Montepulciano Wineries: How to Taste Vino Nobile Wine on a Day Trip from Florence

The wine and the rules

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano must be at least 70% Sangiovese, according to the Consorzio del Vino Nobile. It must age at least two years from the start of the year after harvest, and the Riserva needs three years. The zone held DOCG status from 1980, , and wine was recorded here as early as 789, according to Cellar Tours.

About 1,800 hectares of vineyard sit between the Ocria and Chiana rivers.

Not the Abruzzo wine

Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is a different wine from a different region, made from the Montepulciano grape. The Tuscan town gives its name to Vino Nobile, which is made from Sangiovese known locally as Prugnolo Gentile, as Bon Traveler explains. If a wine list shows a cheap Montepulciano, it is probably the Abruzzo bottle, not what you came to taste.

De' Ricci

De' Ricci sits in the historic centre and runs scheduled English-language tours through the Etruscan cave and the Wine Cathedral, according to The Wanderlust Effect. A paid tasting pours six wines, as The Boutique Adventurer reports. Rick Steves' community forum notes it also works as a self-guided cellar visit that ends in the tasting room with no pressure.

Contucci and Ercolani

Contucci is about 1,000 years old, sits on the main square and pours two free tastings, a Rosso and a Vino Nobile, with two paid wines on top. Ercolani holds free tastings of five wines with snacks and doubles as a gourmet food store. Both sit inside the old town within walking distance of each other.

Inside the walls

Many wineries sit inside the hilltop old town with cellars dug into the hill, according to The Boutique Adventurer. Contucci, De' Ricci and Ercolani are all within walking distance of each other, so you can string three tastings into one afternoon on foot. The main street Il Corso is lined with wine shops, artisan boutiques and cafes, and Bon Traveler notes many cellars run underground below the village.

Wine bars as a third option

If you want to try the big names without a booking, wine bars in town pour wines from wineries such as Poliziano and Avignonesi without you ever leaving the centre. That makes them a good fallback when estate visits are booked out or you only have a couple of hours.

Your options

A rental car gives you freedom but historic centres often require a pass and you will be fined if you drive past a ZTL sign without one, according to GOV.UK, which also warns that car hire companies may set a higher minimum age and require an International Driving Permit. Tasting all day means the driver stays dry, so a tour solves that: the $82 Val d'Orcia wine tour runs 11.5 hours by coach from Piazzale Montelungo, and the $258.51 Brunello wine tour takes up to 8 guests for 10.5 hours. Public transport is possible but slow, and note that Autolinee Toscane extra-urban buses need two taps on the ticket, one on boarding and one on leaving, or you are charged the maximum fare.

Timing the day

Both tours from Florence that reach Montepulciano leave early. The Brunello wine tour starts at 8:00am beside Cantina Antinori and returns at about 6:30pm, with 1 family winery in Montalcino plus a wine shop cellar in Montepulciano. The Val d'Orcia wine tour visits 2 wineries, one in Montalcino and one in Montepulciano, and includes no lunch, so plan to buy food in town.

Both carry free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.

Sequence for the day

Start at Contucci on the main square with the free Rosso and Vino Nobile tastings. Walk a few minutes to De' Ricci for the six-wine tasting and the Etruscan cave, booking the English slot ahead. Break for lunch along Il Corso, where cafes and wine shops line the street.

Finish at Ercolani with the free five-wine tasting and snacks, and buy pecorino or other local food there for the ride home. If you have energy left, a wine bar covers Poliziano and Avignonesi without another walk uphill.

Festivals and timing

The Bravio barrel race runs in August and a Christmas market runs from mid-November through early January, according to Rick Steves' community forum. Either event fills the town, so book cellars and lunch well ahead in those windows. Around Montepulciano, Pienza and its pecorino cheese make an easy second stop if you have a car or a tour.

How the wines compare

Brunello di Montalcino is made from Sangiovese, called Brunello locally, with a maximum yield of 80 quintals per hectare, according to the Consorzio del Brunello di Montalcino. It must age at least two years in oak and four months in bottle, and cannot be released before the start of the year after the fifth year from harvest. Vino Nobile needs only two years total, so it is usually the fresher wine, while Brunello is the bigger, longer-cellared wine.

Doing both in one day

The towns are close enough that tours from Florence pair Montalcino with Montepulciano and often Pienza on the same route through the Val d'Orcia, a UNESCO World Heritage area since 2004. If you can only pick one, pick Montepulciano for the easier walking day and free tastings, and Montalcino if Brunello is the bottle you collect.

Where you recognise the town

According to Rick Steves' community forum, movies filmed in the area include Under the Tuscan Sun, Twilight, The English Patient and 300. The old town is small enough to cover on foot between Contucci, De' Ricci and Ercolani, so the film locations in town cost nothing extra on a wine day. Ask at the cellars or the tourist office which streets and squares appear on screen.

Walk-in versus reserved

De' Ricci runs scheduled tours during the day, including in English, so reserve a slot before you arrive. Contucci and Ercolani hold free tastings that work as walk-in stops, which gives your day a flexible spine. If you drive yourself, sort the ZTL pass situation before the trip, and if you bring wine home to the United States, remember that US CBP allows one American liter, about 33.8 fluid ounces, of alcohol in the returning resident exemption if you are at least 21, and TSA only allows liquids of 3.4 ounces or less in carry-on, so pack bottles in checked baggage.

Choosing the tour

Both tours from Florence that reach Montepulciano carry free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead, which matters when weather or trains wobble. The $82 Val d'Orcia wine tour is the budget coach day with 2 wineries and no lunch. The $258.51 Brunello wine tour is a small group of up to 8 with a family winery in Montalcino and a wine shop cellar in Montepulciano.

Neither includes hotel pickup on its standard option, so plan the walk to the meeting point.

Lunch between cellars

Il Corso, the main street, is lined with wine shops, artisan boutiques and cafes, according to Bon Traveler, which makes it the natural lunch stop between a morning at Contucci and an afternoon at De' Ricci. Ercolani doubles as a gourmet food store, so you can taste five wines free and carry snacks or local specialities out the door. If you extend the day toward Pienza, the town is known for pecorino cheese and pairs naturally with a bottle of Vino Nobile.

On the $82 Val d'Orcia wine tour no lunch is included, so eat in town.

The three-way choice

Chianti is the hill area between Florence and Siena and the birthplace of Chianti wine, according to Italia.it, so tours there run shorter and cost less, from $55 for the 5 to 6.5 hour Chianti wineries tour. Chianti Classico needs at least 80% Sangiovese and 12 months of ageing for the Annata level, per the Chianti Classico consortium. San Gimignano has been on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 1990 and its Vernaccia won DOCG status in 1993, so that day mixes white wine with a tower town.

Montepulciano is the only one of the three pouring Vino Nobile, and tours from Florence reach it in 10.5 to 11.5 hours.