Montepulciano Wine Tour: 6 Tastings on a Panoramic Terrace

Vineyards, oak barrels from the 1300s, and six wines on a view

A wine tour and tasting at a family winery in Montepulciano, Tuscany, where you walk among 50-year-old vines and through a 14th-century aging cellar, then taste six labels on a panoramic terrace with 360-degree views of the estate. The guide speaks English or Italian and the experience runs about an hour. Tasting is included; food allergies can be noted in advance.

Step-by-step itinerary

Winery tour and wine tasting

• Arrive at historic Valiano winery
• Walk among vineyards and learn grape varieties
• Visit cellar and see wine aging process
• Taste six labels of local wines
• Enjoy panoramic terrace views of vineyards

The Experience

The winery sits on a hilltop in Valiano, a small village between Montepulciano and Cortona, surrounded by the clay soils where Vino Nobile di Montepulciano grows. The estate itself dates to 1300, when it was the heart of Fattoria di Valiano, a farm that sat on the border between the Papal States and the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. The land has history written into it — the Val di Chiana below was drained and reclaimed starting in 1500 under Leonardo da Vinci's direction, a feat of hydraulics that opened the valley to agriculture. You walk among rows of Prugnolo Gentile and Sangiovese vines that are fifty years old, and the guide explains how the clay around you shapes what grows.

From the vineyards you move into the cellar, where oak barrels line the aging rooms. The cellar itself dates to the 1300s, and the winery still produces four wines there: Rosso di Montepulciano "Dogana", Nobile di Montepulciano "Maestro", Nobile Riserva, and Terrarossa. The guide walks you through the vinification and aging process, showing how the French oak and time in the cellar shape the final wine. Then you taste all six labels — the guide explains the organoleptic aspects of each one, what the clay soils and oak aging contribute, and the story behind the wines.

The tasting happens on the panoramic terrace, which overlooks the vineyards and gives a 360-degree view of the Montepulciano landscape. The whole experience is about an hour. A guide in English or Italian leads the tour; if you have a food allergy, let the winery know when you book.

What’s included

• Guided walk through the vineyards.
• tour of the 14th-century aging cellar.
• tasting of six wine labels on the panoramic terrace.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyPublic transport nearby

Operated by CURIOSEETY

Is this one for you?The guide speaks English or Italian, so you can follow comfortably in whichever language suits you — the whole tour is about an hour, which fits easily into an afternoon in Montepulciano without requiring a full day commitment.

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Top questions

What is Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, and why does it come from this area?

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is a great Italian wine from the smallest Tuscan appellation, made from Prugnolo Gentile and Sangiovese grapes grown in the clay soils of the Val di Chiana. The clay is what gives these wines their character, and the guide explains how the soil shapes what you taste in each label.

How old are the vineyards and the cellar where the wines age?

The vineyards you walk through are 50 years old, planted with Prugnolo Gentile and Sangiovese. The aging cellar dates to the 1300s and is still in use; the winery has produced its wines there for centuries, aging them in French oak barrels.

What wines do I taste, and how many?

You taste six labels: Rosso di Montepulciano "Dogana", Nobile di Montepulciano "Maestro", Nobile Riserva, Terrarossa, and two others produced at the estate. The guide walks through the history and tasting notes for each one on the panoramic terrace.

How long does the whole tour take?

The tour runs about an hour, including the walk through the vineyards, the cellar visit, and the tasting on the terrace.

Is this tour available in English?

Yes, the guide speaks both English and Italian, so you can choose the language when you book.