7 Tuscan Wineries with Irresistible Italian Design

Tuscany is a fascinating Italian region where some of the finest wines in the world are produced and it’s a must-see destination on any dream Italian itinerary. From the famous Petra Winery in Maremma to Cantina Antinori in Chianti, these Tuscan wonders feature magnificent wine and pay close attention to irresistible Italian design. Here are 7 wineries for those who love the blend of wine and design:

Rocca di Frassinello

This winery is a one-of-a-kind French-Italian joint venture project launched by an agreement between Castellare and Domaines Barons de Rothschild-Château Lafite. This area of Tuscany is incredibly suited for cultivating grapes - it’s part of the Gavorrano and Roccastrada municipalities in central Maremma between Bolgheri and Scansano, where the geological footprint bears the same characteristics as Chianti and Montalcino. Rocca di Frassinello is internationally renowned architect Renzo Piano’s one-and-only winery. The big tower captures the sunlight and uses a system of mirrors to illuminate the barrel cellar carved into the rock at a depth of 160 feet, where up to 2,500 wine barrels rest in the dark. Rising to the surface, a modern glass pavilion provides an astonishing space for tastings, events, exhibitions, and lunches. Outside one can enjoy an immense terrace called the Sagrato, where the grapes are spread out for sorting during harvest season.

Caiarossa

Inspired by geodynamic principles and the fundamentals of Feng Shui, this organic-certified winery was constructed utilizing precisely these precepts in the choice of forms, materials, colors, and exposure. The natural sloping hillside of the site made it possible to develop a four-level structure that allows fermentation to take place by free-fall, using solely the force of gravity. The materials utilized in the construction are natural, starting with the wooden vaulting of the ceiling and continuing up through the cement and wooden fermentation tanks. Since its foundation in 1998, Caiarossa has followed the principles of biodynamic agriculture and obtained its biodynamic certification in 2005.

Petra

The Petra winery project, commissioned by Vittorio Moretti, is a creation of famed Swiss architect Mario Botta, a native of Canton of Ticino, the Italian-speaking region of southern Switzerland. Botta designed the San Francisco MoMa museum and is the genius who modernized and renovated Milan’s Teatro alla Scala opera house from 2002 to 2004. Botta’s winery design features a central building made of stone and cut through by a staircase, all set in a Maremma hillside.  Moretti is the owner of L’Albereta, the splendid five-star resort in Franciacorta (Brescia) and the Andana Tenuta la Badiola, the boutique luxury resort in Castiglione della Pescaia (Grosseto). Botta was tasked with expressing Moretti’s passion for luxury and wine in the Petra winery, and the result is a structure that observes the geometric texture of the vineyard that contrasts the undulating course of the soil, a rational structure with a single front, downstream, above ground, placed on an elongated plateau immersed in the vineyards.

Castiglion del Bosco 

The winery of Castiglion del Bosco and its vineyards sit in serenity in a UNESCO-listed nature park in Montalcino, just a few miles from Siena. Surrounded by the mesmerizing beauty of rolling hills, acres of forest, and gorgeous ridge-lines, the winery is recognized for its top-tier hospitality and was named one of the top ten wineries to visit in Tuscany by the international wine magazine “Decanter”. Through an assortment of wine tours and tailored tasting you can explore Tuscany at its most visual and taste-tempting beauty.

Nearby, the stunning Capanna winery is also worth visiting to enjoy a tasting of their finest wines. Moreover, the Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco resort, once owned by the Ferragamo family, was rated by “The World’s Best Awards” as top hotel of the year in 2022.  The pristine 800-year-old estate, which has entranced guests such as Barack and Michelle Obama, obtained a score of 99.25 out of 100 in Travel+Leisure magazine.

Cantina Antinori

This stunning, ultra modern architecture could be a work by Da Vinci if he were alive today. Innovative yet traditional where it matters, this winery represents an important milestone of the Antinori family. Located in San Casciano Val di Pesa near Florence, it was named the #1 World’s Best Vineyard 2022 and is one of several properties belonging to the Antinori family, winemakers for 26 generations. The winery was inaugurated in October 2012, affirming the historical bond between the family and its ancestral territory. The breathtaking structure was built entirely with locally sourced materials, respectful of the surrounding environment and Tuscan landscape.

Tenuta Ammiraglia - Frescobaldi

Architects Piero Sartogo and Nathalie Grenon created an aerodynamic design for the flagship estate of the noble Marchesi Frescobaldi wine family. The cellar looks like the bow of a ship piercing the sky as it faces the Tuscan sea and new horizons. A creative system of stainless steel and galvanized iron equipment directly overlooks the countryside. The cellar is powered by renewable sources and has a roof covered with plants to promote integration into the territory and create the ideal microclimate for the conservation of the barriques below.

Podere La Chiesa

Another delight to the eye, this winery is made of reinforced concrete and punctured by portholes that suggest clusters of grapes and bring the landscape inside the tasting area. The creators who make up the ANDstudio project designed a super modern work of architecture integrated by the natural amphitheater of the Casanova Valley. This is where the magic happens to produce unforgettable Tuscan IGT and DOCG reds and whites.