Eating and Drinking

Wine is the lifeblood of the village so sample the Castello di Volpaia wines, if only to learn how ingenious their methods are. At harvest time, the wine-ducts across the village are used to connect various buildings — a medieval-meets-modern way of gravity-flow wine-making. Book a visit to the Castello di Volpaia olive press and wine cellars, with a tasting of estate wines and olive oil, along with a sampling of the local produce. Castello di Volpaia honey, speciality vinegars and Extra Virgin Olive Oil are also on sale. Cellar visits are usually conducted at 11.30am, 3pm and 5pm but it’s best to check directly.

Castello di Volpaia, Piazza della Cisterna, Volpaia, 53017 Radda in Chianti
T: +39 0577 738066 & www.volpaia.com

Our other recommended wine estates are featured in each of the individual Chianti guides. As for dining, with only a trio of dining options in the village, all recommended, and listed below, you will also need to explore slightly further afield.

Within the village, L’Osteria Volpaia is the creative, fine-dining option but the other two options are genuine and unpretentious. Tuck into platters of local cheeses and cured meats at a simpler inn or sample the olive oil, honey and vinegars made by the local Castello di Volpaia wine estate.

This is just a taster to the Chianti. See our restaurant recommendations below and also see our other guides to top Chianti towns and villages, all accessed through our Destinations listings,

Set on the main square in quaint Volpaia, this delightful family-run inn serves special but unfussy Tuscan dishes. These mid-priced dishes are complemented by sound Chianti Classico wines, along with salads and vegetables from the kitchen garden. Mid-priced dishes include hand-rolled pasta or ribollita soup followed by wild boar or Florentine T-bone steak. To be sure of grabbing a table on the shady terrace, book ahead and enjoy the view from the hilltop hamlet over the timeless countryside below.


Address: Piazza della Torre 1, Volpaia, 53017 Radda in Chianti
Tel: +39 0577 738001
Web: www.labottegadivolpaia.it

Also set on the main square in Volpaia, this exceptionally friendly spot is a cross between a wine bar and a simple, homely inn. The stone building began as stables, with horses on one side and sheep and goats on the other. It’s family-run, with granny making the cakes and tarts. On the menu are good-value salads, platters of cured meats or cheeses, panzanella bread and tomato salad, or spicy tomatoes on crostini. For something more filling, choose the beef stew or wild boar with pappardelle pasta. The wines range from simple estates over the next hill to Castello di Brolio vintages.


Address: Piazza Della Torre 9, 53017 Volpaia, Radda in Chianti (SI)
Tel: +39 0577 738042
Web: www.bar-ucci.it

Set south of Volpaia, on the road between Radda and Panzano, this is a bastion of Tuscan home-cooking. With its white-washed walls, it’s an unpretentious but utterly reliable country trattoria. Come for the home cooking, friendly service, short but seasonal menu and the extensive Tuscan wine list. Tuck into the roast rabbit, the pumpkin ravioli or any pasta in wild boar sauce. End with the panna cotta or the homemade, crunchy cantuccini biscuits, ideally dipped in Vin Santo.


Address: Localita Lucarelli, 53017 Radda in Chianti (Si)
Tel: +39 0577 733511
Web: www.lepanzanelle.it

This homely wine bar is tucked into an early 14th-century building in the heart of neighbouring Radda in Chianti. It also doubles as a good-value inn and wine shop. Along with a wide selection of Tuscan wines, you can tuck into taglieri, platters of home-cured meats or cheeses, along with porchetta (roast suckling pig). For something more substantial, choose stubby pici pasta with a meaty ragù sauce, ravioli with black truffle or hearty ribollita soup. Florentine tripe, wild boar stew and Sienese ossobuco are also on the menu.


Web: https://casaporciatti.it/