3 Amazing Wineries to Visit on a Self-Guided Wine Tour of Radda in Chianti | Tuscany, Italy
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Even if you’re not a lover of wine, visiting some of the vineyards in the Italian countryside should be on your bucket list. In fact, visiting wineries in Italy during winter is what turned my boyfriend into a wine drinker!
I say visiting during winter because that was a huge factor in how much we loved visiting the Chianti Classico region! Visiting Italian wineries in winter allows for a much more intimate experience with the vineyards.
You are much more likely to have a private wine tour and also get the opportunity to meet the winemaker themselves!
Plus, the views of the mountains are still just as gorgeous.
For your planning purposes, we stayed in Radda in Chianti at the Palazzo Leopoldo, in fact, these vineyards were recommended to us by the chef that led our cooking class at the hotel.
I HIGHLY recommend booking your stay here, I already can’t wait to return— you can book it here).
All of these Chianti wineries were all nearby which made for an easy self-guided wine tour in Tuscany.
I just feel you could visit these vineyards during summer or fall and also return in winter and feel like you’re having a whole new experience. No matter the time of year, here are 3 wineries to visit for a Chianti wine tour in Tuscany.
Castello di Albola
This is definitely the biggest winery out of this list, so I recommend booking in advance. We happened to stroll up and got lucky with a wine tasting but we had just missed the tour. They kindly let us walk through with a self-guided tour of the room where they store old bottles of wine.
We started our day at this winery as we booked an experience that included a lunch that was paired with the wine tasting. I highly recommend booking an experience here versus just the wine tasting, they offer it for both lunch and dinner.
We spent about 50 USD each for a GOURMET 4-course lunch paired with their wines. I felt so fancy, considering I usually like to get the $2 street food so this was truly luxury but not with the luxury cost.
While I enjoyed the wine here, it wasn’t my favorite out of the 3 places we tried. However, the views are by far the best in the area. It is a castle at the top of a hill so you’re overlooking all of the mountains of the Tuscan countryside. It’s a truly beautiful place to walk around. I highly recommend coming even if just for that!
Check out the info for Castello Di Albola here! You can book a tour or an experience online.
Val delle Corti
This one feels so special because it is much smaller than Castello di Albola, which makes it feel much more intimate. We rolled up to basically this guy’s house and he walked us around for a tour.
The wine was great, the place was adorable, and the winemaker was so informative and kind. We really enjoyed this experience!
We called ahead here to book a wine tasting. It was just us and the winemaker himself. As I said, visiting wineries in Italy during winter is very special.
We paid in cash here but mostly because their office wasn’t running, so he had just opened up for us to come by for a tasting. So bring euros just in case!
Caparsa
I saved the best for last, this one was all of our favorites for the wine, the people, and the whole experience!
Because we visited in winter, we were able to take the tour with the winemaker’s son so it was incredibly informative about how their family makes the wine. We even learned how the different vineyards are named after the kids of the family.
Their house is literally where the vineyard is, so it’s almost like you’re hanging out with this family at their house learning all about wine. It made the wine taste even better.
You’ll take a tour of the wine cellar, the area where they make the wine, and the gardens before settling in the wine cellar area for tastings. We tried 12 wines for 40 USD.
The wine tasting came with some bread to dip in olive oil and herbs. The olive oil they also make from their vineyard and I’m not exaggerating it was just as amazing as the wine.
The wine also came with great conversation with our own private tour because the Tuscan countryside just doesn’t have as much traffic during February. Especially shortly after COVID.
The wine tasting here felt like a story because you try several Chianti Classicos from different years. They have all organic wines and the taste of the wine depends on the weather of the year. I learned so much, especially coming from America where we mass produce everything to always taste the same. This made the wine tasting fun and interesting!
Caparsa cannot be missed if you are doing a wine tour in Tuscany! We booked by calling ahead, same day even, and then paid at the store. If you own an international credit card, this is accepted here!
Obviously, since you are in the Chianti Region of Tuscany, most of the wines you will be trying will be Chianti Classico and Chianti Classico Reserves of different years. However, each tasting we did had a couple different ones and dessert wine as well. Caparsa even has a sparkling wine.
When looking at doing a wine tasting in Radda in Chianti, there are many options. However, these 3 places definitely need to be included on your Chianti wine tour of Tuscany.
These locations were recommended to us by a local of the area, so they will beat out some of the places you can find on Google.
If you’re looking for a more local experience, check out Val delle Corti and Caparsa for sure. If you’re looking for a more commercialized experience with awesome views and food, check out Castello di Albola.
But hopefully, you have time to check out all 3 and even more!
To hit more off-the-beaten spots while checking out these Italian wineries, I highly recommend renting a car. It will be much more difficult to move around, especially if you are adding this to your Italy in winter to-do list.
Radda in Chianti is much more remote during winter than in other parts of Italy. I’m not sure what it looks like during summer but I think for ease, designate a driver and rent a car! Book your rental car here!
So, if you’re visiting Italy in Winter and looking for things to do add doing a Chianti wine tour at the Radda in Chianti wineries!
When looking for where to stay in Radda in Chianti or how to spend the rest of your Italian vacation, check out these blog posts below!
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When traveling to Italy, be sure to stop at Radda in Chianti for some amazing wineries! While here, stay at the beautiful and historic Palazzo Leopoldo Dimora Storica & SPA. Enjoy cooking classes, wine tasting, and being close to some of the best wineries. Check out why I think this is one of the best places to stay in Italy!
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