Wine country · WINE CELLAR VISITS IN ITALY
Every trip has one free day too few. These 15 wine cellar visits in Italy justify the slot, priced and timed so you can decide in minutes and get back to the fun part.
In central Montepulciano, an English or Italian guide such as Emilio, Debi, Mirko, or Ron leads you through historic underground cellars before a tasting of five DOC and DOCG wines, pecorino, bruschetta, olive oil, and crostini.
“This is my favorite winery! Such rich history and amazing to see. The wine is amazing and the tasting was a lot of fun. So happy they ship the wine now. This is a must do tour.”
Visit Acetaia Gambigliani Zoccoli near Modena for a two-hour tour led by the Gambigliani Zoccoli family and their guides, including Mario, Giorgio, Lucia, Giacomo, and Giovanna. See aging barrels, taste 12- and 25-year vinegar, and share a generous lunch of cheese, cured meats, risotto, desserts, wine, and local liqueurs.
“This was a wonderful tour. We learned so much about balsamic vinegar. And got to see and experience the different parts of the process. Everyone involved in our tour was well informed, friendly, and made everything so interesting! From the driver who picked us up at the train station to the young lady who gave us our presentation and everyone else that we met.”
Meet your guide at Via Ricci 13 for a small-group tour of Montepulciano’s historic underground cellar. Walk among oak barrels, hear about Vino Nobile and the De’ Ricci family, then taste three to six local wines with bruschetta.
“Tour guide was informative and had a great sense of humor. Very cool story around the cellar. Winery is relatively new ~10 years and wine was good.”
Walk through Abellonio Cascina Piccaluga’s eco-sustainable vineyards above Alba, visit the fermentation and aging cellar, then taste five wines with local meats, cheeses, and toasted hazelnuts. Guides including Jessica and Federica explain Langhe grapes, wine-making, and the family-run winery in English.
“È stata una esperienza meravigliosa. Jessica è una persona squisita. Ottimo cibo, ottimo panorama, visita organizzata perfettamente”
At PDC Cartizze near Valdobbiadene, a guide leads you through four Cartizze DOCG tastings, local snacks, the cellar, and an organic vineyard. You’ll compare Brut, Dry, Bio Extra Brut, and Bio Extra Dry wines, then finish at a panoramic photo point. The visit lasts about 90 minutes.
“Splendida esperienza, ben organizzata, prezzo nella norma, personale cortese e molto preparato! Consiglio il tagliere extra e la visita della vigna”
Meet Claudio or Franco at a family-run acetaia near Modena. Learn how Trebbiano grapes become traditional and PGI balsamic vinegar, taste several styles, and choose an aperitif, meal, cooking class, or dinner.
“The tour was great! Claudio was very welcoming and explained everything thoroughly about his family history and the balsamic process. Definitely at least get the aperitif’s because they were delicious and shows you how to use balsamic in ways that you would not think. The atmosphere was beautiful and this was my favorite activity in all of northern/central Italy!!”
Visit Acetaia Gambigliani Zoccoli in a historic family villa near Modena. Mario, Giorgio, Lucia, Teresa, or another local guide explains the PDO process, then serves 12-year and 25-year balsamic with ricotta, Parmigiano, focaccia, omelettes, cake, and drinks. A free shuttle from Modena station is available by request.
“It was a wonderful experience to learn about the production process from the expert Marco and to be guided through a tasting with excellent food with Mario the owner. It was very special to be invited to the idyllic and historic family home.”
Meet Heydi or another English-speaking guide in Riomaggiore, walk to a steep vineyard above the sea, then visit a historic cellar for five organic wines. Expect spectacular views, local wine lore, and steps, uphill walking, and no hotel pickup.
“The property was beautiful ! Great photos and learned about the cultivation of grapes in this vertical vineyard. The wine maker was very informative and the wines we tasted were amazing !”
Join Eleonora for a 1.5-hour small-group tour of the vineyard and cellar near San Gimignano. Learn how Vernaccia and Chianti are made, then taste vintage and Riserva wines with Tuscan cheeses, cured meats, olive oil, dried fruit, and cantuccini.
“Elenorna was a fantastic host and thought us so much about wine, the process, the tour and reading of labels was excellent. She provided a fantastic aray of cheese and meats to sample with the wine. The tour has been a significant memory of our time in Italy. Would highly recommend. 10/10 overall”
At Alagna Vini in Marsala, you’ll tour the historic barrel cellar, hear about the winery’s 14 wines, and sample them buffet-style with Sicilian snacks. The 11:30 am tasting is offered in English, with a welcoming owner, helpful staff, and a shop for buying bottles afterward.
“The tasting was very interesting and was very welcoming. Not only the two employees but also the owner himself made me and my group feel very welcome. The wines were explained and there were also small snacks to accompany the wines. Both the wines and the snacks were very tasty. Great value for money. I can only recommend it.”
At Azienda Vitivinicola e Agriturismo Enrico Crola in Mezzomerico, you’ll walk through the vineyards, visit cool cellars, hear how the wines are made, and enjoy a four-part farmhouse brunch with tastings. English is offered, and other languages may be arranged.
“Incredible! We actually got stuck in a hotel near the airport because of plane cancelations. I found this place randomly and decided to reach out to see if we could get in. The owner immediately messaged me back and helped me arrange transportation. The staff were so kind and helpful. The food was to die for and something you don’t want to miss. The wine was perfect. The building is stunning. It was exactly what we needed to turn a terrible day into one our best experiences on our trip so far! Thank you so much!!!!”
At Cantina Mazzarosa Devincenzi, your English or Italian guide introduces Abruzzo vineyards, olive groves, and traditional winemaking. You’ll visit the cellar, see Europe’s largest barrel, then taste five wines with olive oil, bruschetta, local cheeses, cold cuts, and Cantuccini with Vino Cotto.
“O local é bem interessante e a guia Sofia foi espetacular! Tornou a visita muito mais proveitosa com seu conhecimento dos vinhos e sua forma agradável de conduzir a visitação. Os vinhos são muito bons e o azeite sensacional!”
At Azienda Agricola Ca Neuva in Dogliani, you will taste seven Piedmont wines, from Roero Arneis to Barolo, with local canapés, then visit the cellar. The two-hour English-language visit is limited to 15 people and costs $42.17 per person.
“Got to try lots of different wines, reasonably priced. Lots of snacks to pair them with. Our guide was lovely too.”
At Cantina Urbana on Via Ascanio Sforza, you’ll tour a working Milan cellar, learn how steel tanks, amphorae, and barriques shape the wine, then taste four pours with cured meats and cheeses. Sessions run about 90 minutes in English for groups of up to 10.
“OUTSTANDING Experience!!! Can't say enough about this place! The service is amazing, the venue is great, and the wines are unique and fun! We arrived an hour early for our tasting and were able to get some pre-drinks in, had a wonderful tasting, and then stayed after and bought a couple of bottles. I highly recommend this for a few hours away from the city center!”
Spend six hours cycling from Alba to nearby wine country with an English or Italian-speaking guide. Your e-bike handles the hills as you visit family-run cellars, taste up to two local wines, pause near the Rocche dei Sette Fratelli canyon, and return through Treiso. Bring comfortable clothes and buy your own picnic.
“Everything was very well organized and went really well. There is nothing to complain about.”
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