Montepulciano wine tasting means Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, the red wine of a Renaissance hill town between the Val d'Orcia and the Val di Chiana, about an hour south-east of Siena. There are two ways to taste it: in the historic cellars dug beneath the palaces of the old town, or at an estate in the countryside around it. They are not the same experience, and it is worth knowing which one you want before you go.
First, a common confusion. Vino Nobile di Montepulciano has nothing to do with Montepulciano d'Abruzzo: that is a different grape from a different region on the Adriatic side of Italy. Here, Montepulciano is the name of the town, and the grape is Sangiovese.
Vino Nobile, Rosso and the rules
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is a DOCG wine made mostly from Sangiovese, known locally as Prugnolo Gentile. It received the DOCG in 1980, and its consortium describes it as the first Italian wine released with that classification. The rules ask for at least two years of ageing, counted from the first of January after the harvest; the Riserva needs at least three, six months of them in bottle.
Rosso di Montepulciano is the younger wine of the same vineyards, released earlier and drunk earlier. The newest category, Pieve, ties the wine to specific areas within the municipality of Montepulciano; its rules were published at the end of 2024. In a good tasting you will usually start with a Rosso, move to the Vino Nobile and end with a Riserva, and the difference between them is the lesson of the day.
Tasting in town: the historic cellars
Montepulciano sits on a narrow ridge, and its palaces were built over cellars cut into the rock. Several of them are still working cellars where Vino Nobile ages in large oak casks, and some are open for tastings. Cantina De' Ricci lies beneath Palazzo Ricci: a staircase leads down into a vaulted underground hall that people often compare to a cathedral. Cantina Contucci, on Piazza Grande, belongs to one of the families associated with Vino Nobile since the eighteenth century.
A cellar visit in town is short and easy to combine with a walk: up the main street to Piazza Grande, the cathedral and the town hall, and down outside the walls to the church of San Biagio. Book ahead in high season, and remember that the town is steep and its streets are paved in stone.
Tasting at an estate
An estate visit is a different afternoon: the vineyards around you, the cellar where the wine is made rather than only aged, and usually someone from the family or the winemaking team pouring. Most estates around Montepulciano receive visitors by appointment only, so a tasting is something you book, not something you walk into.
Our Montepulciano day stops at Boscarelli, a family estate at Cervognano, in the hills south-east of the town, founded in 1962 and still run by the family. You leave from Siena with a chauffeur, taste at Boscarelli, see Montepulciano, and come back to Siena. The day runs about seven hours and is private to your group.
Getting there
Montepulciano is about an hour by car from Siena and around an hour and a half to two hours from Florence. The railway station named after the town is down in the valley, a taxi ride away, so public transport is slow for a tasting day. And if you are tasting, someone else should drive: the legal limit for drivers in Italy is 0.5 grams of alcohol per litre of blood, lower than many visitors expect.
Making a day of it
Pienza is about twenty minutes' drive west, and the Val d'Orcia opens below it: Montepulciano, a tasting and Pienza make a full, unhurried day. Montalcino and its Brunello are close on the map but a different wine and a different hill; they deserve their own day rather than a second tasting squeezed into the afternoon.
Questions about Montepulciano wine tasting
Is Vino Nobile di Montepulciano the same as Montepulciano d'Abruzzo?
No. Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is a Tuscan DOCG wine named after the town of Montepulciano and made mostly from Sangiovese. Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is made from a different grape, called Montepulciano, in the Abruzzo region.
Do I need to book a wine tasting in Montepulciano?
For estates in the countryside, yes: most receive visitors by appointment only. Some historic cellars in town accept walk-ins, but booking is safer in high season.
What is the difference between Vino Nobile and Rosso di Montepulciano?
They come from the same area. Vino Nobile is aged at least two years, three for the Riserva; Rosso di Montepulciano is the younger wine, released and drunk earlier.
Can I do a Montepulciano wine tasting from Florence?
Yes, but it is a long day: Montepulciano is around an hour and a half to two hours from Florence by car. From Siena it is about an hour, which is why our Montepulciano day leaves from Siena.
Which is better, a cellar in town or an estate?
A cellar in town is short and easy to combine with a walk through Montepulciano. An estate visit takes longer but shows the vineyards and the whole winemaking process, usually with someone from the estate.
Is there a private Montepulciano wine tour?
Yes. Our private day leaves from Siena with a chauffeur, tastes Vino Nobile at Boscarelli, includes time in Montepulciano and returns to Siena. It runs about seven hours, for your group only.
