Greve in Chianti: Wine Tastings and Getting There from Florence

Why it works as a wine day

Greve grew in the 13th century as the marketplace for the castle of Montefioralle, sitting at the crossroads of the Chiantigiana road, the road to Valdarno and the road to the Val di Pesa. With the enlargement of the Chianti wine district in 1932 it ended up in a noble area producing Chianti and Super Tuscan wines.

The practical point for your day is that the castles and villas around Greve are wineries that open for tours and experiences by reservation only. That makes a guided tour or a pre-booked tasting the smart move. Popular attractions around town include Castello di Verrazzano, Montefioralle Winery, Vignamaggio and Azienda Agricola.

The whole territory of Greve in Chianti lies inside the Chianti Classico production zone, a 71,800 hectare area shared between the provinces of Florence and Siena. If you want to taste Chianti Classico where it is made, this is one of the four towns that gives the zone its backbone.

Wine, the square and the fair

Greve is named after the river that runs through it, and it was renamed Greve in Chianti in 1972 after the area was included in the Chianti wine district. The town sits in the Val di Greve, about 31 kilometres (19 miles) south of Florence and 42 kilometres (26 miles) north of Siena.

Piazza Matteotti is the arcaded main square and the town's market square. Antica Macelleria Falorni, a Tuscan butcher shop, has traded in the same spot since 1729. The town is also home to Chianti's largest wine fair, the Chianti Classico Expo, which takes over the square each September.

For your wine day the fame that matters is in the cellars. Chianti Classico must be at least 80% Sangiovese, and the area's wines range from Annata with 12 months of ageing up to Gran Selezione with 30 months. The Tuscan wineries tour with lunch pours Chianti Classico, Riserva and Super Tuscans at each of its estates.

The square

Piazza Matteotti is where the town gathers and doubles as the market square, with the Saturday market every week. Antica Macelleria Falorni, a Tuscan butcher shop in the same spot since 1729, is the stop for cured meats to set against a tasting.

The Palazzo del Comune, the town hall, was built in neo-Renaissance style between 1894 and 1895.

Churches and museums

The Chiesa Santa Croce dates from the 11th century and was rebuilt in 1325 after being burned by Castruccio Castracani. Inside are paintings of the school of Fra Angelico.

The Museum of Sacred Art sits in the former hospital of St Francis on Via S. Francesco n. 1. The Wine Museum, with 180 different corkscrews on display, was closed for renovation, so treat a winery tasting as your museum stop instead.

The wine castles

Castello di Verrazzano sits on a 348 metre hill about 2 kilometres from the center of Greve. It belonged to the family of the explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano, was turned into a villa in the 17th century, and today is a winery open for tastings.

Villa Vignamaggio was built by the Gherardini family in the 14th century, and tradition holds it was the home of Lisa Gherardini, the Mona Lisa. Vicchiomaggio Castle is first cited in documentation from 857 and keeps a 13th-century tower. Montefioralle Winery in the hamlet of the same name rounds out the cluster.

Visit Tuscany is clear that these castles and villas open for tours and experiences by reservation only, so turning up unbooked is a risk. A winery tours florence package books the cellars and the transport together.

By car

Greve is about 18 miles (30 kilometers) from Florence along the SR222 Chiantigiana, the hill road that continues about 40 km to Siena in the other direction.

One warning if you rent a car: GOV.UK notes that historic city centres in Italy often require a pass and you will be fined if you drive past a ZTL sign without one, and that car hire companies may set a higher minimum age and require an International Driving Permit. The driver cannot taste, so a car suits a day of sightseeing more than a day of wine.

By bus

Autolinee Toscane runs the extra-urban buses through Chianti. Two things to know: you tap your card once on boarding and once on leaving, and forgetting the exit tap charges the maximum fare to the end of the line. Check the Autolinee Toscane app for times and fares from Florence to Greve on the day you travel.

By tour

For a wine day a tour removes every friction point: the narrow roads, the driver for the person tasting, and the reservations the castles require. The ACCORD Chianti sunset wine tour runs 5 to 7 hours at $143 per person with 2 family estates and optional photo stops in Greve and Montefioralle. The Prestige Rent Tuscan wineries tour with lunch runs 8 hours at $168.20 per person and lists Greve in Chianti on its route.

Both carry free cancellation 24 hours ahead, and neither includes hotel pickup on its standard option.

Montefioralle

Montefioralle is a tiny walled hamlet directly above Greve, which was its marketplace in the 13th century. Inside the walls are the church of Santo Stefano and a house which tradition says belonged to Amerigo Vespucci. Montefioralle Winery pours here, so the hamlet and a tasting fit in one stop.

Panzano in Chianti

Panzano in Chianti sits about 500 meters above sea level and is known for Dario Cecchini's butcher shop. It hosts the Vino al Vino wine fair on the 3rd weekend of September. The Dario Cecchini tour at $366.88 per person pairs 2 organic wineries with lunch at Dario Cecchini in 7 hours, for up to 8 guests aged 18 and over.

It is non-refundable, so book it only once your dates are fixed.

Markets

The Saturday market on Piazza Matteotti still takes place every Saturday, with stalls of fruit, vegetables, cheese, olives and textiles. From spring to fall, on every 4th Sunday of the month, the square also hosts the Il Pagliaio organic market.

Buy pecorino, bread and olives in the morning and you have a picnic to set against your afternoon tasting.

Wine fairs

In September Piazza Matteotti becomes the center of the Chianti Classico Expo, Chianti's largest wine fair, where producers pour across the town. Panzano adds the Vino al Vino fair on the 3rd weekend of September. The Chianti Classico harvest itself runs from the first half of September to the second half of October depending on location and altitude, so a September visit may catch working cellars as well as fairs.

A morning-to-dusk shape

Start at Piazza Matteotti while the arcades are quiet, with Antica Macelleria Falorni for local cured meats. Booked tastings at the castles fill the middle of the day, since reservations are the only way in.

The table compares the tours from Florence whose routes list Greve in Chianti or nearby Panzano, with prices, durations and ratings from their listings. The ACCORD Chianti sunset wine tour ends the day above the vines with 6 wine tastings at 2 family estates. The Prestige Rent Tuscan wineries tour with lunch adds a light lunch. The Dario Cecchini tour is the only non-refundable one.

How they compare

San Gimignano has been on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 1990. Greve is about 18 miles from Florence and sits at the heart of the Chianti Classico zone, so the tastings are the point rather than a bonus.

For San Gimignano, the Italy on a Budget Tuscany Wine Tour with 2 Wineries and San Gimignano covers two wineries plus the towers in 7 hours at $84.66 per person, leaving at 10:00am and back at about 5:00pm.