Review: Is This Tuscany Wine Tour From Florence Worth Your Money?

What kind of experience are you really signing up for when you join a Tuscany wine tour from Florence? That’s very hard to answer when every tour operator in Florence has one.

I spent roughly three hours browsing through the pricings, the itineraries, the reviews, and then going through the same tours again. Then, when I decided to book one of them, and that was sold out. Damn it! 😂

This tour I ended up going on wasn’t the full-day wine tasting tour I had planned for, but the four hours I spent on it was very enjoyable nonetheless.

To save you (maybe a little bit?) from three hours of browsing and second-guessing like I did, I decided to share my exact experience on it.

If laughing your butt off with your guide and tourmates on a bus, with a bonus of good wine and bread, is what you’re looking for, keep reading.

I’ll run through every detail from the pick-up, the wineries we visited, to the wines tasted. Oh, there’s a golden retriever at the second winery. I’ll include her, too!

Table of Contents

What to Know Before You Join This Tour

If like me, you’ve been to fancy, highly-commercialized wineries in California, prepare to experience something different here.

Both wineries you’ll be visiting are quiet small, but are both family-run and passed down through generations of winemakers.

While you’ll be eating a lot of bread with olive oil, there are no full meals served during the tour. So have lunch before you go, and have your dinner reservation in place for after (I’d say no earlier than 8 PM).

Extra Tip: Don’t forget to pack some reusable wine bags if you’re serious about taking a bottle home!

⏳ Planning last minute? Use my quick recommendations to plan! 💡

Best Stay: B&B Lorenzo de’ Medici 👉 Check on Booking | Check on Agoda

What You’ll Need:

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Where to Book This Tour: Small Group Wine Tour to Tuscany 👈

Rustic wine cellar with wooden racks filled with dusty wine bottles at a historic Chianti winery in Tuscany, part of a wine museum visited on a small group Tuscany wine tour from Florence.

Tour Overview

Length: 4.5 hours
Stops: Two family-run wineries in the Chianti Region
Group Size: Max 20 people
Price: US$103 per person

Stop-by-Stop Breakdown of the Experience

The meeting point for the tour was next to Piazzale Montelungo, below the train tracks going into Santa Maria Novella station. They had a little check-in desk set up on the sidewalk and were very easy to spot.

We left Florence exactly at 2 PM and drove south into the Tuscan countryside. Along the way, our guide, Raf, introduced himself and our driver, Sergio.

He then went a bit into the cultural norms of eating and drinking in Italy. I made the decision for the first time to try Caffè Corretto with Grappa because Raf had mentioned it that afternoon.

Needless to say, never doing it again. Grappa is much too strong for my liking 😂

View from the bus showing heavy highway traffic en route to Chianti from Florence.

He then talked about the specific region of Tuscany we’re going to, which was Chianti, the first official wine region in the world.

We ran into unexpected construction and traffic, so the ride took a while, but thank goodness Raf had a nice playlist.

Winery #1: Poggio Capponi

We arrived at the first winery about an hour and a half later (it usually takes 50 minutes without the highway construction) and were given a bit of time to take pictures of everything.

Courtyard view of the historic Poggio Capponi villa with cream-colored walls, green shutters, and a bright red door. This winery has been producing wine for over 400 years and was the first stop on the tour.

The villa was lovely, and the view was exactly what I expected from Tuscany. The sun was setting towards us, though, so it was hard to take a good picture to do it justice.

We did a brief facility tour before the tasting, and learned that this winery has been in operation since its first harvest in 1583! Let that sink in… This family has been making wine right here in this building for over 400 years! 🤯

Large oak barrels lined up in the fermentation room at Poggio Capponi winery, shown during the facility tour before the first tasting began.

After the facility tour, it was finally time for the tasting.

The tasting room was neatly arranged and looked super cozy with warm-colored walls and exposed beams. Plates of Tuscan bread soaked in olive oil and empty wine glasses were ready at our seats.

Cozy and rustic tasting room at Poggio Capponi with exposed brick arches, wooden beams, and long tables set for guests.

Over the next half an hour, we tasted four different wine, all harvested and produced on site, Chardonnay Sovente, Rose Villa Capponi, Chianti Paggio Capponi, and Chianti Petriccio.

I loved the last one, which was especially thick, with hints of cherry, just my kind of red.

The sunset was so stunning when we came back out that Raf had to give us another 5 minutes to take photos before we left. I mean, look at that! 👇

Fiery sunset over the vineyards and trees near Poggio Capponi, casting golden hues across the Tuscan landscape.

🍷 Book your spot on this Tuscany wine tour 👈

Winery #2: Casa di Monte

After another 20 minutes on the bus, we arrived at the second winery, Casa di Monte. The sun was just about to set and the sky was a violent shade of gold, but nobody cared because…

Golden retriever named Gemma standing on the front yard outside Casa di Monte winery, which was the second stop on the tour.

There was a golden retriever waiting for us! I don’t know about you, but no golden light can ever beat a golden retriever in my books (😂).

All my tour mates seemed to agree because we were all crouching down and petting this baby, completely ignoring Raf for a second.

But even a dog-petting party has to end. So we went on a facility tour, and then settled in for the tasting in the side room with a beautiful view of the hills.

Stone and stucco exterior of Casa di Monte in Chianti, photographed during a Tuscany wine tour from Florence just before the second tasting began.

Table set with wine glasses and a plate of Tuscan bread drizzled in olive oil during a tasting at Casa di Monte.

We tasted four more wines here, but with more variety of snacks, including prosciutto, parma, and pecorino cheese.

Again, I’m a sucker for full-bodied wine, so I loved the last one, which was a mix of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Gemma (the golden retriever) joined us in the tasting room halfway through. We took turns petting her, but weren’t allowed to feed her.

😍 Join the same wine tour to Tuscany 👈

My Honest Thoughts

While I genuinely had fun and enjoyed the wine, I couldn’t shake the thought that we spent a bit too much time on a bus than actually at wineries.

But then again, not a problem that can be fixed by choosing a different tour. If you’re going out to Chianti, that’s the only way out.

The tastings were the most fun part of the experience, getting to talk to the tour mates, laughing a bit more after every glass (no kidding 😂).

Not counting the unexpectedly long travel time, this tour did not disappoint me, even though it wasn’t my first choice.

I really appreciated the connection I’ve made to a handful of tour mates, and to the guide himself, who taught me to say that this tour isn’t only “divertente,” but “divertentissimo!”

🥂 Check availability and secure your spot on the tour 👈

Alternative Wine Tour Options

Expecting more than two winery visits? This was the tour I initially wanted to book but they’ve sold out. It’s run by the same company as this tour, but is eight hours long, with three tastings and food included.

If you read my thoughts above about spending a lot of time on the bus and are like “yeah… no,” then I highly recommend this walking wine tour instead.

It’s just across the Arno River in Santo Spirito, so I guarantee none of your precious minutes will be spent stuck on a bus!

How Long Will You Be in Florence?

I have a culture-forward 3-day itinerary, if that’s all the time you’ll have. I made sure to include both the must-visit places and more local spots that I fell in love with while exploring.

If you have more time than that, check out my favorite things to do in Florence and put them into your schedule however you like.

Oh, oh, oh! Don’t forget to make yourself a list of Florentine dishes, foodie. This way you’ll know what you gotta look for when you’re there.

Look up the most convenient areas to stay in before you book accommodation.

Check out my Italy Cultural Travel page for guides on Bologna if that’s also in your plans.

Get Ready For Your Trip to Italy

Below are resources to help you get ready for your trip.

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Grab My Trip-Planner Template

To help streamline your planning process, I’ve decided to share the template I’ve created and have personally used to plan my own trips. You can grab a copy of it for free below!