Who doesn't want to take the opportunity to shop for wine in Italy? We took the motorhome to the wine regions north of Verona to make some smart wine purchases in Valpolicella. Here we took the opportunity to visit the candy shop for wine lovers. We have been to Valpolicella several times before and visited the vineyards. This time we decided to shop smart and cheap at a cantina.
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Valpolicella
Valpolicella is an area in the province of Verona, just north of the city of Verona and just east of Lake Garda. The area is known for its wine production, particularly the Amarone and Ripasso wines, which are full-bodied wines made from partially dried grapes.
The sweet red wine Recioto is also made here, as well as large quantities of wines called Valpolicella, Valpolicella Classico and Valpolicella Superiore. The most common grapes are Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara.
Negrar wine region
Valpolicella's most famous wine regions are Fumane, Marano, Grezzana and Negrar, and it was Negrar that we set the GPS to. This area is known for its elegant and austere wines, and every time we have bought wine here we have been extremely satisfied.
How to make smart wine purchases in Valpolicella?
As you drive through Valpolicella, you pass through the vineyards and all the famous wine producers' signs such as Tommasi, Masi and many more. These major wine producers often have large signs to guide you to their shops.
These shops are of course excellent, especially if you are looking for one of these producers, but there are also other more affordable ways to buy wine. Italians themselves like to go to shops called cantinas. These are smaller wine shops, often made up of co-operatives where several wine producers come together to sell their wines. Here you can find really good Italian wines at low prices. You can also taste if you want to!
Another option is to go to a winery yourself and knock on the door. The advantage of shopping directly at a farm is that it is affordable and can feel very familiar and pleasant. Disadvantages are that it can be harder to find, that you may not be able to speak English with the family and that you will probably have to pay in cash.
Three times before we visited the Viviani winery, at Via Mazzano 8 in Negrar. Here you will find fantastic wines that win several awards every year. In addition, you get to meet nice wine growers and get wonderful views from the farm!
I Cantina Valpolicella Negrar
This time we visited a cantina called Cantina Valpolicella Negrar and located at Via Cà Salgari 2 in Negrar. Many Italians come here themselves to shop. Peter was loaded and prepared with a big trolley!
Nice to shop for wine in Italy
There are good value Valpolicella wines for around 30-40 euros per bottle, and boxed wines for around 65-80 euros per box. There are of course also finer and more expensive wines, but the Italians themselves buy even cheaper. They bring cans and pumps of wine with them, for 12 SEK per litre!
You can, of course, do the same, as long as you make sure to bring large cans with you! If you're planning to go here, it's worth bearing in mind that the shop is closed on Sundays and on Siesta, between about 12:30 and 15:00.
By motorhome to Valpolicella
Bringing your motorhome to Valpolicella is ideal. If you want, you can stay at one of the many campsites along Lake Garda and then make a day trip to Valpolicella. If you're at the south-eastern end of the lake, the drive shouldn't take more than half an hour.
You can also follow our example and park in the car park on Via Fontego in San Pietro in Cariano. This is a barriered site with all the services you need in terms of electricity, water, grey and black water drainage, waste sorting and even undercarriage washing. The Familia supermarket is very close by. The price, including all services, is (in July 2108) 6 euros per day.
To enter through the barriers, you press a button and receive a token. To exit, you place the token in the large compartment (not in the coin slot!) of the machine at the service station so that it can be read. You will be told how much to pay, put the correct amount of coins in the coin slot and press the button to get a receipt. To leave, you insert the token into the machine at the exit. Voilà! The barriers go up and you can leave!
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Ama de casa says:
Wow... It was all a bit tricky to get out there. The first time is probably good if you don't have a lack of time... 😉.
Love wine pumping stations! The first time we saw this phenomenon was in 1998 when we were travelling on a canal boat in France. I immediately ran down to the boat and picked up the two empty 1.5-litre water bottles that we then had "in stock". Refuelled one red and one white.
In the evening, in the dim light, Carina would take a glass of water... Haha! When you think you are going to swallow water and it turns out to be white wine, then an "accident" can easily happen. She sprayed white wine all over the table 😀.
You seemed to be hoarding quite a lot there. Hmm... It is probably not so bad with a motorhome after all 😀.
25 July 2018 - 8:34
Helena says:
Or how, sometimes it is good with a motorhome! 🙂 And haha, I recognise the shock when you expect water and it is something completely different, not as good with wine at that time 😉.
25 July 2018 - 11:33
Anna / Boihusbil says:
Top tips for the campsite and shopping at the cantina. Of course you want to visit a vineyard or two, but you have to be smart with your time too.
25 July 2018 - 8:50
Helena says:
Great if the tips are appreciated! We have been here a few times, and this is a convenient way. But if you have time, it is of course nice to visit wineries too! 🙂
25 July 2018 - 11:35
Nils-Åke Hansson says:
It was wine from there that we got at our daughter's party.
25 July 2018 - 9:00
Helena says:
Then you certainly got good wine! 🙂
25 July 2018 - 19:55
JoY says:
It's so smart to refuel with a canister or a pet bottle - that's what we do too.
Are you still taking your turns slowly down all the bottles?
Hugs
25 July 2018 - 10:51
Helena says:
Smart of you! 🙂 And yes, now we have to drive carefully 🙂.
25 July 2018 - 19:56
Steve says:
A 'goldmine' for wine lovers.
25 July 2018 - 11:35
Helena says:
Really! 🙂
25 July 2018 - 19:56
Frank Olsen says:
Ah, fantastic area with lots of good wine.
I have travelled to this area for work every year between 1998 and 2015, some years several times. In addition to all the good red wines in Valpolicella, there is also the white wine village of Soave, a little further east along the E4 motorway. A lot of good white wine for those who like it on a hot summer day!
25 July 2018 - 14:24
Helena says:
We actually bought white Soave wine too! Don't know why I forgot to write about it... But agree with you, very good!
25 July 2018 - 19:57
åsa i åsele says:
I've actually never heard that you can "refuel" us in a canister... smart 😀.
25 July 2018 - 15:35
Helena says:
Clever, isn't it? 🙂
25 July 2018 - 20:44
Reiselinda says:
Save this post for future trips! Thanks for the tip!
PS! Doesn't that wine glass make you overweight?
25 July 2018 - 15:37
Helena says:
It is possible! We are travelling with unusually little packing this year, so it's not sure if it was that bad. We tried to count a bit 😉 .
25 July 2018 - 20:47
BP says:
There you have bunkered well! Oh I thought that the space in a motorhome is quite limited - hahaha:-)
I know what petrol stations are, but I've never seen wine stations;-) Definitely an alternative use for spare cans;-).
25 July 2018 - 16:01
Helena says:
The space in our campervan is quite generous, but you have to consider the weight... It can be a bit of a limiting factor, but luckily we have quite little packing in general on this trip 😉.
25 July 2018 - 22:37
Britt-Marie Lundgren says:
What a great post to save for future trips. We have only visited vineyards in southern Germany. In Italy we bought really good wines at "ICA".
This year we stayed at Weingut Born in Weinheim. They have arranged a really good pitch/camping on the farm and have a large selection of good wines!
25 July 2018 - 16:37
Helena says:
There are of course several places where you can find good wines! Glad you enjoyed our post!
26 July 2018 - 20:15
GeddFish says:
Motorhomes and caravans have a lot of space, if you plan it that way, because they have a maximum weight as well.
Notice on Peter, there. I love to browse through wines, especially Italian red wines. But it's possible to go on wine trips, like me, that don't have your fantastic opportunities.
A winning wine post 😀
25 July 2018 - 18:00
Helena says:
In terms of space, there are no major problems. But of course, you have to consider the weight!
31 August 2018 - 16:13
Matts Torebring says:
We can get away even cheaper. A bottle now and then for around £50. But I can understand that there is also a certain amount of emotion and excitement around a carton.
25 July 2018 - 21:25
Helena says:
Good that you also find good prices, even if 50 kronor is not cheaper than 30-40...? 😉
31 August 2018 - 16:17
Ditte says:
Perfect for shopping at both wineries and these cantinas" . Have done both here in the area where you have been and with good results. We have also brought 2-litre cans. But we have been here with an old car and had limited space. Good tip with the cantinas because I think many people miss these.
25 July 2018 - 23:10
Helena says:
Glad you brought cans! Seems clever, but we haven't been that foresighted 😉.
31 August 2018 - 16:17
Linda says:
But my God, how fantastic!!!!!! I want in!
26 July 2018 - 20:46
Helena says:
🙂
31 August 2018 - 16:18
Lena - gott för själen says:
But wow! It would be a dream come true! Those wines are so good! But it probably hurts a little in the wine heart, the thing about bottling wine with the hoses in cans then 🙂
Hug Lena
01 August 2018 - 14:21
Helena says:
Sooo good wines here! 🙂
31 August 2018 - 16:18
Anonymous says:
If it is crowded to drive with a motorhome in the area around Negrar, Fumane, there are several parking spaces to choose from, I intend to put the motorhome in a good safe place and then cycle between the vineyards, it is well quite dense between the farms.
07 February 2019 - 5:56