Barely five miles from the swarms of tourists in central Florence, the cityscape dissolves into dirt roads, olive groves and rows of rambling vineyards.
Welcome to the township of Scandicci.
You might might call it a suburb. I call it paradise.
A perfect day trip, or evening out (yes, it’s that close to the city), Grappoli Urbani offers a literal breath of fresh air, and a fully immersive Tuscan wine and food experience.
You can even get there with public transportation by day, but I recommend booking a taxi for your return, if you don’t have your own car.
I used my favorite transport team, Florence Platinum Tours.
From Aspiring Students to Visionary Winemakers
Founders, Michele Bevacqua and Daniele Macchia met while studying viticulture and oenology in Florence.
Now in their early thirties, their collective experience already spans Marlborough, Burgundy, Sicily,and the storied Tuscan terroir of Chianti Classico.
Grappoli Urbani means “Urban Grapes”—a reference to the winery’s vicinity to the city of Florence.
There’s more to the name, a a young, urbane sophistication to their project.
As they tell it, they’re making wines for the cool kids in the city, as well as for true wine connoisseurs.
For those with no ties to the wine world, Michele and Daniele hope their wines might be an invitation to learn more about their craft and the get closer to nature.
Champions of regenerative farming, Bevacqua and Macchia produce just under 6000 bottles of fresh, expressive, and approachable wines from mostly local and select international varieties: Sangiovese, Trebbiano Toscano, Merlot, and Syrah.
Rigorously organic, they practice sustainable intercropping in their vineyards as well as the garden that supplies seasonal produce for their newly minted tasting room and bistro, opened in summer of 2026.
What they don’t grow themselves, they source as locally as possible.
My Menu Favorites
During the summer, I can’t get enough of the caprese salad made with tomatoes freshly plucked from the vine and local sheep milk mozzarella.
An all-year-round dish (and my new obsession) is a crostino or toasted panino made with locally roasted ham, fontina cheese, and caper mayonnaise.
Wine begins in the vineyard.
For the project, Bevacqua and Macchia took on long-term leases on separate parcels just north of Florence.
One, in Scandicci, is a stone’s throw from the tasting room. The other vineyards are in the hilly Mugello region, where Chianti production officially begins.
They farm with the health of the soil top of mind, with complimentary cover crops and sustainable practices.
Their goal is to produce delicious, expressive wines that exude a sense of place, so naturally caring for the place comes first.
When possible, they let fermentation happen naturally, and maintain a low-intervention approach.
The Wines
at the moment, Grappoli Urbani produces around 6000 bottles only, comprised of two reds, a rosé, and a white.
Glu Glu Glu
Without a doubt, their flagship red. It’s named for a French descriptor, “glou-glou,’ an onomatopoeic expression that evokes the glug-glug sound of wine tumbling into a glass (or down the hatch!).
C’est un vin très glou-glou = this is an easy-drinking, light, and refreshing wine.
This 100% Sangiovese offers a pure, snappy version of the same grape we all know and love in Chianti Classico, Brunello, and big, bold Bolgheri blends.
They use whole grape fermentation (carbonic maceration), which you may know from Beaujolais Nouveau. The result is pure bright cherry and berry, crisp and delightful, that does indeed go down easily.
Rosso
A rounder, more mature Chianti that still maintains a bright, fresh edge, it macerates for around 20 days and ages 12 months in used French barrique. You won’t perceive wood, just the effect… a satiny balance to Chianti’s characteristic snappiness.
Rosato
Syrah and Merlot for this rosé, lightly pressed and aged in cement for seven months—a process that softens the sharp edges of these red grape varieties and boosts floral aromas. Strawberry tops and summer in a bottle.
Bianco
Local Trebbiano with a tiny percentage of super aromatic Malvasia Bianca. After manual harvest, the grapes rest in the refrigerator overnight to hold on their aromas before the press. Stainless steel only, means all fruit. A clean and breezy white with a mouthwatering finish.
*Reservations are recommended, but not required, unless you plan to visit before 5pm, for a personalized tasting with the boys.
Grappoli Urbani
Via Corbinaie, 52/D, 50018 (Scandicci)
TEL +39 331 401 2361
@grappoliurbani | SITE
Open Daily: 5:00-11:00pm, or by appointment