Amarone, Valpolicella, Bardolino Wine Tours Around Lake Garda From Verona.

Our wine and food tour around Lake Garda starts at 9 am in Verona to the town on the banks of Lake Garda Bardolino. We will be visiting one of the most renowned Amarone producers in the area. Here the tour will include a detailed visit to the family wine museum, visits to the wine making facility and to the cellars where the barriques are stored. Our guests will have a food and wine matching experience, with tasting tasting of Bardolino DOC, Amarone Classico, and other local wines. The wines will be matched with Parmesan cheese, Monte Veronese cheese, and local cured meats. Also check this page for more information about where to stay around Lake Garda.

Visiting Verona and What to do Around the City.

If you are interested in visiting this wonderful city in Italy and you want to find more about what to do there, you can visit the section on our section dedicated to what to do in Verona and around.

Verona, Valpolicella and Amarone Wine tasting, food matching experience with lunch.

Our experience will continue with a visit to a wine producing historical villa in the Valpolicella area, here our guests will have a paring experience with lunch. Here you will be tasting the wine produced in the area starting from the simplest wines to the more structured and aged ones. The lunch will be composed of the following: a pasta dish accompanied with Valpolicella DOC, then it will continue with a selection of hams and salamis accompanied with Valpolicella Ripasso DOC. The meal will end with a selection of cheeses and the famous Amarone, and of course the crumble cake will be served with Recioto DOC.

What is Amarone?

Amarone is wine traditionally made from raisins, the name is roughly translates to "the (pleasantly ) bitter wine". The grape clusters are picked and let to sit in straws shelves for 4,5 or 6 months before the wine process starts. When the juices are concentrated enough the raising are squeezed and the wine is made from the juices. The wine obtained has a very complex body, especially if it is also aged in oak casks. The bouquet will remind of red fruits with a prominent aroma of chocolate, with hints of vanilla.

Valpolicella DOC and Ripasso

Moslty made with the corvina grapes, Valpolicella DOC are the signature wines of the area. Less structured than the other wines, it is the perfect accompaniment for every day dishes such as pasta. Its freshness and light body will please many wine drinker for its simplicity and frankness. In the case of Ripasso the fermenting grape must is poured over the skins of the Amarone. This step gives more colour and structure to the wine, and it is a perfect match for meats, aged cheeses and salami.

Recioto

Recioto is a sweeter wine and it is perfect with desserts and it is obtained from the same process of Amaronek, however the fermentation is stopped to have a lower content of alcohol and therefore more sugars in the wine.

Best Amarone Wineries Wine Tours From Verona.

If you find yourself staying or visiting the city of Verona and the surrounding towns, there’s more awaiting for your than your textbook museums, stunning architecture and works of art. While it’s a beautiful city with a long and interesting history, Verona also has a lot more to offer in the way of immersive experiences that can be done during your stay. As always, don’t forget to check online which foods and local dishes you must try while in Verona, and be ready to hit the restaurants and food parlors you might find. But there’s something else that might tickle your fancy, and it’s the world of wine. Wine lovers everywhere should definitely stop by the local wineries to taste and sample the staple of the region, the unique Amarone wine, but for its taste and composition, this traditional alcoholic beverage might be an interesting choice even for those who are not yet familiar with wine-tasting experiences.

If you’ve never tried tasting wine in a professional environment, such as the winery where the product is developed and bottled, the Amarone wine is a fascinating starting point and you will have the chance to sample different kinds of Amarone that are obtained from a variety of grapes (and dry grapes, which give it a sort of raisin-type flavor) and with specific methods (such as a different fermentation or mixing different grape musts) that make for a unique experience.
You will find many Amarone wineries around Verona and in the surrounding region of the Valpolicella, and here are some of the establishments that have a proud and long history of Amarone production.

Cantine Bertani Wine Tour.

The traditional techniques employed for the production of the Amarone here at the Cantine Bertani date back to 1857 and the wine is obtained from locally sourced grapes, cultivated in the winery’s 200 hectares of vineyards located at the heart of the Valpolicella region. The winery is near Verona, so it’s very easy to hop by to enjoy a tour of the grounds and wine tasting experiences that will accompany you through the history of the Bertani, their knowledge and the wide selection of different types of Amarone. If you want to grab a bottle as a souvenir, or to enjoy during the rest of your stay in Italy, the winery also has a shop, open Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 12:30 and from 15:00 to 19:00. The shop is open on Saturdays from 10:00 to 17:00.

Cantina Zeni Bardolino Wine Tour.

Located on the Lake of Garda, in the city of Bardolino, near Verona, the Cantina Zeni offers tours for individual tourists or small groups up to 10 people, booking isn’t required but different tasting experiences can be booked beforehand if you’re interested in a more in-depth visit of the winery. Another great activity you can take part to while at the Cantina Zeni is a visit to their Wine Museum: you will get a closer look to each step of wine production, from the vineyard to the bottle, and you’ll learn about the tools of the trade. On the winery’s website you’ll find contact information and more info on booking, opening times and the Cantina’s shop http://www.zeni.it/en/contacts/.

Cà dei Frati Winery Tour.

The area surrounding the Lake of Garda is filled with many wineries , one of them being Cà dei Frati, located in Lugana di Sirmione. Open from Monday to Saturday, from 8:30 to 12:30 and from 14:30 to 18:30, the winery offers tours, tastings and a shop where you can purchase their products such as the Amarone, other wines produced by them (red and white) and grappe, one of them made with an Amarone base. The Cà dei Frati winery follows a family tradition that focuses its attention on carefully growing and harvesting the individual strains of grape, in order to achieve wines of the highest quality - from the raw ingredients to the finished product. The winery also has affiliated establishments where one can enjoy food and wine through tastings and culinary events, at hotels and restaurants along the Lake of Garda.

Villa Monteleone Valpolicella Amarone Tour.

Not far from Verona, this winery can also be counted among the producers of top-quality Amarone. The region of Valpolicella, where the Villa Monteleone winery is located along with others, is recognized as the official territory of production for the Amarone, starting from the grapes that are harvested here. This winery differs from others because of the adjoined Bed & Breakfast that will welcome guests from all over the world, who have arrived to sample the local wines and dishes, all prepared with locally sourced ingredients and following traditional, regional recipes. The winery offers wine and culinary tours, for a complete journey into the dining habits of the locals of this region.