Wine Tasting in Bari: 8 Places You Have to Try

Flying into Bari Airport? Get ready for lovely beaches and explorations of the old harbor area. Fabulous local food is a must-try and seeing places like Castello Svevo should be on your list.

And when you visit Bari on holiday, you most definitely want to do a little wine tasting. The region is ripe with historic vineyards that produce award-winning wines. There is no better way to become familiar with the wine culture of southern Italy than partaking in wine tastings in the Puglia region.

Wine tasting in Bari is just one great activity for you to enjoy, although if you have children, you will be looking for a babysitter for the day. And after a day of wine tasting, continue the fun. Look for things to do at night in Bari to round out a spectacular day.

Before you start your wine tasting adventure, find a place where you can store your luggage or cumbersome items in Bari. Keep reading to find some of the best places that hold wine tastings in the Apulia region, there are several wonderful options.

Cantine Polvanera

A family-run winery with deep roots in the region, Cantine Polvanera produces incredible wines from the variety of grapes grown in their vineyard. You will enjoy the attentive staff as they guide you through the wine tour and tasting.

Your tour guide has learned the fine art of storytelling as they take you through the history behind Cantine Polvanera winery as well as the reasoning behind each grape variety that they use to produce their various wines. The cave cellar is one of the highlights of the tour. Questions are encouraged as you go through the tour.

As you stroll along the tour, you will fall in love with the surrounding countryside and the peacefulness of the area. You do need to call ahead to make a reservation, the winery does encourage you to call a few days in advance as they cannot always accommodate day-of tours. You can also book on their official website.

During the wine tasting portion of the tour, you can sample seven different wines and learn the difference between wines made from grapes grown on newer or younger vines versus wines made from grapes grown on older vines. Bottles of your favorite wines are available for purchase after the tasting.

Address: Strada Vic le Lamie Marchesana, 601, Gioia del Colle

Terre di San Vito

Located in Polignano a Mare, the Terre di San Vito vineyard is just under two miles to the coast. This family company focuses on the quality of their grapes so they can create fantastic wines. Aside from producing wines, the vineyard also makes extra virgin olive oil.

The vineyard specializes in the Malbec and Sauvignon blanc international grapes but they also cultivate a crop of Bombino Nero and Primitiva, both local grapes. The experience you get when you come for a wine tasting at Terre di San Vito is relaxing and informative.

You begin your tour by learning more about the grounds, the grapes, and the family. As you stroll through some of the vineyards, you are amazed by the wonderful views and the fresh, crisp air coming off the sea.

When you do sit down for the tasting you are served a full lunch and learn how to pair wines with dishes beginning with the freshly baked bread and a dipping sauce made from the extra virgin olive oil they produce. You are put at ease as you dine on delicious food and sip various wines.

After the tasting, you can purchase a bottle or two of your favorite wines and extra virgin olive oil as well as other Apulian products. Their gift shop is amazing and filled with interesting items that would make ideal gifts for loved ones back home.

Address: Contrada Rascinuso, Polignano a Mare

Casa Vinicola Coppi

You will begin your tour in the vineyard that sits next to the Wine House at Casa Vinicola Coppi. You will also stroll through their historic cellar that was built in 1882. The cellar contains unique illustrations of several native Apulian vines as well as older winemaking tools, underground tanks, and barrels. It is an interesting place to visit and learn about the winemaking process.

Casa Vinicola Coppi has been producing wines for over 40 years but the family’s history related to viticulture dates back over 100 years as their knowledge has been passed down through the generations.

Located just to the southeast of Bari, the Coppi Winery has about 247 acres of prime land for growing the best grapes in the region. The winery has another 240 acres that they rent to grow even more varieties of grapes. The winery is best known for producing award-winning Negramaro and DOC Gioia del Colle wines.

Technically, the winery has been in existence since 1882 and was owned by an Apulian winemaker and passed down through their family. Antonio Coppi started working at the winery in the 1960s and officially took over the winery in 1979.

Wine tastings and wine tours generally last an hour and a half and during this time you learn about their philosophy for making great wines and the different agricultural techniques they use to produce quality grapes for their wines.

You will be offered samples of several different wines and learn their history and what foods pair best with them. Cheeses, olives, and other light snacks are offered during the tasting and you do have the opportunity to purchase a few bottles of wine before leaving.

Address: S.P. Turi-Gioia del Colle S.N., Turi

Azienda Agricola Mazzone

This family farm offers a wonderful walking tour of the entire farm including a stroll through the vineyards where award-winning wines are born. You will find one of the best tastings here is Azienda Agricola Mazzone. Check out their cellars during the guided tour where you will fill your lungs with dizzying scents.

Because it is a working farm along with a winery, they do offer several children’s activities so the kids can have a blast while mom and dad take a tour of the grown-up spaces and taste a few of the wines produced on the farm. They offer one of the best wine tastings.

Winemaking just like they did in the old days is exactly what you will see when you come here. They do not use any of the chemical products that are used in modern-day winemaking, therefore, producing organic wines that are bursting with flavor. The winery produces about 70,000 bottles of wine each year, all are stored in the cellar until they are ready for local and international distribution.

If you are lucky enough to visit during grape picking season and subsequent winemaking season you will get an in-depth guided tour complete with detailed information about the entire winemaking process. You will even get to see the finished wine transferred to the cisterns where it rests until being bottled.

After the walking tour, you will enjoy a wine tasting complete with snacks including Italian pretzels called tarali, capocollo, salami, bread, and cheeses as well as mushroom and sun-dried tomato spreads for the bread. While you enjoy award-winning wines you will learn about the history of each wine. Wines are also available for purchase after the tasting.

Address: Strada Provinciale 22 Ruvo Palombaio 460/a, Ruvo Di Puglia

Cantine Colavecchio

Offering a full guided tour through their vineyards and winery, you will find a welcoming staff ready to make your visit pleasant. As you listen to your guide and stroll along you will learn about the seven generations of Colavecchios that have been producing quality wines that are now famous throughout the world.

Visit the ancient Slavonian oak cellar where the wine is stored to age. You will get to taste some of the world-famous wines as well as some that are only offered locally. During the wine tastings, you are offered a wide variety of local delicacies to go with your wine.

Wine tours are about an hour long and take you through the ancient caves where the oak wine barrels were stored. The oldest oak barrels in the cellar were made from oak from the Slavonic region. Newer barrels are made from oak from the French Limousin region.

The most amazing thing is that the entire winery was built in an underground cellar, made from caves, to keep the temperature just right for producing the best wines. Even the tasting rooms are located underground and can accommodate up to 50 people. After the tasting, you can purchase wine or other delicacies that are produced in the Apulia region.

Address: Provincial Road Gioia del Colle 9, Putignano

A Mano Wine

This winery produces phenomenal wines only using Apulian native grapes. The wines are amazing and true to the region’s deep tradition of winemaking. Guided tours are available but reservations are required. You will want to make your reservation a few days in advance. They are only open Monday through Friday until 5:30 p.m.

Their tasting room is located in Centro Storico in Noci, an amazing architectural city. The tasting room is in an ancient palazzo with breathtaking views of the city. You will sip various local wines and local snacks are included. Listen to the history of the vineyard and winery and learn about their winemaking philosophy. Tours and tastings generally last about an hour and a half.

You can also sign up for the more expensive five-bottle tasting with a lunch where you will taste local dishes and learn how to pair wines with certain foods. You will also learn the difference between international grapes and local Apulian grapes including the difference in wine flavors.

Address: Via San Giovanni, Noci

Cardone

Cardone has been creating wines since 1970 and the winery has been handed down to the next generation. They are old-school in their production methods creating delicious wines without industrializing the process. It is a smaller-scale winery so they have not needed to bring in the big guns and produce on a larger scale.

While they do not still stomp the grapes like in the old days, they do use old-world knowledge and experience to produce solid, fragrant wines that are pleasing on the tongue. Your guided tour will take you through the vineyard and into the cellar where you will see all the phases that the grapes go through to produce wine.

You can choose to enjoy your tasting in the cellar or if the weather is nice, you can have a seat in the vineyards and sip some wine. Local snacks included in the price of the tasting include olives, cheeses, bread, and various types of meat. You do have to make a reservation for one of their wine tasting sessions and it is best to make the reservation in advance as their tours fill quickly.

Address: Via Martiri della Libertá 32, Locorotondo

Azienda Agricola Lippolis

This farm was started in 1985 when the Lippolis family decided to make a career out of farming and agriculture including the production of local wine and olive oil. The family already owned and operated a successful butcher shop but wanted to diversify and become more in tune with their natural surroundings. 

Aside from making their wine and oils, Azienda Agricola Lippolis offers a wide variety of high-quality Apulian products from jams and spreads to cheeses. You can even find local artisans offering their goods here as well. 

Wine tastings are common here and you will find the stories shared by your guide to be fun and informative. You will have the chance to taste typical aperitifs from the region and learn about their history during your wine tasting. Reservations are not required but are strongly encouraged.

Address: Via Pompeo Sarnelli 66, Polignano a Mare

Wine Tours and Wine Tastings

Winery tours in Bari are some of the best things to do when you do not have your kids in tow unless you can find a winery that hosts kids' activities as well. Whether you are planning sightseeing tours where tasting wines are included or you are specifically looking for wine tastings in Bari, you will find plenty to choose from.

There is even a wine museum in the region you can check out that has an interesting section on Italian food history. A wonderful trip to Bari must include wine at some point, southern Italy has some of the best vineyards in the country. Check out how to spend 3 days in Bari to make the most of your visit.