Wine Tasting in Bologna: 10 Places You Have to Try
Flying into Bologna Airport? Get ready for a fabulous holiday! Located in Northern Italy, Bologna is the chief city and capital of Emilia-Romagna, one of the country’s richest regions in terms of gastronomic and wine-making traditions. As the center of an Italian wine-making region, Bologna boasts numerous wine-related events, including Italian wine tasting, wine tours, vineyard visits, and more.
You can’t miss a glass of Pignoletto when visiting the city. It’s the most representative wine of the Bologna hills with a delicate aroma, straw-yellow color, and a bitter end note. It goes well with fish dishes or light white meats. You should also try Barbera, a historical wine produced in the region in the hills of Bologna.
A visit to the Bolognese taverns around the city is one of the best things to do at night in Bologna and an ideal way to taste some international and local wines. Alternatively, you can always join a wine walking tour and participate in a wine tasting in Bologna to delve deeper into its history and tradition. But before choosing a wine bar to try or taking a wine and food tour, leave your unneeded belongings at a Bounce luggage storage facility to explore your destination hands-free. Plan to find your next favorite wine, whether from a rooftop bar or a lovely wine tasting excursion.
Enoteca Regionale Emilia Romagna
Enoteca Regionale Emilia Romagna is a well-established association that’s been around since 1970 to improve and promote the region’s wine production in Italy and abroad. Throughout the year, the wine bar hosts courses and wine tastings conducted by experienced sommeliers. Here, you can discover, taste, and pick from over a thousand selected labels from different producers throughout Emilia-Romagna.
This wine bar and shop is housed in the basement of the 13-century historic Sforza Castle of Dozza. It’s a medieval castle in the town of Dozza, south of Bologna, making it an ideal stop after exploring the monumental fortified castle.
As you head to the basement, not only will you taste the best wines from the region, but you’ll also meet qualified sommeliers you can ask for information and advice. Then they will serve you wines based on the food they’re best served with, from those used as aperitifs to the wines that go well with meat, fish dishes, and cheeses. You’ll also have the chance to taste dessert wines, liqueurs, and spirits. Also available in the wine shop are other specialties, like balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
Location: Piazza Rocca Sforzesca, 40060, Dozza, BO
Signorvino
Signorvino is an obligated stop when visiting the city and trying local wine and authentic Bologna food. It boasts more than 1,500 of the best Italian labels from well-known producers and wines made from organic and sustainable viticulture.
Whether you’re craving some classic reds like Barolo and Amarone or want to try white and sparkling wines, Signorvino has the most famous wines you should try. And if you wish to end your gourmet dinner with spirits and grappas, this wine shop won’t disappoint you.
If you’re feeling hungry, Signorvino offers a lunch and dinner menu. It traditional Italian food like spaghetti c'a pummarola with burrata Apulia, eggplant parmigiana, carbonara, and more. There are also salads, desserts, and first and second courses prepared and cooed to perfection, combined with exclusive labels. We've written a guide on what to eat in Bologna, and you may find some of the treats here!
Look out for wine tastings and other events and activities when planning to visit. Signorvino regularly hosts wine and music activities with DJ sets, lots of wine, food, and other surprises. Overall, this wine bar and restaurant is a great place for food and wine. It's also a minute walk from Piazza Maggiore, making it an ideal place to stop for a drink or light meal while exploring the central square.
Location: Piazza Maggiore, 1c, 40124 Bologna
Medulla Vini
Just a short distance from Piazza Maggiore and the Towers of Bologna, Medulla Vini is a wine bar located in the heart of the city’s historic center. It specializes in organic, natural, and biodynamic wines as opposed to conventional wines you can find on the market. Though a small wine bar, Medulla Vini takes pride in its friendly service, inviting atmosphere, and great music that will elevate your wine tasting experience.
If you don’t intend to stay but want access to good wines to share with loved ones, you can buy white and red wines in bulk. The bottled and bulk wines available at the store are selected from different wineries in Italy, Croatia, and Slovenia. A few selections of wines you can get in bulk include Drops of Amber, Montepulciano, Black of Troy, and Piceno red.
While there, check out any events, classes, and meetings held at the shop. They often include tastings of selected wines, presentations, theoretical discussions, and the study of wines and their composition.
Location: Via Guglielmo Oberdan, 18a, 40126 Bologna BO
Ebrezze
Ebrezze prides itself as the place for every wine and food lover in the heart of the city. It’s a wine shop and cocktail bar offering gourmet food, located near several historical landmarks. These include the medieval gate in the 13th century, Porta Castiglione, a baroque-style palace in the central city, the Palazzo Pepoli Nuovo, and other major attractions.
Unlike any classic wine shop, Ebrezze allows you to buy champagne and Italian wines in the restaurant to take home. You can stop to taste a flavorful glass of wine or pick from their excellent selection of labels in a welcoming setting. When it comes to food, you can order refined dishes for lunch and informal and shareable for dinner. You can also enjoy sophisticated dishes accompanied by the right bottle.
In addition, Ebrezze regularly hosts tastings for tourists and wine enthusiasts. They can also organize personalized wine tastings based on your preferences if you have specific requirements. What’s more, their expert team can provide local wines for special occasions, weddings, anniversaries, and corporate events.
Location: Via Castiglione 11D, 40124 Bologna
Osteria Del Sole
Travel through time at Osteria del Sole, the oldest wine tavern in Bolognia, which has been around since 1465. It’s housed in a 15th-century venue, tucked between shops and old streets and among cultural attractions like the Towers of Bologna and the San Petronio Basilica. It’s a great stop after a tour of the city for a historic meal.
At Osteria del Sole, you can bring your own food and order your favorite Italian wine and drinks. It doesn’t host regular tastings, but it’s still worth mentioning due to its unmatched history. It also has a good collection of red, white, and white sparkling wines, as well as champagne, beer, and liqueurs.
Location: Vicolo dei Ranocchi 1/D, 40124 Bologna
Bologna Tours and Wine Tastings
Bologna is famous for its fantastic wineries and wine production. That’s why your wine tasting experience will never be complete without going out in the field and exploring the beautiful vineyards and wineries in the province and the Bologna Hills. Don’t limit yourself to what you can do; join a guided walking food tour and winery visit!
Azienda Vinicola Golinelli
Founded in 1956, Azienda Vinicola Golinelli is a reputed producer and distributor of some of the world’s best Italian wines. It combines the impressive selection of Emilian fine wines produced in the Imola area with a range of labels from Italy. No matter what type of wine you’re looking for, it has something to satisfy your palate.
Golinelli Winery mainly deals with the wholesale distribution and trade of national wines at competitive prices, particularly the Emilia-Romagna products. It includes Cabernet Sauvignon, one of the world’s most famous red wine grapes, Sangiovese del Rubicone, and the classic sparkling Pignoletto. It also offers over 50 labels from wineries throughout the country.
But Golinelli Winery isn’t only limited to supplying and selling wines and liqueurs to customers. They also participate in regional festivals and host wine tastings on site.
Location: Via Vizzani 57 / A , 40138 Bologna
Tenuta Santa Cecilia
Situated in Croara, on the hills southeast of Bologna, Tenuta Santa Cecilia is an organic winery just a short drive from the city. Due to its proximity to the metropolis, it’s an ideal location for wine tastings, private events, picnics in the wine country, and special celebrations in the vineyards. You and your friends can gather and relax by the fruit trees while savoring its organic products and vintages.
The winery practices organic farming without herbicides or synthetic chemicals. It maintains the natural herbs and grass field and limits the use of sulfites to ensure the freshness and natural flavor of wines. It’s an incredible place to visit with friends and family to get an insight into sustainable and organic farming during your wine tour.
At Tenuta Santa Cecilia, you can taste different versions of the native Pignoletto, such as refermented, superior, and sparkling. Apart from organic wines, it also produces honey, organic fruits like cherries and apples, and extra virgin olive oil.
Location: Via Croara 7/H - Località Croara, 40068 San Lazzaro di Savena, Bologna
Umberto Cesari
About half an hour's drive from the Metropolitan City of Bologna, Umberto Cesari is a winery based in Castel San Pietro Terme. From only a twenty-hectare vineyard in the region, it expanded into 170 hectares perched in the idyllic hillsides of Emilia-Romagna. Today, Umberto is revered in Italian wine-making, offering delicious bottles of wines and unique experiences to visitors and tourists.
For two and a half hour hours, you can enjoy a brief guided tour of the cellar, sip their own Moma wines, and be one with nature in the vineyards. You can also enjoy a wine tasting of Costa di Rose and Colle Belvedere, combined with other regional products. You can also personalize your experience by booking directly on their official website.
Planning an event doesn’t have to be complicated with Umberto Cesari’s Business Events services. Apart from the 18th-century villa at Dozza you can use as a venue, you can also take advantage of their Tasting Room for team-building activities and meetings. It’s a wonderful opportunity to transform your work session into an irresistible food and wine adventure.
Location: Via Stanzano, 2160,Castel San Pietro Terme, 40024 Bologna
Manaresi Agricoltura e Vini
Manaresi is located in Zola Predosa, a municipality in the city of Bologna, about twelve kilometers from the city center. It’s a wine estate that visitors can consider an open house where they can meet, enjoy wines, chat, and deepen their understanding of wine and the area. It doesn’t have the most extensive wine collection in town, but each bottle is a feast to the senses.
Surrounding the winery is green countryside, well-kept lawns, an old park with fruit orchards, and century-old trees. It makes it a suitable space for relaxation and picnics. It also hosts art performances, events, and wine tasting, inside and outside the modern winery.
Location: Via Antonio Bertoloni, 14-16, 40069 Zola Predosa Bolognia
Cantine Zuffa
Nestled at the bottom of the hills of Imola, Cantine Zuffa is an organic winery that continues a five-generation wine-making tradition. Once you visit, you’ll be rewarded with great wines that match their perfectly cooked regional, seasonal, and organic dishes. You’ll also have the chance to taste the Vinea Zuffa Expo 2015 that aged thirty months in oak barrels.
A wine tour at Cantine Zuffa allows you to discover their expert organic wine-making and taste delicious wines matched with local homemade food. If you’re lucky, you might come during one of the special events. It could be an art or photography exhibition, indoor and open-air concert, or theatrical scenes, overflowing with wine and food.
Location: Via Sellustra, 9, 40026 Imola Bologna
Wine Tours and Tastings in Bologna
No trip to Bologna is complete without experiencing wine tasting, a food tour, or a winery visit. As the capital of an Italian wine region and a place known for its rich legendary traditional cuisine, this city is bound to give you exciting gastronomic experiences you won’t have anywhere else.
So after your sightseeing tours, day trips, and marveling at the museums and natural and cultural attractions, fill your 3 days in Bologna (or longer if you have it) with additional wine-related activities and entertainment.
