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Shopping for wine in Italy - smart wine buying in Valpolicella

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.

Valpolicella, Bardolino och Soave
Valpolicella, Bardolino and Soave

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.

Valpolicella vindalar
Negras in Valpolicella

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!

Handla vin i Italien
Peter finally gets to shop for wine in Italy!

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!

Vingård Valpolicella
This picture is from our visit to Viviani in November 2015.

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!

Cantina Valpolicella negrar
Welcome to Cantina Valpolicella Negrar
Cantina Valpolicella
Time to make some smart wine purchases in Valpolicella!

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.

Vinköp i Valpolicella
Shopping for wine in Italy ... not easy to choose!
Fina viner Valpolicella
A room for those who want to make fine wine purchases in Valpolicella
Fylla på vin
If you bring a bottle, you can buy wine here!
handla vin på cantina
We didn't have any cans with us ... but instead Peter got a lot of boxes!

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.

Ställplats Area Comunale, San Pietro in Cariano
FREEDOM at the San Pietro in Cariano car park

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!

Area Comunale, San Pietro in Cariano
Peter reads the instructions at the service station
All our top tips on Italy. Click on the image!

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