For anyone with a passion for Italian wine, the Antinori winery tours in Tuscany are an experience not to be missed.
Antinori is among Italy’s best known brands of wine – synonymous with Chianti and the Super Tuscan wines, Antinori was founded in 1385, and is still owned and operated by the same family: the 25th and 26th Antinori generations, no less! Marquis Piero Antinori and his three daughters, Albiera, Allegra, and Alessia, manage the company, combining tradition and innovation. “Ancient roots play an important role in our work, but have never been a limit to our innovative spirit,” the Marquis likes to say.
Antinori’s most famous product is Tignanello, one of the first Super Tuscans, considered one of the world’s greatest wines. Other renowned wines produced by the Antinori family are Solaia, “the sunny one”, and Badia a Passignano.
Now imagine having the chance to taste these great wines right in the place where they are made, the beautiful Tuscan countryside just south of Florence: the heart of the Chianti region. You can make your dream a reality when you go on one of the following Antinori winery tours. You can even opt to stay at a fabulous resort run by the Antinori family.
Read on to pick among the Antinori winery tours most suited to you.
The Best Antinori Winery Tours
Winery Visit and Tasting at Cantina Antinori
The perfect day trip from Florence to immerse yourself in the world of Chianti wine-making. Cantina Antinori was inaugurated in 2012 to showcase more than 600 years of wine-making history. As stated on the Cantina Antinori’s website, the winery “represents the Antinori family’s love and passion for the Chianti Classico hillsides and reflects the centuries-old bond that the Antinori family has with their ancestral territory.”
Set among olive groves, vineyards and oak trees, almost hidden from view, the cellar was designed by one of Italy’s leading architects, Marco Casamonti. Most of the facility is underground, constructed within the hillside, as a way to highlight the winery’s rootedness to the land around it. The 540,000 square-foot structure includes an auditorium, a museum, a restaurant and a wine shop. All you can see from outside is the restaurant terrace, which overlooks the vineyards.
On this Antinori winery tour, you’ll be led on a visit of the museum, which traces the family’s long and illustrious history and displays their private art collection that includes many portraits of ancestors, and of the wine cellars, a series of softly-lit, sleek caves and spectacular, airy rooms tucked deep inside the hill. At the end of the visit, delight your palate with a tasting of three of the best Antinori wines: Villa Antinori Chianti Classico Riserva, Marchese Antinori Chianti Classico DOCG Riserva and Badia a Passignano.
Badia a Passignano and the Great Antinori Wines
This tour is ideal for those who want to enjoy a little history with their wine. In 1987, the Antinori’s bought the 325-hectare estate around the 4th-century Vallombrosian abbey, founded by the archbishop of Florence 18 miles south of the Tuscan capital. Walking among the vineyards, you’ll learn about the vine-growing process; you’ll then visit the historic monastery and cellars. Vallombrosan monks still live here. They are known for their love of books, for promoting scientific research (Galileo taught there in 1587) and for their meticulous care of the surrounding fields, especially the cultivation of grapevines and reforestation.
The tour concludes with a delicious meal at the one-star Michelin Osteria di Passignano, accompanied, of course, by some of the best Antinori wines, such as Chianti Classico Riserva Badia a Passignano, Tignanello, Guado al Tasso, and Pian delle Vigne Brunello di Montalcino.
Private Cooking Class with Antinori’s Osteria di Passignano in Chianti
Why limit yourself to wine when you can enjoy it accompanied by tasty Tuscan food? And even learn a few tricks of Tuscan cuisine so that you can enjoy the experience again when you’re back home.
Your special teacher is the chef of the one-star Michelin Osteria di Passignano. The lesson takes place in the professional kitchen at Antinori’s Fonte de’ Medici Estate, where the stars of the Antinori’s wines, Tignanello and Solaia, are produced. While you learn how to prepare a four-course menu, you’ll enjoy tastings of Pecorino cheeses, balsamic vinegar and Amedei chocolate; at the end, you’ll receive a diploma and a complimentary recipe book to take home.
Enjoy the fruits of your labor afterwards, when you have lunch at Osteria di Passignano nearby, sampling the dishes you previously prepared, accompanied by Antinori wines.
Chianti Nord Wine Tour
This full-day tour from Florence is ideal for those who want an overview of the Chianti wine region, besides the Antinori winery.
The first stop is Greve in Chianti, the main town in the Chianti wine district, 19 miles south of Florence. Olive oil and wine production are the main agricultural activities here. After a tour of Greve, you’ll explore different vineyards of the area, including Casaloste, known for their fine Chianti Classico and Riserva wines, Antinori, and Setriolo, with visits to their cellars and tastings.
Staying in the heart of the Chianti region
Now that you’ve got an overview of the best Antinori winery tours, you may decide that you’d like to spend more than a day in this enchanting area of Tuscany. You can book a stay at Fonte de’ Medici, a resort run by the Antinori family. The Super Tuscans Tignanello and Solaia are made from vines grown around the Fonte de’ Medici estate. The resort consists of two restored medieval villages, with apartments, two swimming pools, a wellness center, all set amid olive and cypress trees. The ultimate Chianti experience.