Poli Distillery's flagship Wood Experience visits the Schiavon distillery production facility, tours the historic Grappateca archive (2,000 bottles 1930s-1980s), and ends with a barrel-side tasting of aged single-varietal grappas unavailable in retail. The most educational grappa immersion in Veneto. Available Mon-Sat in five languages.
Tip: The Grappateca includes 1940s-era bottles showing the character of pomace from pre-DOCG grape varieties no longer planted - an unrepeatable archive.
Address: Via Marconi 46, 36060 Schiavon (VI), Italy, Veneto
Zyme winery by Celestino Gaspari is carved into a 15th-century sandstone quarry. The unique subterranean cellar is the tasting venue for 6+ wines including Valpolicella, Ripasso, and Amarone expressions. Reservation required; limited spaces fill quickly. Rated among the best winery experiences in Veneto.
Tip: The quarry cellar temperature stays constant year-round at around 13C - bring a layer even in summer.
Massimago estate in the Mezzane Valley offers a guided walk through the historic organic vineyards followed by a visit to the old Amarone ageing cellar and tasting of Massimago's organic Valpolicella, Ripasso, and Amarone. Combine with cooking school or yoga sessions available at the relais.
Tip: Mezzane is an emerging sub-zone of Valpolicella not well represented on export lists - the estate tasting gives direct access to a style rarely found in wine shops.
The Founder's Tour at Distilleria Andrea Da Ponte (est. 1892) gives access to the distillery's historical archive and a tasting of library spirits not available in standard sessions. Located in the UNESCO Prosecco hills of Treviso, ideal for combining with a Prosecco wine road drive.
Tip: Email visite@daponte.it to specify the Founder's Tour - it opens the historical grappa archive unlike the shorter Tasting and History tours.
Vespa-guided tours through the UNESCO Prosecco Superiore hills between Conegliano and Valdobbiadene. Routes wind through Cartizze, Rive single-vineyard zones, and hilltop villages. Tastings at estates along the route. Also available: e-bike variant. Operated through the Prosecco Hills tourism initiative.
Tip: The Cartizze sub-zone is the steepest section - request the Cartizze route for the most dramatic views and the region's highest-priced Prosecco at source.
Guided tours of the historic 18th-century production rooms at Italy's oldest grappa distillery, ending with a tasting flight of Nardini grappas on the historic Ponte Vecchio over the Brenta River. Reserve via visite@nardini.it; Tue-Sat only. Note: multiple flights of stairs to historic rooms.
Tip: Request the white Grappa Nardini alongside the aged Riserva in the tasting flight - the contrast in style is the clearest argument for barrel-aged grappa.
At Masi's newly opened Monteleone21 complex, guided tours take visitors through the fruttaio (drying loft) where Corvina, Rondinella, and Molinara grape bunches rest on bamboo racks for months to concentrate sugars for Amarone. Includes cellars, the Serego Alighieri possessioni, and Wine Bar 'Vino e Cucina' tasting.
Tip: October to December is prime fruttaio season - grapes are actively drying. In winter-spring the loft is empty but tours explain the technique in depth.
