The Grand tour of Valpolicella: 2 Wineries, Lunch & Amarone focus

Amarone tastes better with a day plan. This 5-hour Valpolicella outing from Verona is built around Valpolicella wine culture, with you meeting producers and tasting Amarone across different vintages and styles. I love how intimate it feels for the time you’re out there, and I love the hands-on focus on how the wine actually gets made.

One heads-up: if you have dietary limits, you must communicate them in advance. The wineries are not restaurants, and the tour can’t promise substitutions if the intolerance wasn’t shared ahead of time.

Key Things That Make This Valpolicella Tour Worth Your Time

• Producer meet-ups at small estates, not just a walk-through and a quick pour
• Amarone DOCG flight across different vintages, plus limited-edition IGT wines
• Lunch paired with Valpolicella styles, with seasonal Veronese dishes and sweet pairings
• Panoramic stops for photos of the Amarone hills during the drive
• Door-to-door wine shipping service so you can buy bottles without hauling them home

Why Valpolicella Works So Well as a Verona Day Trip

Valpolicella is one of the easiest wine regions to enjoy from Verona because you’re not losing half the day to logistics. Your tour time is about 5 hours, and you start from P.za Bra, 28 at 10:00 am, then head out into the hills.

The drive matters more than you’d think. You get built-in photo breaks and a sense of place as the scenery shifts toward the Amarone country. It’s a simple way to “see the map” of the wine region without needing a rental car and a plan B for parking.

Price and Logistics: What You Get for About $272

At $272.21 per person, you’re paying for more than tastings. This tour bundles transport (private vehicle or Mercedes minivan), snacks, lunch, a structured wine program, and a special Amarone tasting that includes multiple vintages.

Here’s the value in plain terms: you’re covering the cost of getting out there safely, getting you into wine-cellar time with the people making the wine, and feeding you in between. When you add the included door-to-door wine shipping service, it can also turn into a practical bargain if you plan to bring bottles back.

Also, this isn’t a giant bus program. It has a maximum of 12 people, which helps you actually hear the explanations and ask questions during tastings.

The First Leg in Marano di Valpolicella: Producer Time and Amarone Focus

Your day starts in Marano di Valpolicella, and the first winery stop is where the tour’s tone clicks into place. You’re guided through the local story of the region, then brought into wine production and tasting with the winemakers themselves.

This is where the day leans hard into Amarone. You’ll taste Valpolicella wines that connect to the Amarone world, including limited-edition Amarone and the styles the region is known for, like Ripasso and Recioto. The goal isn’t just drinking wine—it’s learning what’s behind the glass, so the rest of your tastings make more sense.

One thing I like about this structure: you’re not stuck in a single room the whole time. You get moments for walking among the vines and picking up details that explain why Valpolicella tastes the way it does. If you’re a note-taker, this first stop is where your notes will pay off later.

Stop 2 in San Giorgio di Valpolicella: Lunch in a Historic Winery Setting

Next comes San Giorgio di Valpolicella, and this is your food-and-wine anchor of the day. You’ll enjoy lunch in an intimate, historic winery setting dating back to the 1500s, with a menu that’s built around local flavors and wine pairings.

The lunch portion includes:

• home made bruschetta
• grilled polenta
• a main dish from veronese cuisine (seasonal)
• some chocolate and cookies (seasonal)

It’s paired with Valpolicella wines as part of the program, not served as an afterthought. And you’ll see how the tour handles pairing in a very practical way: dark chocolate is included for Amarone pairing, and you also get sweets tied to styles like Recioto DOCG.

The real advantage here is pacing. You’re tasting, learning, eating, then tasting again without the day feeling rushed or disconnected. If you want a Verona food experience that goes beyond pizza and pasta, this lunch is a strong reason to book.

Stop 3 in Sant’Ambrogio di Valpolicella: Indigenous Grapes and the Grappa Toast

In the afternoon you head to Sant’Ambrogio di Valpolicella for the final winery visit. This part is built around grapes and methods: you walk through the vineyards and learn about indigenous grape varieties in the Valpolicella area.

Then you move into your tasting session, and the day finishes with a grappa toast together. That last toast matters because it gives the tour a clear ending point. You go from theory and tastings into a shared moment that feels more celebratory than a standard tasting flight.

Amarone is the thread that keeps showing up here. The tour’s emphasis on how Amarone is made helps you understand why it tastes the way it does and why the region has such a strong identity beyond one single label.

The Amarone DOCG Tasting: How to Make This Flight Work for You

This tour includes a special tasting of Amarone DOCG in different vintages, plus some limited-edition IGT wines. That’s a big deal for anyone who’s curious how time in the bottle changes aroma, texture, and how the wine finishes.

To get the most from it:

• Take a moment before the first pour to decide what you care about most: aroma, sweetness level, or structure.
• Try tasting with the room in mind. Amarone is powerful, so focus on how the wine changes as you go through the vintages rather than trying to compare everything at once.
• If you’re buying wine, this is also when you figure out what style you actually want to drink later, not just what tastes best in the cellar.

If you love Amarone, this segment is the heart of the day. If you’re still deciding whether you like it, the vintage approach is a friendly way to learn without guessing.

Snacks, Pairings, and the Small Touches That Keep the Day Moving

You’re not arriving at wineries empty-handed. Included snacks include local cheeses DOP, salami DOP, dark chocolate to pair with Amarone, and additional sweets.

That sounds like standard tour food—until you realize it’s part of the pairing program. Instead of eating randomly between tastings, the food is timed to the wine styles you’re tasting. It helps you notice how salt, fat, and chocolate react differently with wines from the same region.

You’ll also likely get more than the average number of pours for a half-day tour. People who’ve done wine tours often care about volume, and this one has enough structure that you can taste widely without the day turning into a blur.

Transport and the “Small Group” Advantage

You travel by private vehicle or Mercedes minivan, and the tour is led by a certified local driver. Your driver keeps the schedule running and the group together, which is huge in wine country when distances aren’t huge, but timing still matters.

In practice, the small group helps you get quick answers from the people hosting tastings. The best wine days aren’t just about what you drank—they’re about the questions you asked and the way you connected those answers to what’s in the glass.

Past participants have praised guides such as Virginia, Jacobo, and Diana for setting the tone and keeping the day fun, organized, and easy to follow. Even without naming a specific guide, you can expect that the tone is designed for comfort, not chaos.

Buying Wine and Shipping It Home Without the Stress

If you plan to bring wine home, the included door-to-door wine shipping service is one of the smartest perks on the page. You can buy bottles at the wineries during the day and avoid hauling luggage wine across airports.

This matters because wine shopping often becomes a trade-off: either you buy, or you travel light. With shipping built into the tour experience, you don’t have to make that choice.

Just keep in mind that shipping is tied to the tour, so plan to ask about how purchases are handled during the visit.

Who This Tour Fits Best (and Who Might Want Something Else)

This tour fits best if you:

• want a structured Amarone-and-Valpolicella day from Verona
• like small estates and meeting producers
• care about pairings and learning how wine production works
• want transport and lunch handled for you

I’d think twice if you:

• have dietary intolerance that you did not plan to communicate in advance
• want a purely self-guided day where you choose every stop yourself
• are hoping for a full restaurant-style meal with lots of custom options (the wineries are not restaurants)

How to Prepare for the 10:00 am Start from P.za Bra

This starts at 10:00 am and meets at P.za Bra, 28, 37121 Verona VR. You’ll receive a mobile ticket, and the meeting point is near public transportation, which makes it easier to avoid extra stress if you’re staying in the center.

Wear comfortable shoes. Even when walking is short, vineyard paths and cellar stairs are part of the experience. Also, if you have any food intolerance, message it before you go, so the tour can understand what’s possible for your day.

Should You Book This Valpolicella Amarone Tour?

If you want a classic Verona wine day that doesn’t require planning, I think this is a strong choice. The mix of two-winery style visits, a lunch built around Valpolicella, and the standout Amarone DOCG tasting across vintages makes it feel focused instead of random.

Book it if Amarone is on your list, or if you want to learn why Valpolicella has such a strong identity. Pass if you need guaranteed dietary substitutions you haven’t already arranged, or if you’d rather spend a full day on your own schedule.

FAQ

How long is the Grand tour of Valpolicella?

It runs for about 5 hours.

What time does the tour start, and where is the meeting point?

The start time is 10:00 am, and the meeting point is P.za Bra, 28, 37121 Verona VR, Italy.

Is the tour in English?

Yes, it’s offered in English.

How big is the group?

The tour has a maximum of 12 people.

What’s included in the price?

Transport by private vehicle or Mercedes minivan, a certified local driver, visits to 2 wineries, snacks, lunch, a special Amarone DOCG tasting in different vintages (plus some limited-edition IGT wines), panoramic photo stops, meeting producers, and door-to-door wine shipping service.

What food is included for lunch?

Lunch includes home made bruschetta, grilled polenta, a main dish from veronese cuisine, plus some chocolate & cookies. The dishes are seasonal.

Can they accommodate food intolerances on the day?

If any food intolerance wasn’t communicated in advance, the tour cannot provide different alternatives.

Do you need to bring admission tickets?

The stops list admission as free, and the experience includes the winery visits and tastings as part of the tour package.

Is free cancellation available?

Yes. You can cancel for a full refund up to 24 hours before the experience start time.