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 !”
Lorenzo and Chef Cosimo lead a three-hour pasta class inside Cava Marlò, a restored wine cellar in Matera’s Sassi. You’ll tour the cave, hear local food stories, prepare fresh pasta, bruschetta, and regional dishes, then sit down for a farmer-style lunch in a group of up to eight.
“Would so recommend the Pasta workshop, the best thing we have done in Matera! Lorenzo and Adeline were the best hosts in their newly refurbished 5 star Cave beautifully furnished and the perfect venue to enjoy the day. Our chef Cosimo was so knowledgeable and passionate about the food of the region. We learnt so much from him and are looking forward to preparing the dishes, especially the Cialledda salad at home. It was great learning how to make the pasta, especially the kneading and then production of the pasta shapes. Such a wonderful day with water and wine provided throughout the day interspersed with breaks for the food we…”
Meet fourth-generation producer Federico at Bussi Piero in Calosso. Walk through the vineyards, visit the winemaking and aging rooms, then taste six Piedmont wines on a panoramic terrace with cured meats, cheeses, hazelnuts, breadsticks, and hazelnut cake.
“The producer was a great storyteller, and the view at the tasting was stunning. Delicious serving of small foods (sausage, cheese, nuts etc.) as well.”
Meet at the tourist office in Piazza Grande for a walking tour of Montepulciano, followed by visits to two historic underground cellars. Your English or Italian guide explains the town and winemaking before you taste Rosso di Montepulciano DOC and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG.
“amazing our guide was personal and full of history”
At Paradiso di Cacuci, you’ll tour a private cellar with an Italian or English-speaking guide, then taste five wines, including Brunello di Montalcino, alongside Pecorino, salami, ham, capocollo, finocchiona, and bruschetta. Marius may lead your visit.
“A noi è capitato l'enologo della cantina come guida, preparato e simpatico. i vini sono eccellenti, luogo incantevole. tutti molto gentili e professionali. esperienza consigliatissima.”
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.”
Spend two hours at Cantina Mazzarosa near Roseto degli Abruzzi with guides such as Sarah, Edoardo, or Sofia. Visit the wine cellar and barrel room, see a 1,000-hectoliter cask, and taste five Abruzzo wines with local cheeses, cured meats, bruschetta, olive oil, and Vino Cotto.
“Wonderful informative tour along with many tastings and a delicious cheese/ meat board with bread and oil. Although the meeting point address is wrong on the Viator website site. Do not go to Nationals 6 Roseto deglaze Abruzzo instead go to Contrada Borsacchio 6, Roseto deglaze Abruzzo Teramo”
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