Spring and autumn: more than two thirds of the bookings fall between April and June or between September and November. May is the busiest month, with the Valdichiana Wine Festival in Castiglion Fiorentino at the start and Cantine Aperte, when wineries all over Italy open their doors, at the end. The harvest falls in September and October. On the last Sunday of August, Montepulciano holds the Bravio delle Botti, when the eight contrade push barrels uphill to Piazza Grande.

The grid also lists wine tours: five visit two or three wineries around Montepulciano, and most others leave from Florence, Siena or Rome. You can also give a Valdichiana wine tasting as a gift: the recipient picks the date.