When our travelers get home and send us their feedback, the wine tasting day is always popular. We love to hear the stories about how their winemaker poured them one more glass while he shared how his grandfather planted the vines.
Three of Italy’s most celebrated wine regions are all within easy reach of Verona, Florence and Venice, and each offers a completely different landscape, character and glass, from the rich Amarone of Valpolicella and the classic reds of Chianti to the sparkling wines of the Prosecco Hills.
All three tours belong to our Food & Wine collection, which brings together our favorite private tastings, food walks and cooking experiences across Europe, so if wine country is only the start of your plans, you can explore all of our Food & Wine private tours.
In this guide, we share what makes a Valpolicella wine tour from Verona, a private Chianti wine tour from Florence and a Prosecco tour from Venice so special, what to expect on each, and how to choose the tasting day that suits you and your trip best.
Why Italian Wine Country Is Best Explored on a Private Tour
Many wine tours follow a familiar pattern, with a coach full of guests, a fixed timetable and the same tasting poured for everyone at once, which can be enjoyable but doesn’t always leave room for questions, lingering over a beautiful view or getting to know the people who actually make the wine in your glass.
A private tour shapes the day entirely around you, so you can take a little longer in the cellar, ask the winemaker exactly how a vintage was made, and stop in a hilltop village simply because it caught your eye, all at a pace that suits you and the people you are traveling with.
There is a practical side too. Our private wine tours include transportation, so you can enjoy every tasting without worrying about driving, navigating narrow country roads or finding your way between wineries.
We work with small, family run wineries rather than large, busy tasting rooms, and our guides and the winemakers they introduce you to share the kind of stories, traditions and small discoveries that you will never find on a wine label.
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Valpolicella From Verona: The Home of Amarone
Just outside Verona, the hills of Valpolicella produce some of Italy’s most prized red wines, and it is the wine region our travelers ask about most, with a quieter, more intimate feel that makes it a favorite with anyone who prefers smaller, less crowded wine country.
This is the home of Amarone, a rich and velvety red made using the appassimento method, in which grapes are carefully dried before pressing to concentrate their flavor, and there is nowhere better to taste it than in the cellars where it is made.
From Verona: Private Valpolicella Wine Tasting Day Tour
Our private Valpolicella wine tour from Verona is a day of around six hours, with private transportation and a guide throughout, taking you into the rolling hills of the region to visit two boutique, family-run wineries.
Along the way the winemakers share how the appassimento process works, and you taste signature wines made from the native Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara grapes, including Amarone itself.
With its quiet wineries and celebrated wines, Valpolicella is also a wonderful choice for an anniversary, a milestone birthday or a honeymoon, and you can round off your stay with our Flavors of Verona private culinary and wine experience in the city itself.
Discover Amarone where it is made
Spend a day among the vineyards of Valpolicella with your own guide, two family wineries and a route designed entirely around you.
Chianti From Florence: The Classic Taste of Tuscany
Chianti is the wine region many travelers picture when they dream of Tuscany, with cypress- lined roads, medieval hilltop villages and vineyards rolling all the way to the horizon, and it is wonderfully close to Florence.
Because many visitors want to balance their time between Florence’s museums and the Tuscan countryside, our private Chianti wine tour is designed as a relaxed half day experience that fits perfectly around your sightseeing in the city.
From Florence: Half Day Private Chianti Wine Tasting Tour
On our half day private Chianti wine tasting tour, your guide collects you right from your hotel and follows the scenic Via Chiantigiana into the heart of the region, with time to explore the medieval village of Montefioralle and the historic wine town of Greve in Chianti.
You then step inside a working cellar at a boutique, family run winery to discover how traditional Tuscan wine is made, before a private tasting of Chianti Classico and Super Tuscans paired with local specialties.
If you would like to know more about the region before you go, our guide to why the Chianti region is so famous shares its history, villages and centuries old winemaking heritage.
Taste the heart of Tuscany with a local expert
Book your private Chianti wine tour from Florence and our team will take care of every detail, from hotel pick-up to your final pour.
Prosecco Hills From Venice: A Sparkling Day in Wine Country
After a few days of canals, bridges and busy squares, the green, steeply terraced hills of Valdobbiadene feel like a lovely, deep breath of fresh air, and they are an easy day trip from Venice.
The Prosecco Hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, celebrated as much for their remarkable landscape of vineyards shaped by generations of winemakers as for the sparkling wine that has made the area famous around the world.
From Venice: Private Day Trip to Prosecco Hills with Wine Tastings
Your private day trip to the Prosecco Hills begins with a pick-up from Piazzale Roma or your hotel in Venice-Mestre, with commentary from your guide as you drive into the Valdobbiadene region.
You visit handpicked wineries to learn how Prosecco is made and enjoy sommelier-guided tastings paired with regional delicacies, and on request you can add a guided visit to the charming city of Treviso on your way back to Venice.
Trade the canals for the vineyards
Enjoy a sparkling day in the UNESCO-listed Prosecco Hills, with private transportation from Venice and tastings shaped around you and your group.
So Which Italian Wine Tour Is Right for You?
If you appreciate deep, complex reds, prefer quieter wine country or are celebrating a special occasion, a day in Valpolicella with its family wineries and Amarone will feel made for you.
If you love bold, food friendly reds and the classic Tuscan landscape, and would like a wine experience that still leaves you time in Florence, our half-day Chianti tour is the natural choice.
If you prefer light, fresh and sparkling wines, or simply want a complete change of scenery from Venice, the Prosecco Hills offer a relaxed and sociable day among some of the most beautiful vineyards in Italy.
Planning Your Wine Tour in Italy
Late spring and early fall are a lovely time for a wine tour in Italy, because from May to June the vineyards are green and the weather is warm without being too hot, while September and October bring the grape harvest, golden light and a real sense of excitement in the cellars.
Comfortable shoes are a good idea, as cellars and vineyard paths can be uneven, and a light layer is useful for cool wine cellars even on a warm day.
Because Florence, Verona and Venice are well connected by train, many of our travelers combine two wine regions in a single journey through Italy, and our team can create a custom itinerary that links them together with private guides, transportation and tastings arranged for you.
Explore the Food & Wine Collection
Whether you are imagining a taste of Amarone with the family who made it, a glass of Chianti Classico in a Tuscan cellar or a sparkling toast above the Prosecco Hills, our Food & Wine private tours bring you closer to Italy’s wine country in the company of people who love it as much as you will.
Tell us where you are traveling and what you enjoy most, and we will shape an experience around you, from a single day in Valpolicella to a journey that spans the Veneto and Tuscany.
