Fontodi Winery
Fontodi Winery
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A leading Chianti producer in the Tuscany region.
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
56 reviews
Excellent
29
Very good
13
Average
11
Poor
0
Terrible
3
Donald Y
Carmel, CA17 contributions
Oct 2022 • Couples
Fontodi is one of my favorite Italian vino, and I was so looking forward to visit for the first time and even booked to stay at their Farmhouse, to be rated separately. The wines were just as good, and I have two of the ‘06 with me, to accompany my two dinners at my favorite Italian restaurants in the world, which ironically is the only Michelin three stars Italian restaurants outside of Italy. Otto e Mezzo is better than all other three stars I had tried in Italy.
Reason the winery visit was such a letdown was the hostess, who seemed not to care and a robot the entire time. The sour taste that left in my mouth ruined the otherwise delicious elixirs from Fontodi. I hope their management read this. I even had the privilege to run into one of the heirs during my walk around the Farmhouse, who gave me a ride on his motorcycle.
Reason the winery visit was such a letdown was the hostess, who seemed not to care and a robot the entire time. The sour taste that left in my mouth ruined the otherwise delicious elixirs from Fontodi. I hope their management read this. I even had the privilege to run into one of the heirs during my walk around the Farmhouse, who gave me a ride on his motorcycle.
Written November 29, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TravelingSoul007
Atlanta, GA28 contributions
Jun 2022 • Friends
A group of us visited on 6/21/2022. We were given a tour and a discussion about their history and “Golden Shell” where they grow most of their grapes. We tasted 4 of their wines, which all in their own way were great. Really worth your time if you get to Tuscany and the Chianti area.
Written June 22, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
arm90405
Los Angeles, CA63 contributions
Having been fortunate to drink their flagship wine, Flaccianello, at a Super Tuscan wine dinner last fall, we looked into going to the winery during our trip to Siena this July. We played our itinerary day-by-day, so the morning that we decided to drive through Chianti, I was hesitant to call the winery to request an appointment for that afternoon, as much because of my lack of confidence in my Italian language skills as the thought that it was probably too late and they were all are booked. But after some friendly prompting from my girlfriend, I called and quickly realized neither fear had been necessary: they understood my rudimentary Italian (and we soon switched to English), and they had a 2pm appointment available!
So after a lovely lunch in a small restaurant in nearby Panzano, we set out to find the winery. Our GoogleMap app on our iPhone directed us down the wrong road, but after a quick phone call to the winery to get more detailed directions, we ran across their (admittedly small) sign and were promptly at the main house.
We were quickly ushered inside, and immediately realized that going to a tasting in Italy was quite different than those we'd done in California and South Australia. The tasting room, more of a nook really, was tucked away past their offices, and consisted of a table with three bottles, a few brochures and some WineSkins for sale (highly recommend using them for packing wind bottles in checked luggage, by the way). After a quick tasting from the three bottles, one of which was the '07 Flaccianello, expected to equal if not surpass the well regarded '06, we enjoyed a pleasant chat about the wine, and then were given a chance to purchase some of the wine we had just tried. We opted to get two bottles of the Flaccianello (the limit, sadly). While were waiting for them to fetch them for us, we noticed another room down the hall, where some men in suits were seated at a table, also sampling wine. We reasoned that this room was reserved for the importers and buyers that bought the bulk of their wine. We didn't feel slighted not getting to rub shoulders with these guys, and in fact, it was cool to see this side of the business. Many of the medium and big wineries in California have tastefully done tasting rooms, that offer a great everything-wine-oriented experience. But even at the nice ones, it can be difficult to get away from the mega-store feel, with them offering everything from wine and grape themed doilies to truffle oil, and just focus on the wine.
Afterwards, we spent about ten minutes just standing in the parking area, soaking in the beautiful view of the surrounding hills covered with vines and olive groves, knowing that in a few years, we'd likely be enjoying those fruits in liquid form.
Yes, it's not the kind of tasting experience you would have in Napa. But after all, it was a free tasting, and in truth, don't you go to a place like Fontodi for the quality of their wine and not the size of the tasting room? It's a welcomed change of pace, and well worth the hunt for their sign!
So after a lovely lunch in a small restaurant in nearby Panzano, we set out to find the winery. Our GoogleMap app on our iPhone directed us down the wrong road, but after a quick phone call to the winery to get more detailed directions, we ran across their (admittedly small) sign and were promptly at the main house.
We were quickly ushered inside, and immediately realized that going to a tasting in Italy was quite different than those we'd done in California and South Australia. The tasting room, more of a nook really, was tucked away past their offices, and consisted of a table with three bottles, a few brochures and some WineSkins for sale (highly recommend using them for packing wind bottles in checked luggage, by the way). After a quick tasting from the three bottles, one of which was the '07 Flaccianello, expected to equal if not surpass the well regarded '06, we enjoyed a pleasant chat about the wine, and then were given a chance to purchase some of the wine we had just tried. We opted to get two bottles of the Flaccianello (the limit, sadly). While were waiting for them to fetch them for us, we noticed another room down the hall, where some men in suits were seated at a table, also sampling wine. We reasoned that this room was reserved for the importers and buyers that bought the bulk of their wine. We didn't feel slighted not getting to rub shoulders with these guys, and in fact, it was cool to see this side of the business. Many of the medium and big wineries in California have tastefully done tasting rooms, that offer a great everything-wine-oriented experience. But even at the nice ones, it can be difficult to get away from the mega-store feel, with them offering everything from wine and grape themed doilies to truffle oil, and just focus on the wine.
Afterwards, we spent about ten minutes just standing in the parking area, soaking in the beautiful view of the surrounding hills covered with vines and olive groves, knowing that in a few years, we'd likely be enjoying those fruits in liquid form.
Yes, it's not the kind of tasting experience you would have in Napa. But after all, it was a free tasting, and in truth, don't you go to a place like Fontodi for the quality of their wine and not the size of the tasting room? It's a welcomed change of pace, and well worth the hunt for their sign!
Written August 14, 2010
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gregg H
Lawrence, Kansas111 contributions
Jun 2019
I recently booked a tour for nine family members. We are a group of foodies and wine lovers having toured numerous wineries in both the states and throughout Europe. I was interested in Fontodi mainly because of the mention that they were using terra-cotta pots for aging their wines. I noted all of our interests when making my booking noting I was interested in hearing about the use of this practice as well as tasting the difference between the wines aged in oak and those aged in terra-cotta. We drove nearly two and a half hours to make our ten am appointment. Our tour guide seemed more than annoyed that she had to take us on the tour and the presentation was robotic, absolutely no passion or engagement just yes or no answers. We tried to ask questions to prompt conversation, nothing. There are literally only 12 terra-cotta pilots being used for aging wine. We were told they started the “experiment” using the terra-cotta in 2012 with no real outcome yet?? There was no tasting and when I asked if I could purchase a bottle of the terra-cotta aged wine...No. the tasting itself was boring. 4 wines were poured one right after the other no explanation. The wines were unremarkable and certainly not worth the time to drive. Lackluster. Tuscany has beautiful vistas and remarkable wineries where the employees have an obvious passion for their work that this is not worth it. If the wine aged in terra-cotta pots is as sour and flat as our tour I guess we haven’t missed out on anything.
Written June 29, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mistrjazz
Connecticut3 contributions
Rating of wines sampled = 10
Hospitality of tour and visit = 0
On our visit to Tuscana in Sept/Oct. 09, Fontodi was on our to-do list and highly recommended by our local wine store. After making an appointment 2 weeks earlier and finally reaching the day of our visit, our trip began. Traveling well over an hour from our hotel in Arezzo, 20 minutes into our trip up a narrow winding mountain road, a car ventured over the center line, clipped off our driver’s side mirror and never stopped. We proceeded to the nearest major town and hotel to report the accident to the car rental agency and credit card company. Time involved = 1 ½ hours. We realized we were now going to be late, so we asked the hotel manager who kindly provided us with a phone, to call Fontodi and explain (in Italian) our situation and that we were going to be late. The winery’s response was no problem and to please come. An hour and a half later, we finally showed up…our GPS couldn’t locate the address that we were given by the winery and website. After stopping in Panzano and conversing with some of the locals, we finally reached the winery. The sign at the bottom of Fontodi’s winery is as big as an American license plate. Not very impressive for a facility that produces 300,000 bottles a year.
So, up the long and bumpy dirt road we ventured. After parking we located the tasting room and popped our heads in and apologized for being late. A woman who was pouring samples of wine for three 3 people seated at a country table looked up and chastised us for not calling (which we clearly DID) and said she would be with us in 10 minutes. We walked around and took some beautiful country side pictures and 15 minutes later she came out for us.
We again apologized for our lateness and briefly explained the accident…and without even a word of concern or empathy, she proceeded to give us a hurried tour of the facility and a stand up wine tasting of 3 wines. This lasted all of 30 minutes. Nothing like appreciating customers who buy your products back in U.S. At the end of our tasting at which we purchased several wines, I asked her if she would be able to get me a large wine bottle label of Flaccionello so I could display it in my wine room. Flaccionello is a great super Tuscan and probably their most famous wine. Puzzled by my request, she wasn’t sure if it was possible, so I then asked her to find out. Five minutes later, she came back with the smallest of labels and said this was all she could get. Holding the label in my hand and thinking about the whole effort of getting here and being made to feel like our visit was a big inconvenience to her, I tossed the label on the table and told her to keep it. The expression on her face was one of shock. Ironically, when I made the same request to a gentleman working there, he was able to provide a middle size label which was fine. If a winery isn’t interested in making you feel welcome and wanted, they shouldn’t have tours. So my advice is next time you’re driving in Panzano and see the Fontodi sign…keep driving.
Hospitality of tour and visit = 0
On our visit to Tuscana in Sept/Oct. 09, Fontodi was on our to-do list and highly recommended by our local wine store. After making an appointment 2 weeks earlier and finally reaching the day of our visit, our trip began. Traveling well over an hour from our hotel in Arezzo, 20 minutes into our trip up a narrow winding mountain road, a car ventured over the center line, clipped off our driver’s side mirror and never stopped. We proceeded to the nearest major town and hotel to report the accident to the car rental agency and credit card company. Time involved = 1 ½ hours. We realized we were now going to be late, so we asked the hotel manager who kindly provided us with a phone, to call Fontodi and explain (in Italian) our situation and that we were going to be late. The winery’s response was no problem and to please come. An hour and a half later, we finally showed up…our GPS couldn’t locate the address that we were given by the winery and website. After stopping in Panzano and conversing with some of the locals, we finally reached the winery. The sign at the bottom of Fontodi’s winery is as big as an American license plate. Not very impressive for a facility that produces 300,000 bottles a year.
So, up the long and bumpy dirt road we ventured. After parking we located the tasting room and popped our heads in and apologized for being late. A woman who was pouring samples of wine for three 3 people seated at a country table looked up and chastised us for not calling (which we clearly DID) and said she would be with us in 10 minutes. We walked around and took some beautiful country side pictures and 15 minutes later she came out for us.
We again apologized for our lateness and briefly explained the accident…and without even a word of concern or empathy, she proceeded to give us a hurried tour of the facility and a stand up wine tasting of 3 wines. This lasted all of 30 minutes. Nothing like appreciating customers who buy your products back in U.S. At the end of our tasting at which we purchased several wines, I asked her if she would be able to get me a large wine bottle label of Flaccionello so I could display it in my wine room. Flaccionello is a great super Tuscan and probably their most famous wine. Puzzled by my request, she wasn’t sure if it was possible, so I then asked her to find out. Five minutes later, she came back with the smallest of labels and said this was all she could get. Holding the label in my hand and thinking about the whole effort of getting here and being made to feel like our visit was a big inconvenience to her, I tossed the label on the table and told her to keep it. The expression on her face was one of shock. Ironically, when I made the same request to a gentleman working there, he was able to provide a middle size label which was fine. If a winery isn’t interested in making you feel welcome and wanted, they shouldn’t have tours. So my advice is next time you’re driving in Panzano and see the Fontodi sign…keep driving.
Written October 9, 2009
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rolle27
Frederiksberg, Denmark2 contributions
Jun 2019 • Friends
We had 8 days in tuscany and barolo. Fontodi was by far the worst experience. Our host was completely unengaged and mentally not present. The tasting was soulless and extremely tiny samples - like a teaspoon. We paid 15 euros each. Scandal! Never going to buy any fontodi wine from now on.
Written June 18, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MMPM1017
London, UK331 contributions
May 2017 • Couples
We decided to visit Fontodi as we like their wines. We booked it via online form, please note that replying via email doesn't seem to work..(!!) though the response from online form is quick. The tour is so so, not sure if it is free or they just don't need to please visitors.... we did taste their highest class of wine which is very generous of them. The winery is quite pretty though not very big.
Written May 28, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ClaireClarice
Nijmegen, The Netherlands28 contributions
Sep 2015 • Friends
In the heart of Chianti, in the valley of the town Panzano you'll find the Fontodi winery. Passion for the grapes and the ground they grow on can be felt throughout the whole estate, in fact Fontodi's respect for nature and environment certified the winery as a organic estate. A guided visit to the modern cellar and a tasting is recommended! Although Fontodi is best known for its 100% Sangiovese Flaccianello you should try Chianti Classico as well.
Written May 21, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Martinski22
Vicenza, Italy145 contributions
Mar 2016 • Couples
We had a hard time finding the winery and showed up 30 mins late. The gps took us elsewhere and we found it by luck. The staff mentioned it happens often so I'm not sure why they don't give directions when they confirm the tasting appointment. We enjoyed the tour and the wine does not disappoint. Sadly they don't ship wines and they cost atleast twice the price in the states. We purchased a case and enjoyed a few bottles on the rest of our trip and packed up the rest. When we return to Italy we will be back.
Written April 11, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Veronica R
Pennsylvania15 contributions
Jul 2015 • Family
Going to Fontodi winery for a tasting was such a great experience! The views were stunning the wines were even better! We went as a family of 5 and showed up about an hour and a half before they closed, but the staff was sill very friendly. The actual tasting was free and lasted about a little over an hour. We ended up buying about 9 or 10 bottles. Would definitely recommend going here for a tasting if you're in the area
Written July 29, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sonja
Prieska5 contributions
Hello, I would love to visit Fontodi. Do I have to book an appointment ahead of time? Are they open on weekends?
RossEric58
Sydney, Australia61 contributions
You do not have to book ahead of time, but I suggest that you contact them and arrange a suitable time, as they can then organise to show you around the winery.
Margaret J
Pasadena, CA3 contributions
I am thinking of renting on of the estates villa but concerned it might be too close to the actual windery operations/tasting room.
I would appreciate any advice or thoguhts.
Thanks you
Chelsea S
Voorhees, NJ25 contributions
Hello! What is the address for the winery? I am interested in doing a tour and tasting. Thanks!
Ronald V
Mesa, AZ225 contributions
It is in Panzano in Chianti. There are no real addresses like here in the United States. There are wooden signs along the road and it is just south of town. Hope this helps. It is in the area that they refer to as the "golden shell" for its superior grapes.
sassieinbrasil
7 contributions
Do I need to rent a car to tour the chianti region? Is there any other means of transportation ? I will be taking a train from Viterbo. Any suggestion on places to visit along the way?
buynbob
Georgetown, TX39 contributions
The easy answer is yes, you will need a car to enjoy Chianti and
Tuscany to the fullest. There are other options. Chianti Tours will take you to the area highlights. Also Viator in
Florence has day trips and guided tours.
Having your own car gives you a lot of flexibility to see the major must visit's in the area. These include Siena, San Gimignano, and the towns along Road #222, Greve, Panzano,
Castellina and Radda.
SFermin
Edgewater, NJ144 contributions
Confused are you located in Greve or Panzano?
sassieinbrasil
7 contributions
In Viterbo
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Claim your listingFontodi Winery - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)
Frequently Asked Questions about Fontodi Winery
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Fontodi Winery Information
Excellent Reviews | 29 |
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Very Good Reviews | 13 |
Fontodi Winery Photos | 26 |