UA wine tasting, after a walk among the vineyards brushed with red by autumn, is a sensorial experience that remains among the most pleasant travel memories. It combines the relaxation of contact with nature with the discovery of the culture of the area, and tickles the senses. According to the latest research by Booking.com, almost two thirds (62 percent) of tourists are fascinated by the history of the gastronomic specialties of the places they visit. A trend set to increase: 93 percent of travelers say that in 2024 they would like to try more local products, including wine. And he might discover that art has also entered the cellar.
When art enters the cellar
Just inaugurated, in the heart of Franciacorta, in Erbusco (Brescia), the extraordinary spaces of the Ca’ del Bosco winery (cadelbosco.com), where art and wine invite you to a tour full of emotions. From the cellar you enter a vault illuminated by a “starry sky”. Walls of bottles stacked floor to ceiling (from the Vintage Collection) surround the route up to the Dome of the Sensi, a circular room with a lowered vault and, in the centre, the work Ludoscope by the visual artist Paolo Scirpa: a well of light reflected in an infinite background.
From here we move on to the most surprising of the setups: the gigantic upside-down bottle, made with over 33 thousand bottles of Cuvée Prestige, empty and backlit. The scenography is curated by the digital artist Andre Guidot of the collective [(etica)estetica]anesthetic and the various visit routes are embellished with musical suggestions in the background. In short, a high-impact visit with final wine tasting.
Ever tried sleeping in a room with a view of the vineyards?
The Conti Thun wine resort, contithun.com in Puegnago sul Garda (Brescia), surrounded by 15 hectares of estate, welcomes tourists of taste near the western shore of Lake Garda. In the resort you can book a picnic in the vineyard, or a romantic dinner for two in the barrel cellar. Yoga lessons among the rows are also scheduled. Every Saturday and Sunday, from 11am to 1pm, a country brunch is served accompanied by a glass of Bolle di Gioia, Brut Bianco Spumante.
For sports enthusiasts there is a horseback ride through the woods and hills of Valtènesi, followed by an aperitif paired with Conti Thun wines. A long tour is a must the beach of the gulf of Manerbato discover the charm of the lake out of season, in Manerba del Garda and al Rocca di Manerba Park, with cliffs overlooking Lake Garda. Young South Tyrolean producers such as Max Thurner and Matthias Messer also focus on wine, whoRenon plateaujust 12 minutes by cable car from Bolzano, offer their native whites and reds for tasting.
Picnic at the Conti Thun wine resort, in Puegnago (Brescia) near Lake Garda.
Toast under the volcano
Looking at Southern labels, the excellence of the Sicilian wines of Etna Nord is confirmed by the Three Glasses 2024 Gambero Rosso. As many as 15 were awarded this year to wines from the Etna vineyards, with another novelty: many of the winners are white. The lava slopes of the volcano create a special terroir, that is, an area where the natural, physical and chemical conditions of the soil, and the climate allow the production of wines with unique characteristics, excellences that arise precisely from this landscape of powerful beauty: sI sip the wine admiring to Muntagna with the whitewashed peak smoking, the vineyards bordered by dry stone walls, the vineyards over 140 years old. An area full of wineries loved by Americans, like that of Planeta, planeta.it in the Sciaranuova district (Castiglione di Sicilia), at 850 meters above sea level, where the cast of the successful TV series The White Lotus toasted, clinking their glasses of white Etna in the fifth episode of the second season, That’s love.
The sales point in the former Planeta mill in the Sciaranuova district (Castiglione di Sicilia), Etna Nord, Sicily.
The cool face of rural Sicily
Scenes that attracted droves of tourists to Etna. A rural chapel stands out among the vineyards, lin Cuba of Santa Domenica, one of the most significant Byzantine monuments on the island. And while American tourists, between tastings and shopping, move from cellar to cellar, fascinated by the new cool face of rural Sicily, focus on Castiglione di Siciliaamong the most beautiful villages in Italy, set on a rock to oversee the Alcantara Valley. In 1233 Frederick II of Swabia gave it the name Civitas Animosa and, after the Sicilian vespers in 1283, granted it as a fiefdom to Roger of Lauria until it was conquered by Frederick III of Aragon. After the walk up to Lauria Castle, a break at the Damico bar (via Guglielmo Marconi, 1), a triumph of Sicilian sweets on counters and shop windows. Another stop, the Vitis wine shop (piazza Carmine, 23): there you can find wines born in the shadow of the volcano, many awarded with Three glasses 2024 Gambero Rosso. © ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Where to sleep
Wine Resort Conti Thun
Via Masserino, 2 Puegnago sul Garda (Brescia). The Boutique Winery with Spa, surrounded by 15 hectares of vineyards and olive groves, offers 24 rooms furnished with natural materials that recall the colors of the earth. The wine resort reopens on March 5th. Double room from 270 euros. contithun.com
The tasting room of the Cottanera winery. Photo by Alfio Garozzo.
Cottanera residence
Provincial Road, 89, Contrada Iannazzo, Castiglione di Sicilia (Catania). Mariangela Cambria transformed the family country house into a charming residence with 13 rooms, between courtyard and garden. The glass-walled gazebo in the vineyard is spectacular, with sofas and books, to relax while sipping the award-winning Etna Rosso Contrada Zottorinoto Riserva 2019 Cottanera. Double room from 180 euros. massimocottanera.com
Where to eat
The Riserva Bistrot Firriato Tenuta di Cavanera Etna Resort
Contrada Verzella, Castiglione di Sicilia. Tastings of Gaudensius Blanc de Blancs Carricante, Etna Bianco Cavanera Ripa di Scorciavacca 2022 and Cavanera Etna rosso Rovo delle Coturnie, combined with the aubergine millefeuille cooked in the steam oven and the pork capocollo caramelized with Harmonium. reservebistrot.it cavanera.it
Tasting at Tenuta di Cavanera Etna Resort, Firriato.
Tastings
Maso Perl
Costa di Sopra 11, Bolzano, South Tyrol. Tastings with a view of the magnificent peaks of the Dolomites of eight wines. Cost of 15 euros per person, upon reservation. maxthurnerweine.it/it
The Renon plateau (Bolzano) in South Tyrol.
Rielingerhof farm
Siffianer Leitach 7, Renon/Siffian (Bolzano). In a medieval farmhouse, surrounded by vineyards, organic wines are tasted (from Vernatsch, Kerner, Zweigelt, Riesling, Müller Thurgau and Blauburgunder vines) by Matthias Messer, accompanied by regional specialties prepared by his wife Evi. On reservation. rielinger.it
The cellar and vineyards Pietradolce, Contrada Rampante, Solicchiata, Castiglione di Sicilia.
Pietradolce
Contrada Rampante, Solicchiata, Castiglione di Sicilia. Tastings in the new, large cellar with designer interiors made of volcanic stone, iron and wood. Don’t miss a visit to the hanging garden. pietradolce.itv
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