A land of great wines, Tuscany is also the region in Italy where the most beautiful wineries can be admired and visited, designed by the great masters of contemporary architecture. Stunning buildings, perfectly integrated with the surrounding landscape, combined with cutting-edge construction and production technologies. True temples of wine that have opened their doors to visits and tastings. 14 wineries for a tour that is at once food-and-wine and architectural.

14 of the most beautiful wineries in Tuscany

Different from one another — some more rooted in tradition, others looking to the future — but certainly among the most beautiful wineries in Tuscany: 14 buildings immersed in a landscape and a nature that is evocative and of a unique charm recognised the world over. A tour through fine wine that embraces the whole of this magnificent region.

Cantina Petra – Suvereto

Located in Suvereto, among the iron-rich hills of the Val di Cornia, it was designed by architect Mario Botta. The winery is carved into the hillside and becomes part of it as though it were a definitive element of the landscape, as though it had always been there. Natural light penetrates every space of the large cylindrical volume clad in Prun stone and spreads throughout the working areas via the majestic staircase that leads up to a terrace from which the Tyrrhenian Sea and its islands can be admired. An intelligent design completed by an innovative floating photovoltaic system, through which it has been possible to bring the energy impact of the plant to zero without taking a single acre of land from the environment. Cantina Petra, "place of ancient stones", is converting its entire vineyard heritage to organic farming through a radically natural cultivation method.

Cantina Caiarossa – Riparbella

Caiarossa is located in the southernmost part of the province of Pisa, in the heart of the Val di Cecina, and since 2004 has belonged to Eric Albada Jelgersma, a Dutch gentleman who devotes a large part of his activity to wine. It is run according to the principles of biodynamic agriculture, an innovative attempt to govern nature through alternative — and at the same time very ancient — tools generated by the life processes of nature itself. Its geo-biological architecture derives instead from the Eastern discipline of Feng Shui, interpreted at Caiarossa by architect Michaël Bolle. The colours chosen for the structure (red on the outside and deep yellow on the inside) carry an intense meaning: they represent wine, soil and sun.

Cantina Antinori – San Casciano Val di Pesa

The winery represents the Antinori family's tribute to the land of Chianti Classico, a kind of affirmation of its historic bond with its native territory. Cantina Antinori was created both for production reasons and to give a wide audience of wine enthusiasts the chance to come into direct contact with the family's production philosophy, offering the opportunity to see how a wine is born, from the vineyard to the bottle, through the winemaking and ageing processes. It is a work of innovative architecture centred on a deep, rooted connection with the land, with a low environmental impact and high energy savings, built by the firm Archea Associati, with engineering by Hydea, over seven years of work.

Cantina Colle Massari – Cinigiano

Cantina di Colle Massari is located in Cinigiano, in the locality of Poggi del Sasso. Designed by architect Edoardo Milesi, it is the result of a high density of design thinking in which concepts such as energy saving, green building, workplace quality and bioclimatic engineering guided the design process and the careful selection of every individual component and material. Particular attention should be given to the complexity of the surface texture that characterises a building where exterior and interior spaces blend and merge in a complex active and passive functional interrelationship between natural energies and human labour. Here, grapes and wine are moved by a "gravity-flow" process, using simple gravity and never relying on electromechanical pumps.

Tenuta Argentiera – Onoratico

Located on the enchanting Costa degli Etruschi, among natural springs and silver mines, Tenuta Argentiera produces high-quality DOC Bolgheri wines. Designed by Studio Bernardo Tori of Florence, the project sought to respect the architectural styles of the area as closely as possible and to fit perfectly into the surrounding landscape, harmonising with the lines of the hills and the sea horizon. Built entirely from reclaimed materials so as not to create excessive contrast with the existing buildings, the winery combines beauty and harmony of form with the most modern energy-efficiency techniques. The thick, sloping walls provide natural temperature regulation of the spaces, and all grape processing takes place by gravity flow.

Cantina Salcheto – Montepulciano

The estate extends over 65 hectares, of which 50 are planted with vines under organic management, divided into three plots (Montepulciano, Chiusi and Val d'Orcia). An energy self-sufficient winery founded on the values of energy saving and environmental efficiency, farming that protects the biodiversity of the ecosystem in an efficient and considered manner, and a product shaped by community involvement, also thanks to the hospitality offered at the winery, which is open every day from the harvest onwards, with guided tours that immerse visitors in the daily work.

Podere di Pomaio – Arezzo

Podere di Pomaio is a Green and Bio wine estate — young and dynamic — that offers wines of high quality, with a strong experiential dimension and, above all, a very low environmental impact. Located on the hill of Pomaio, just over 3 km from the splendid Etruscan city of Arezzo, the Podere enjoys excellent south-facing exposure and a unique landscape setting. The winery was designed by architect Marisa Lo Cigno and surveyor Pier Ferruccio Rossi according to principles of efficiency and sustainability. The building uses geothermal energy both for the air conditioning of the tasting rooms and for any temperature control of the vats during fermentation, guaranteeing the high quality of the product.

Il Borro – San Giustino Valdarno

The winery of Il Borro, designed by architect Elio Lazzerini, belongs to Ferruccio Ferragamo and presents itself as a partly plastered brick structure of traditional design, intended to harmonise with the surrounding area — namely the medieval village, the farmhouses, the manor villa and, above all, the old eighteenth-century winery. The new winery connects the fermentation hall, the technical storage and bottling areas and the exhibition space to the old winery via a vaulted corridor 300 metres long. This fascinating tunnel descends to a depth of 8 metres below ground, reaching the historic spaces built beneath the manor villa.

Fattorie Le Mortelle – Castiglione della Pescaia

Fattoria Le Mortelle takes its name from the "Mortella", the wild myrtle that characterises these coastal areas and has also become the estate's symbol. The estate belongs to the Antinori family and is located in the Maremma, near Castiglione della Pescaia. The winery sits at the top of the gentle hill overlooking the estate and is largely underground, in keeping with the aim of minimising environmental impact as far as possible.
It was built using natural materials, making use of the thermal regulation provided by the rocks deep in the soil. The hypogeal cylindrical structure is arranged over three levels: inside, all the various stages of the wine production cycle take place, from the reception of the grapes, to winemaking, to storage and through to ageing in barriques on the underground floor.

Fattoria delle Ripalte – Capoliveri

Fattoria delle Ripalte is situated at the southernmost tip of the Isle of Elba, in the heart of the Tuscan Archipelago. The winery, designed by the great architect Tobia Scarpa, presents itself externally as a large rectangular block set into the Colle di Gianni. The intention was to blend the building into the surrounding landscape while at the same time interspersing it within the Mediterranean environment.

Cantina di Montalcino – Montalcino

About 35 km from Siena, nestled in a splendid hilly landscape, lies Cantina di Montalcino, a winery specialising in the production of Brunello. For over 40 years it has been the only wine cooperative in the area, with around 100 small farms as members, covering 160 hectares of vineyards predominantly producing the region's local grape variety par excellence, sangiovese. The distinctive roof echoes the natural contours of the Sienese hills. A wooden bridge spans the entire winemaking floor, while in the underground level the wine rests and refines, away from noise and light, in oak casks and barriques. Over 50% of the winery is underground, as tradition dictates, to allow easier temperature control and energy savings.

Tenuta dell'Ammiraglia – Magliano in Toscana

The estate, owned by the Frescobaldi family, is located in Magliano, in the hear