Wine Tastings, Winery Visits and Wine Tours in Lombardy

Wine tasting in Lombardy: which regions and wineries to visit

Lombardy's main wine regions are Oltrepò Pavese and Franciacorta, both about an hour from Milan, the Lombardy shore of Lake Garda and, up in the Alps, Valtellina. This page lists more than 150 wine tastings and winery visits at more than 70 wineries. About three in four experiences last one to two hours, usually with 3 or 4 wines, and guests have left more than 1,100 reviews on Winedering.

Which Lombardy wineries are worth visiting?

Outside Franciacorta, which alone takes almost four in ten bookings on this page, these are among the most booked wineries, one per area:

• Sgreva, in Sirmione: the winemaker shows you the vineyard and cellar, then pours 4 Lake Garda wines alongside cured meats, cheese and bread with the estate's own olive oil.
• Tenuta Ballerio, in Santa Maria della Versa: vineyard, cellar and 4 wines, including a traditional method sparkling Pinot Noir DOCG aged 54 months.
• Medolago Albani, in Trescore Balneario: a member of the family shows you round the frescoed Villa Redona and its chapel, then the cellar and 4 wines.
• Cascina Piano, between Angera and Ranco: vineyards overlooking Lake Maggiore and the Rocca di Angera, then 4 of the estate's wines.
• Le Strie, in Chiuro, Valtellina: 4 Nebbiolo reds, ending with a Sforzato, poured in the village's old jail.

What wine is Lombardy known for, and where can you taste it?

Lombardy is best known for traditional method sparkling wine from Franciacorta and Oltrepò Pavese, Lugana and Chiaretto from Lake Garda, and reds such as Valtellina Nebbiolo and Oltrepò Bonarda. The five DOCGs are Franciacorta, Oltrepò Pavese Metodo Classico, Moscato di Scanzo, Sforzato and Valtellina Superiore.

• Franciacorta: sparkling wine between Brescia and Lake Iseo, with more than 30 experiences and its own page.
• Oltrepò Pavese: the hills south of the Po, the part of Lombardy with the most vineyards: red and sparkling Pinot Noir, Bonarda from Croatina grapes, Buttafuoco and Sangue di Giuda, in nearly 50 experiences.
• Lugana and Valtènesi, on the Lombardy shore of Lake Garda: Lugana is a white from Turbiana grapes, made around Sirmione, Desenzano, Lonato and Pozzolengo; in Valtènesi, Groppello is the grape behind Chiaretto rosé and Valtènesi Rosso. About thirty experiences. Tenuta Frontelago, in Sirmione, pours a vertical of 3 vintages of its Lugana.
• Valtellina: Nebbiolo, called Chiavennasca here, on terraces held up by dry stone walls, and Sforzato, made from dried grapes. It is about two hours from Milan, by car or by train.
• Valcalepio: between Bergamo and Lake Iseo, Valcalepio Rosso and Moscato di Scanzo, a sweet red passito.
• Mantua area: about ten experiences between the morainic hills south of Lake Garda and the Po plain, where Lambrusco is made.
• Lake Como: only a handful of experiences, but with the lake in view: at Cascina Teresina, in Veleso, you taste an organic Nebbiolo on a terrace about 700 metres up.

Where can you go wine tasting near Milan?

The nearest wine regions to Milan are Oltrepò Pavese, Franciacorta and Valcalepio, each about an hour's drive away. Closer still, about a dozen experiences are in Milan and its surroundings, mostly guided tastings and classes rather than winery visits. The exception is Cantina Urbana, on Via Ascanio Sforza, where wine is made in the city: 4 wines with a charcuterie board. If you would rather not drive, this page also lists about 30 Lombardy wine tours, a third leaving from Milan.

Where can you have lunch or a vineyard picnic with a wine tasting in Lombardy?

About twenty experiences include lunch or a picnic, mostly in Oltrepò Pavese, then in Franciacorta and on Lake Garda. At Tenuta La Gatta, in Valtellina, the cellar tour is followed by a lunch of pizzoccheri, the local buckwheat pasta, and bisciöla, a traditional dessert, with 5 of the estate's wines. Casa Garello, in Salice Terme, serves 4 wines with traditional Oltrepò starters and a dessert. If you would rather eat outdoors, Piccolo Bacco dei Quaroni, in Montù Beccaria, gives you a backpack for every two people, with wine and a blanket, and a map to your spot among the vines.

When is the best time for wine tasting in Lombardy?

Autumn is the most popular season: on Winedering, September, October and November bring in more than a third of the year's bookings. The Movimento Turismo del Vino, Italy's wine tourism association, also runs winery events: Cantine Aperte on the last weekend of May, Calici di Stelle in summer, Cantine Aperte in Vendemmia from late August to October and Cantine Aperte a San Martino in November. These are the busiest days; the experiences here can be booked on other dates too. Many of these tastings can also be given as a gift: whoever receives the voucher picks the date.