Italy produces an enormous amount of world-class table wines and cooking wines, as well as a huge variety of food products, from Parmesan and mozzarella cheese to olive oils and kinds of pasta. From Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany to Sicily and Sardinia, there are numerous destinations for food and wine tours in Italy. For the best of the best, however, we recommend focusing on Piedmont wine tours.
Of all 20 designated wine regions in Italy, Piedmont, in the country’s northwestern corner, is arguably the best destination to explore.
There’s more than one reason for that, including its accessibility, the beautiful landscape, its relative quietness, and, above all, the truly phenomenal wines produced there. All this is exactly why UNESCO has designated the Piedmont wine region a World Heritage Site.
So, if you’re looking for the best food and wine tours in Italy to take during your trip, you should definitely consider one of the many Piedmont wine tours. While planning, take the following three tips into account.
3 Things You Shouldn’t Forget to Include in Food and Wine Tours in Piedmont
1. Pick the Region That Has the Most Authentic Wines
If you’re going on a food and wine tour in Italy, why not make sure you’re doing that in the best possible region? Although all Italian wine regions are amazing–don’t get us wrong!–there are still a few that are “better” than others.
After all, some wine regions produce basically the same kinds of wine as others, without much characteristic distinction. Piedmont, however, has numerous wines that are authentic to the region itself. This means they’re essentially not found elsewhere in Italy.
Great examples of those wines are Barbaresco, Barolo, Barbera, Arneis, Moscato d’Asti and Dolcetto. It’s this unique palette of regional wines, combined with the region’s centuries-old history and wonderful cultural landscape that spurred UNESCO to offer it global protection as a World Heritage Site.
So, for authentic regional wines, there’s no better thing you can do than join one or more Piedmont wine tours!
2. Visit the Less-Crowded Places
The Piedmont region in northwestern Italy, despite its star status in the wine world, remains pretty much under the radar in the global tourism industry. It appears in the spotlight much less often than other Italian wine regions like Tuscany, Campania, and Emilia-Romagna. This is, however, absolutely not a bad thing.
In fact, Piedmont wine tours are still the way they’re supposed to be: authentic, locally based, family-friendly, small-scale, and hands-on.
Additionally, the Piedmont UNESCO World Heritage Site is made up of two different regions, both of which are beautiful and have their own unique characteristics. Monferrato lies in the northern part, home to award-winning restaurants, world-class wineries, and rich literary history.
The other part is the Langhe Region, which makes up the southern area of Piedmont. This is arguably the number one greatest destination for food and wine tours in Italy.
As a culinary hotspot, you can discover and taste the famed white truffles of Alba, local cheese, and a wine-growing tradition that goes back to Roman times. A Langhe wine tour is, therefore, highly recommend.
3. Create an Itinerary That Goes Beyond Just Food and Wine
While there’s something to say for focusing on one topic, and covering all its aspects in great detail, we’d like to think that the best food and wine tours in Italy are those that also include something extra. Whether it’s a visit to a historic landmark or a fun outdoor activity, this gives the tour more depth.
Take a Langhe wine tour, for example. If you can explore this amazing wine region in a fun way, such as with an e-bike or Vespa, this makes the experience much more experiential. And this is exactly why we offer e-bike Langhe wine tours! If you prefer you can also choose a fantastic Vespa Tour!
Food and Wine Tours in Italy With Slow Days
If the thought of exploring one of Italy’s top wine regions excites you to no end, we strongly recommend zooming in on the Piedmont wine tours. For more information about our own food and wine tours in Italy’s northwestern Piedmont region, we’d like to refer to our tours page, which contains all our tour packages.
We’d also like to point out that our tours are available as pre-created packages, but are also entirely customizable. If you have any requests, desires, or wants, just tell us and we’ll put together the perfect Piedmont wine tours for you and your group.
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