You do not need to travel deep into Tuscany to visit a real winery. Several excellent estates sit in the hills close to Florence, so you can walk a vineyard, see a cellar and taste the wines in only a few hours.
This page covers the estates closest to the city and how to reach them. For full-day tours further into Tuscany, see our wine tours from Florence guide; for the best estates anywhere in the region, our best wineries in Tuscany guide.
For a few free hours, book one estate in the hills around Florence, such as Ruffino at Bagno a Ripoli or Antinori at Bargino. For a whole free day, an organised tour into Chianti covers two wineries from $62 a person.
| Winery | Area | Best for | How to visit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ruffino Poggio Casciano | Bagno a Ripoli | Closest complete experience | Book direct with Ruffino |
| Antinori nel Chianti Classico | Bargino | Architecture | Book direct with Antinori |
| Torre a Cona | Southeast of Florence | Boutique historic estate | Book direct with the estate |
| Castello del Trebbio | Pontassieve / Rufina side | Castle and history | Contact the estate |
| Castello di Verrazzano | Greve | Classic Chianti | Book direct with the estate |
| Castello Vicchiomaggio | Greve | Scenery + lunch | Book direct with the estate |
| Villa Medicea di Lilliano | Bagno a Ripoli | Close historic estate | Tour and Wine Tasting, Villa Medicea di Lilliano on Viator (5.0 from 3 reviews) |
Six of the seven take bookings only through the estate itself. The one you can book on a platform is flagged in the table: Lilliano's listing has three reviews.
The closest winery is not automatically the best for your trip.
If you have only 3–4 hours, stay in the immediate Florence hills. That is time for one estate visit and the drive, not a two-winery tour: the half-day tours from Florence on this site run four and a half to six hours.
If you have a full day, go deeper into Chianti.
The estates closest to Florence sit in the hills of Bagno a Ripoli, San Casciano and the Chianti Rufina area, with Greve in Chianti and the SR222 Chiantigiana a little further south. With more time, the same city is the starting point for San Gimignano, Siena and Brunello country around Montalcino. Our half-day wine tours guide covers the shortest organised trips. The widget below shows live availability for related Tuscany wine experiences.
A particularly practical choice close to Florence, with vineyards, cellar and hospitality. Ruffino's Poggio Casciano estate is in Bagno a Ripoli, in the hills just south-east of the city. Ruffino runs tours and tastings through the week by appointment, in Italian and English, with French on request.
Ideal for:
Villa Medicea di Lilliano, the Malenchini family's Medici villa in the same Bagno a Ripoli hills, is the other close historic estate. Its Tour and Wine Tasting, Villa Medicea di Lilliano → is sold on Viator from about $69, with a perfect 5.0 rating from only three reviews, so read them before you book.
Farther south but still easy from Florence. Choose Antinori nel Chianti Classico when architecture and a premium organised visit matter. The winery at Bargino, on the via Cassia per Siena, is built into the hillside.
The standard Tinaia tour costs €50 and takes about 90 minutes, with three wines; youths pay €10 and under-7s go free. The CRU tour costs €190. Book directly with Antinori, and reserve ahead: it is not sold as a group tour.
If you want something bookable on GetYourGuide in the same San Casciano corner, Terre di Perseto is a small family winery with a guided tasting.
A winery tour followed by a guided tasting of four of the estate's wines, in English or Italian, at a family vineyard near San Casciano in Val di Pesa. At $34 it is the cheapest real estate visit near Florence that you can book online. You make your own way there, and 31 reviews is a small record, so read the recent ones first.
A good boutique alternative with historic-estate atmosphere and hospitality, south-east of Florence near Rignano sull'Arno. The standard tasting lasts about an hour: the estate archive, the historic cellars and the vinsantaia, then three wines with Vin Santo, local cheese, bread and olive oil in the old granary. Book ahead with the estate.
Useful for travellers interested in the Chianti Rufina side east of Florence, away from the more commonly toured Greve route. Rufina is its own Chianti subzone, outside Chianti Classico, and Castello del Trebbio is a medieval castle estate near Pontassieve. Contact the estate directly to arrange a visit.
Both are natural choices when you have enough time to reach Greve, about 40 minutes from Florence.
They suit a classic Chianti day with:
Castello di Verrazzano and Castello Vicchiomaggio both take bookings directly, so contact the estate for the gardens, the historic cellars and a tasting. A few minutes from Greve, Viticcio is the well-reviewed estate visit you can book online.
A Chianti Classico estate visit and tasting a few minutes from Greve, rated 4.9 by its guests. Pair it with lunch in Greve and a second estate for the full-day plan below. With 47 reviews it is still a modest record.
Our Greve in Chianti guide covers both castles and the town in detail.
Ruffino or Lilliano in Bagno a Ripoli, Antinori at Bargino, or Terre di Perseto near San Casciano.
Do not add multiple distant stops. A second estate on a half day turns the visit into driving.
Verrazzano, Vicchiomaggio or Viticcio.
Vicchiomaggio is the estate to choose if the meal matters as much as the pour.
Two is the right number for one day.
Greve's piazza, Montefioralle or Panzano, then back to Florence.
Our Chianti wine tours guide covers the full-day tours that do this for you.
Taxi works for one close winery. Book the estate first, then a taxi or transfer for the agreed time; rural taxis are hard to find for the ride back, so arrange the return before you leave Florence.
Private driver works for multiple stops. The private Chianti day-trip below sets the pace around your own wineries and lunch.
Organised tour is best value for most visitors. The Chianti wineries tour in the date checker above visits two family wineries for $62, with more than 11,000 reviews behind it.
A half day from Florence to two family wineries in Chianti Classico, with Sangiovese tastings and pecorino, bread and estate olive oil. Transport is included, so nobody has to drive after the tasting.
Our tour vs self-drive comparison works through the driving question in more detail.
Several estates in the Florence hills and the Bagno a Ripoli area are much closer than central Chianti. Ruffino's Poggio Casciano estate and Villa Medicea di Lilliano are both in Bagno a Ripoli, just south-east of the city.
Yes. Arrange a taxi or transfer and reserve the visit directly with the estate. Ruffino, Antinori and Torre a Cona all take bookings for their own tours and tastings.
Yes, if you have a full day. With a day to spare you can visit two wineries near Greve, have lunch and see a village, which a close estate cannot give you in the same time.
Antinori, Ruffino and Torre a Cona sell their own visits directly. On GetYourGuide you can book Terre di Perseto near San Casciano and Viticcio near Greve, and Villa Medicea di Lilliano is sold on Viator. Castello di Verrazzano sells its visits through the estate itself.
Usually one to two hours at the estate. Antinori's Tinaia tour takes about 90 minutes and Torre a Cona's standard tasting about an hour. Add the drive each way, and a close estate fits into three to four hours.
If you have only a few hours, choose a real estate close to Florence and spend the time there, not in transit.
If you have a full day, go farther into Chianti and visit two wineries.
Also worth booking
The second big half-day tour from Florence, and a private day for choosing your own wineries.
Two Chianti wineries with a guided cellar walk and three to four wines at each, at the same price as the tour above. A second large group departure if your first-choice date is full.
The driver-and-guide option for several stops: a private full day in Chianti with lunch, visiting Greve and Montefioralle. A perfect 5.0, but from just 31 reviews, a small base for a premium price.
Tours and live availability via GetYourGuide; one estate listing via Viator. Listed prices are starting prices in USD; final price varies by date and group size.
One estate in the Florence hills for a free half day, or two wineries near Greve for a full one. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
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