Chianciano Terme
Le macchine del vino
From the museum to the vineyards, wine tells its story. In Valdichiana, the Tuscan capital of Culture 2025, between Chianciano Terme and Montepulciano, in the Vino Nobile estate of Carpineto, among vineyards as far as the eye can see, oak trees and olive groves, there is the “Le macchine del Vino” (Wine Machines) Museum, a snapshot of two centuries of viticulture and oenology collected by a winemaker who has dedicated and continues to focus his entire life to making wine.
The museum is located in the original place of the collection and represents not only a document of the history and traditions of a precious artisan work such as that of the winemaker, but is also an expression of its continuity between past and present and of its evolution. In fact, it collects objects, machines, tools, documents, photographs, texts that offer a snapshot of almost two centuries that begins with the work in the vineyard, then in the cellar, including wine’s culture and trade.
It is a cross-section of almost two centuries of viticulture and oenology and has a total of over 160 objects including agricultural machinery and work tools. Added to this is a small library with books, magazines, guides and photographs. The “corkscrew” section is rich, displayed by type and evolution. The reconstruction of an oenologist’s laboratory is intriguing with 30 tools including scales, ampoules, microscopes, etc. Pruning shears of all types are varied and cover decades of evolution. The museum is diffusely illuminated both with natural light thanks to the immense windows that open onto the countryside. Adjacent to the exhibition spaces there is a large hall with a wine shop for welcoming visitors and for hosting groups for an aperitivo.
On the upper floor, in a charming open-space mezzanine with a panoramic view over the barrel room, there is a space for a seated tasting. The Museum is also connected to an elegant tasting room.
Outside, plots of land as far as the eyes can see, you can live an immersive experience in a contemporary agricultural reality where precision agriculture is practiced with latest-generation, low impact machines. The museum is, in fact, located in a green oasis powered largely by solar energy in one of the most beautiful parts of Tuscany.
Among the museum’s highlights, the Oenologist’s Laboratory: the pieces on display are a collection of various types of instruments starting from the end of the 19th century. Some of these, especially the glassware, are still in use.
Manual immersion thermometers for controlling fermentation temperatures, an early example of an electronic thermometer.
Among the curiosities, a Malligand, an instrument that measures the percentage of alcohol, an acidometer for determining total and volatile acidity, and then pipettes, and graduated cylinders that were used to assemble the wine blends.
And again, small precision scales, capable of measuring up to the milligram.
And finally, bottles, ampoules, glasses and flasks.
A microscope from the end of the 19th century completes the whole collection.
“Le Macchine del Vino” (Wine Machines) Museum
Strada Provinciale della Chiana, 62
Chianciano Terme (SI)
www.carpineto.com
OPENING HOURS
from Thursday to Saturday: 10 am – 5 pm
TICKETS
free admission
with guided tour upon reservation
+39 347 7603727
or via email tour@carpineto.com
The Chianciano Terme hot springs are among the most famous in Italy. Located in an especially fortunate position between the Val d’Orcia, with its clay hills, and the fertile Val di Chiana, it has been long been a centre for therapeutic treatments and for relaxation. It is also a place rich in historic beauty, such as the old town sitting atop a hill. Originally Etruscan and then built up during the Middle Ages, the town boasts the lovely Romanesque Collegiate Church of St. John the Baptist, the interior of which was restored in Neoclassical style in 1809. The waters of Chianciano have been famous since the time of the Etruscan king Porsenna, who frequented the thermal springs in the 6th century B.C. according to accounts by Marcus Terentius Varro, Tibullus and Horace. At Poggio Silene, where one of the three thermal bath facilities of Chianciano is located, excavations have unearthed ancient ruins from the 3rd and 4th century B.C.