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One of the main reasons we visited Verona was to do a wine tour of the Valpolicella region. The region is located east of Lake Garda and north of Verona.
Pagus
We would have preferred to rent a car and explore the region on our own, stopping at different vineyards and villages, but lack of time and money were both a factor. Instead, we booked a tour on Christmas Eve with Pagus. They offer several different tours to Valpolicella as well as other nearby wine producing regions such as Soave and Lake Garda.
Our Tour
We chose the Valpolicella and Dinner tour (no longer offered), which took us to one vineyard followed by dinner at a local restaurant. Our tour began at 4pm in front of Castelvecchio in Verona, where our driver and guide, Alessandro, picked us up. There was supposed to be another woman on the tour but she never showed up, so we were lucky to have a private tour.
As Alessandro drove us through the region to our first vineyard, he gave us a quick overview of the wines produced there and explained how to tell an authentic Valpolicella wine apart from the rest. He stopped before sunset to let us take a photo of a couple of vineyards and the beautiful landscape.
Corte Fornaledo
Next, we visited Corte Fornaledo, a small family-run vineyard in the hamlet of Purano. We met our host, Giacomo, who is the owner of the vineyard. He took us to the tasting room where we were able to taste five different wines paired with local cheese and meat.
We sampled Valpolicella, Ripasso, Amarone, Recioto, and Vitae Verona Rosso. Each wine was excellent, but we especially loved the Amarone and Recioto. We ended up taking home a bottle of each, and have ordered wines from Giacomo since our visit.
After the wine tasting, Giacomo took us to the cellar see where the wines are aged in oak barrels. Overall, it was the best experience at a vineyard I have had to date. Being able to sit down with the owner of the vineyard to talk about the history of the business and personally see the passion he has for his wines was just as enjoyable as tasting the wines themselves. We hope to go back to the region one day and visit Corte Fornaledo again.
Villa Mosconi Bertani
With the wine tasting out of the way, Alessandro drove us through some towns and villages in the region and stopped in front of Villa Mosconi Bertani, a huge estate that dates back to 1735. Tours of the villa and wine tastings are available by reservation. It was closed, so I was only able to snap a quick photo.
Antica Osteria Paverno (Permanently Closed)
Our dinner was at Antica Osteria Paverno, which serves excellent Veronese cuisine in the town of Paverno. Alessandro ordered a bottle of Amarone for us and we delved into conversation about life in Italy, the wine tour business, and more.
We started off with a plate of polenta, salami, and prosciutto. I had the ravioli filled with a local squash while Marisol had the tortelli. Everything was delicious and it made for a perfect Christmas dinner.
Conclusion
Once dinner finished, we returned to Verona where Alessandro dropped us off in front of Castelvecchio and we walked back to our hotel. Overall, it was an enjoyable evening and Alessandro was an excellent guide. It was a little pricy at €110 per person, but because it ended up being private, we got more for our money than we expected.
