A wine tour to Veneto: Enjoy Valpolicella and Amarone and rediscover Soave
— The focus of this wine tour is Amarone, Valpolicella, and Soave, the famous wines of Veneto. The Amarone of Valpolicella has attained cult status. Both amarone and “classic” valpolicella are very popular with wine enthusiasts around the world. The best of Soave is one of Italy’s most interesting white wines, not to forget the lesser-known neighbour Gambellara. With the beautiful and elegant city of Verona, with its famous Roman arena, as our base, we will visit the different wine regions in Veneto and go in-depth into all these wines and the Italian gastronomy.
Tour Highlights
- 4 nights
- Private tastings, approx. 10
- Beautiful Verona
- Amarone, Valpolicella, Soave
- Price: [sample programme]
- Innovative winemakers
- The appassimento method
- Local gastronomy
- Organic wineries
Please Note: This Is A Sample Programme
This is a sample programme, an example. Every wine and food tour that we organise is different and specially adapted for the season and the circumstances. Details in the programme, e.g. which producers we visit, will be different each time.
- This tour is sometimes available on our scheduled wine and food tour programme
- It can be designed specifically for you as a custom made private wine tour.
Next Wine Tour To Veneto
- This tour is currently not on our tour schedule. Contact us for information about future dates or to discuss a custom tour.
Veneto in north-eastern Italy is one of the biggest and most active wine regions in the country. Today it is a very exciting and dynamic region not least thanks to the great success of amarone della valpolicella in recent years. It has brought new fame to this region.
We will take a closer look at the very special production process of amarone, the appassimento method of dried grapes, and taste several amarone. It is an opportunity to learn more about the different styles of amarone wines that the wineries produce today.
Equally interesting is the quality renaissance of the “classic” wines of the Veneto region. Today, both Soave, Valpolicella, and the other regions can boast top quality wines (Gambellara, Prosecco, Lugana and others). We will showcase a representative selection of the wines and producers found in Veneto.
Further east in Veneto we have the large prosecco denomination. Make sure that you try these wines at the wine bars in the evenings. It is too far from Verona to manage a visit there too.
We will have Verona as our base during the tour. Verona is a magnificent city with its well-preserved Roman amphitheatre, the many Renaissance palaces and narrow, winding streets. The old town centre is a gem to be discovered. If you want to go shopping, there are plenty of luxury fashion stores. And, of course, also a plethora of restaurants.
We will have three gastronomic lunches together, mainly at the wineries. The evenings are free to explore Verona and the many restaurants. We have some favourites that we’d be happy to recommend.
The tour is led by one of BKWine’s expert wine guides.
Programme — Veneto: Amarone, Valpolicella, Soave Wine Tour wine tour
Preliminary programme.
Contact BKWine for more details.
Sample programme
This is a sample programme, an example. You can find the wine tours currently on the schedule here, or you can explore a custom designed wine tour by contacting us.
There may be changes to some details of the programme, e.g. which wineries we visit. We put great effort into making your visits both exceptional and memorable. For this reason we often visit other than the most obvious, big-name producers (where there are often a number of guides employed). Instead we chose to give you a more unique, personal experience at our carefully selected estates, often (but not always) meeting the owner or the winemaker.
Programme overview
- Day 1, Wednesday — Arrival in Verona
- Day 2, Thursday — Valpolicella and amarone
- Day 3, Friday — Soave and Gambellara
- Day 4, Saturday — More of Valpolicella and Amarone
- Day 5, Sunday — Heading back home
Wednesday, day 1 — Arrival in Verona
Arrival in Verona and check-in at our centrally located hotel.
Our hotel is just a few minutes’ walk from the Roman Arena and Piazza Bra. There is also a nice wine bar just around the corner from the hotel.
Verona is an elegant and typical northern Italian town. It is brimming with history and sights: the Roman arena and the theatre, the castle on the river, the two main squares which are the city’s two hubs, Piazza Bra and Piazza delle Erbe, and much more. You can stroll around for hours on the small streets and discover new things all the time.
There are also plenty of cafes and restaurants. We recommend that after finishing your aperitif, you walk a few blocks away from the rather touristy Piazza delle Erbe to find a more genuine Italian atmosphere. It is not difficult to find a trattoria.
Free evening for a first stroll in the old city centre.
Thursday, day 2 — Valpolicella and Amarone
We spend the day in Valpolicella. We will taste both the “regular”, classic valpolicella and amarone. The entire region is within easy reach from Verona.
The grapes for these wines, corvina veronese, rondinella, molinara and corvinone, are grown near Verona, on slopes that are sometimes terraced. The vineyards are spread over five valleys in a beautiful and slightly hilly landscape. The five fingers of Valpolicella. The climate is favourable, not only to obtain ripe grapes but also to dry them in the autumn and winter, the so-called appassimento method, to make the dry amarone and the sweet recioto.
We will visit, among others, Musella which is one of the best known and most appreciated producers in Valpolicella. They converted to biodynamic farming a few years ago. Another visit will be at Massimago in the slightly wild and hidden Mezzane Valley. Here we will also have a fantastic lunch with several different local specialities. During lunch, we will taste the superb wines of the estate. The afternoon visit will be at Stefano Accordini in the heart of Valpolicella Classico. Today, the fourth generation of the family manages the 25-hectare estate.
Late afternoon we will be back at the hotel. The evening is free. Maybe time to try an Aperol spritz, the orange-coloured aperitif everyone seems to be drinking here. Or even better, ask for a “durello spumante“, a sparkling wine made from the very local grape durello and the insider’s alternative to the more mass-market prosecco. And then dinner down by the river
Friday, day 3 — Soave and Gambellara
In Soave, the famous white wine region, the quality has increased dramatically. Soave’s image has changed completely as producers focus on having character and personality in their wines.
We will visit some of the leading properties in Soave, such as the dynamic Coffele, situated in the middle of the old town of Soave, Pieropan on the mains street in Soave, or the young and very organic Giovanni Menti in the mountainous region of Gambellara, located just east of Soave (a region that only the truly well-informed have discovered so far). Or another one of those who today make high-quality Soave.
We will have an exciting menu degustazione for lunch at the family-owned La Cappuccina in Costalunga di Monteforte, where one brother is the winemaker, the sister is doing the marketing and another brother is in the kitchen of the restaurant. The lovely Tessari family produces aromatic and elegant Soave. During lunch, we will explore the pairing of their wines with the food.
Late afternoon we are back in Verona. Free evening. Maybe it’s time to try a favourite restaurant or try the best pizzeria in town?
Saturday, day 4 — More of Valpolicella and Amarone
Today we are back in Valpolicella and we will spend time with some passionate producers of both valpolicella and of amarone.
The program today includes a visit to Azienda Agricola Trabucchi in the small wine village of Illasi. This charming family estate was founded in 1920 by Marco Trabucchi. The family has around 20 hectares of vineyards and also makes its own olive oil. The estate was one of the first in Valpolicella to be organically certified.
The lunch will be at the Squarano Estate owned by Marchesi Fumanelli. This is a stunningly beautiful winery in the middle of the Valpolicella Classico area, a palace overlooking the countryside, certainly worthy of a marquis. The Fumanelli family has made wine here since 1470. We will do a visit to the vines and the cellar before we sit down for lunch. Weather permitting, it will be in the shade in the courtyard. We will enjoy a luxurious multi-course meal with the estate’s wines.
The program also includes a visit to a small producer called Antolini in Valpolicella. The winery is very ambitiously run by two brothers, Pier Paolo and Stefano Antolini. The focus is on the work in the vineyard which is done as far as possible without any pesticides. The brothers make valpolicella, amarone, recioto and also grappa.
Late afternoon it is time to say goodbye to the Valpolicella slopes and head back to Verona for one last night in this beautiful city. Free evening.
Sunday, day 5 — Heading back home
The tour ends after breakfast. Departure.
There may be changes to some details of the programme, e.g. which wineries we visit. We put great effort into making your visits both exceptional and memorable. For this reason we often visit other than the most obvious, big-name producers (where there are often a number of guides employed). Instead we chose to give you a more unique, personal experience at our carefully selected estates, often (but not always) meeting the owner or the winemaker.
Go For It!
We’d love to have you with us.
More travel information
Here are some useful pages and guides about this travel destination:
Even more info
We have written a lot about Veneto and about wine touring in the region, what to do and what to expect.
- Read more about travelling in the Veneto wine region on our wine travel blog.
- You can also find more information on BKWine Magazine on the wines from Veneto, our online wine magazine.
- Our YouTube videos on Veneto.
More wine books
We have written more than ten wine books. They have won both national and international wine writing awards.
No other wine tour organiser has a comparable knowledge, competence and experience.
Tour Details — Veneto Wine Tour
Dates: [this is a sample programme]
Price per person: [this is a sample programme]
Single room supplement: [this is a sample programme]
Sample programme
This is a sample programme, an example. You can find the wine tours currently on the schedule here, or you can explore a custom designed wine tour by contacting us.
ADJUST TOUR DETAILS AS NEEDED, LUNCHES DINNERS ETC ETC ETC
Included in the price:
- 4 hotel nights, double occupancy, including breakfast in good quality hotel
- Three-star Hotel Verona in central Verona
- Meals as described in the programme above (*):
- 3 gastronomic multi-course lunches tasting of different wines; at wine estate or local restaurant
- Start and end point: Verona
- Bus transport during the whole trip
- All vineyard and winery visits
- Private, high quality tastings at wineries, approx. 3 per day
- Interpretation from Italian to English if needed, most of the visits will be in English
- Wine guiding and wine tutoring by an expert BKWine guide
(*) See below for more important information on our meals.
Not included:
- Travel (flights etc) to the destination and back to your home location.
You are responsible for organising your travel to and from Verona yourself.
If you would like assistance organising your flight tickets etc, please contact us.
We warmly recommend that you plan a few extra days here if you have the time. It is a very interesting place and well worth some regular, non-wine related tourism too. We can assist you with booking additional hotel nights as needed.
For this tour to take place we must have a minimum of 4 participants registered by the “book before” date. Maximum number of tour participants: 8.
Book This Tour
Book before: [this is a sample programme]
Booking is confirmed by paying the booking fee of [sample programme, this varies by trip]. Full payment should be received at the latest [sample programme, usually one month or 60 days, depending on the trip] before the departure date (see our terms and conditions). Details on how to pay will be sent to you when you register.
It is important that you read our travel booking terms and conditions.
We also invite you to read more on why you should travel with BKWine, about customer protection, and about what you can expect from our wine tours in the section below “More on our wine tours”.
You book by contacting Britt Karlsson, BKWine:
- phone: +33 1 58 88 04 66 or +33 6 80 45 35 70 (+33 is the country code for France)
- Skype: “bkwine”. Call us on skype.
- email: info@bkwine.com, or use the contact form below
“I want to book this tour” or “I want more info”
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More on our wine tours
Why travel with BKWine?
We are Britt and Per Karlsson. We are specialists in wine and food tours and wine tourism, but also experts in wine in general. We are internationally published wine writers and have written ten award-winning wine books.
No other tour operator has a comparable knowledge and experience of wine, wine regions, wine tourism and gourmet travel.
We have organised hundreds of wine and food tours, and this is what we love to do. We take it very seriously – it is not a sideline or a hobby – and what we want more than anything is to share all these wonderful experiences with you.
All our tours are led and managed by guides who have in-depth wine knowledge, and in many cases we lead the tours ourselves.
Read more on why you should choose BKWine for your wine and food tour.
Thousands of happy customers
Over the years, thousands of wine lovers have travelled with us. Many come back to tour again and again with BKWine to new wine regions. Our record-breaking client has been on more than ten BKWine tours. We are happy and proud to have such faithful customers.
Read more on what travellers have said about our tours.
Awards and Mentions
We’re pleased and proud to have received many accolades, including:
- “World’s Top Wine Tours”, Travel+Leisure Magazine, the world’s biggest travel magazine
- “Best wine tasting holidays”, AOL Travel’s list of top wine tours
- “Recommended Wine Tours”, Munskänkarna, the world’s biggest wine appreciation association
- “World’s Best Wine Book for Professionals” as well as “Best Wine Book of the Year”, Gourmand International awards, and many other book prizes
- Three OIV book awards, International Organisation of Vine and Wine
- “Wine Personality of the Year”, an honour bestowed on Britt Karlsson by Munskänkarna in 2011, the world’s biggest wine appreciation association
- Inclusion on the Wine Media Power List, by Wine Business International magazine
About the wine producers and wineries we visit
Our aim is for you to experience some of the very best and most interesting aspects of the wine world, in terms of wine and food.
We put great effort into creating outstanding winery visits, and in this way we are quite different to many wine tour organisers. It is not always the most renowned, internationally known estates that offer the best experiences. Organising a wine tour featuring famous names of the wine world is relatively easy: it is merely a question of making lists and ticking boxes. On those kind of “bucket list” wine tours, you rarely meet the winemaker or the owner. You will simply be one of thousands of visitors they receive each year.
We do things differently. With BKWine Tours, you will meet the people behind the label, often the winemakers and/or the owners. Thanks to them, you will have a unique, truly personal experience and an insight into the wine world that no one else can offer. When you travel with BKWine, you are more like a special guest than a tourist.
We have personal connections and unparalleled knowledge thanks to more than 20 years as wine journalists, with 10 wine books published, and as wine tour organisers with more than 30 years’ experience. You can be sure of getting the best wine travel experiences with BKWine Tours.
Read more on the wine producers and wineries we visit.
A true gourmet experience: food and gastronomy
For us, wine and food are intimately linked, and this is a fundamental part of our wine travel philosophy. For this reason, a wine tour with BKWine is always an outstanding culinary experience both for the wine enthusiast and for the gourmet. A BKWine tour is a gastronomic voyage that explores the deep relationship between food and wine.
Read more On Meals: Food and Gastronomy on Our Tours.
Customer Protection, Financial Travel Guarantee, and Terms and Conditions
You can always feel safe when you book your tour with BKWine. BKWine has a bonded bank guarantee that gives full protection according to EU and Swedish law. BKWine is a Swedish limited company and as such is regulated by strict rules.
Read more on Customer Protection, Financial Travel Guarantee. and our Terms and Conditions.
When you book a tour it is important that you read the terms and conditions. BKWine’s booking terms and conditions follow the guidelines developed by the Consumer Protection Agency.
Health, vaccination and allergies
Our tours have no particular health requirements although inevitably we will be walking a certain amount in wine cellars and vineyards. Sensible footwear is a must.
Most of our travel destinations have no particular health guidelines or requirements for vaccinations or medical certificates, but if in doubt, you should always consult a medical professional, vaccination centre or relevant embassy in your country of origin.
We can always accommodate food allergies. However, in order for us to manage such requests you must let us know about any allergies before the tour starts.
Read more in our FAQ and in our Terms and Conditions.
Travel insurance
BKWine does not sell travel insurance. If you want travel insurance, check if your regular home insurance policy includes some kind of travel insurance, or contact your regular insurance company or a travel insurance specialist.
Custom Tours
We also offer custom wine and food tours if you want to travel on different dates, or if you want something different to what we currently offer on our scheduled tours. This tailor-made service can be offered for individuals, companies, professionals, wine tastings clubs etc.
Important information
Our groups are always small. The number of people in the group may vary. The maximum can range from 8 to around 20; check the details in each programme. But our groups are always modest in size. This is important because it guarantees a quality experience and a personal welcome at the wineries we visit.
Read the BKWine Booking Terms and Conditions here. They are important to you!
You are expected to organise your travel independently to the destination for most of our tours, but once you are at the location, we take care of everything.
For more inspiration
Read our wine travel blog. For more, read our online wine magazine the BKWine Magazine with articles from all over the wine world.
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