Valpolicella Wine Tours (2026): Amarone from Verona

The short version: Valpolicella, the hills just 20 to 30 minutes north of Verona, is the home of Amarone, one of Italy’s richest red wines, made from grapes dried for months before pressing. A half-day tour from Verona visits two family wineries and tastes the whole family: fresh Valpolicella Classico, Ripasso, Amarone and sweet Recioto, often with local cheese and salami. Here is what to taste and how to book.

At a glance

Question	Answer
Where	Valpolicella Classico: Fumane, Negrar, Marano, San Pietro in Cariano, Sant’Ambrogio
From	Verona, 20 to 30 minutes; Lake Garda, about 20 minutes
Grapes	Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella
Styles	Valpolicella, Ripasso, Amarone (dried grapes), Recioto (sweet)
Format	Half-day tours from Verona with 2 wineries, full days with lunch

From Valpolicella to Amarone

The same grapes make four very different wines. Valpolicella Classico is light and cherry-fresh. For Amarone, the best bunches are dried on racks for three to four months (appassimento) and then fermented dry, giving a powerful, velvety wine with notes of raisin, chocolate and spice. Ripasso is Valpolicella refermented on the leftover Amarone skins, a halfway house; Recioto is the original sweet version. The differences are explained in Amarone vs Ripasso vs Valpolicella.

How a Valpolicella tour works

Most tours pick you up in Verona, visit two wineries with drying lofts and cellars, and pour four or more wines with bread, cheese and salami. Some full-day tours add a trattoria lunch. Visit in late autumn to see the grapes drying. Combine it with Verona food tours or the lighter wines of Lake Garda.

Our pick: the From Verona: Amarone Half-Day Wine Tasting Tour takes you into the Valpolicella hills for tastings of Valpolicella, Ripasso and Amarone.

Compare all the regions: the best wine tours in Italy.