Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Around Greve in Chianti
Antinori nel Chianti Classico
(
www.antinorichianticlassico.it
;
Via Cassia per Siena 133, Località Bargino; tour & tasting €20, bookings
essential; 11am-6pm Mon-Sat, till 2pm Sun)
Visiting this cellar complex is a James
Bond-esque experience. Show a print-out of your reservation at the gated, guarded en-
trance and then approach the sculptural main building, which is built into the hillside. In-
side, your one-hour guided tour (English and Italian) finishes with a tasting of three
Antinori wines in an all-glass tasting room suspended above barrels in the cellar (wow!).
There is a state-of-the-art bar where you can taste 16 different wines (€4 to €9 per tast-
ing); have a 'guided tasting' of three different wines with the sommelier (€9 or €12); or
simply drink a glass of wine (ranging from €7 for a glass of Marchese Antinori 2009 to
€35 for a glass of Solaia 2009). Afterwards, be sure to enjoy lunch in the Rinuccio 1180
(
Click here
) restaurant.
Bargino is a scenic 20km drive northwest of Greve via the SS222, SP3 and SS2.
WINERY
Badia a Passignano
(
www.osteriadipassignano.com
)
This 11th-century abbey located 6km west of Montefioralle is
surrounded by vines and olive trees. The main building is closed for a restoration that
doesn't look as if it will be completed for many years, but the vineyards and historic cel-
lars can be visited on a variety of guided tours. The most popular is the four-hour
'Antinori at Badia a Passignano' tour (€150; Monday to Saturday at 11.15am and
6.15pm), which includes a visit to the vineyard and cellars followed by lunch or dinner in
the estate's restaurant accompanied by four Antinori wines.
Bookings for tours are essential. It's also possible to taste and purchase wines and olive
oil at La Bottega, the estate's wine shop. You don't need to make a reservation for this.
WINERY
Castello di Verrazzano
( 055 85 42 43;
www.verrazzano.com
;
Via Citille, Greti)
The castle at this wine estate 3km
north of Greve was once home to Giovanni da Verrazzano (1485-1528), who explored the
North American coast and is commemorated in New York by the Verrazano Narrows
bridge (the good captain lost a 'z' from his name somewhere in the mid-Atlantic). Today,
the castle presides over a 220-hectare historic wine estate.
WINERY
