I have been meaning to leave a review of our experience with Visit Prosecco since it was a huge highlight of our trip and such a relaxing day. I am going to go into tons of detail since I highly recommend doing a tour through this company and I am sure people are curious about how it actually goes!
My boyfriend and I were staying in Venice for 4 nights, so I wanted to hit a winery at some point during our long stay there. My research led me to the Prosecco Valley and specifically, this service. Do not do the Prosecco Valley any other way, this is a little pricier than some of the canned/commercialized tours that TripAdvisor or air BnB might offer, but it is absolutely well worth the money. We went in Mid-September and decided to go with the 6-hour tour, honestly, the 8 would have been great too but I am just so glad we didn’t do any less!
We took the train from Venice to Conegliano (less than an hour, 8 euro/person) to meet our driver Alessio. This is very easy so I suggest meeting your driver at least a little up North. I was contacted by Alessio beforehand about timing, and he was going to meet us at the train station. He was about 5 minutes late but very kindly let me know by text, no big. His car was spotless and had water, candy, wipes, etc. for us in the back. He let us know that he was not a tour guide per say, but would be bringing us to the vineyards. I had done a little research into some vineyards that looked neat, but he let me know that he had booked 3 tastings for us. This was perfect and I would honestly trust your driver! They have great relationships with the best vineyards, you can tell.
So some background, we went during mid-September which the website advised not to go during. We could not really go out into the vineyards to see the grapes and all that but were told that it was because this is their busiest season (i.e., machinery and workers everywhere, so sort of dangerous). I knew this beforehand and was afraid this would impact our trip, it did not in the SLIGHTEST. The coolest part of going during this time was that we had virtually PRIVATE tours/tastings at all 3 vineyards. We felt like royalty.
Our first vineyard was ~5 minutes from Conegliano and was called Collalto. There, we had a wonderful private tour guide bring us through their wine cellars and show us a ton of history about the winery. We then went to a beautiful tasting room where we had a classy set up of glasses, water and breadsticks (mind you, still just us, which was so cool). I forgot our tour guide’s name but he was so professional and attentive. We took it easy and stuck with just the tasting since it was 10 AM, but bought a bottle to go from there. Learned that we loved Proseccoo and also learned alot about the different types. This is considered a medium-sized winery and was a great first stop.
Our second and probably my personal favorite was our next winery, the family-run, and much smaller Gregoletto. Here, we were greeted by a much more casual younger girl whose family owned the vineyard. While this was more casual than our last, Amy was absolutely nothing short of articulate, talkative, and attentive. She brought us into the cellars too and then upstairs into a much smaller area but seriously equally beautiful tasting room. The view from the window was breathtaking. Amy fed us local snacks (cow cheese, homemade cookies, bread, salami.. we actually got full). Here we had the classic tasting and also bought extra glasses of wine. Amy was so sweet and funny, and once we figured out she was practically our age we got to talking for probably close to an hour about things other than wine. We also purchased a bottle of Prosecco here. This vineyard also makes its own beer!
We had originally planned to go to lunch after this (Allesio said he was going to bring us to a local Osteria) as opposed to a picnic type area with a view, but we had so many snacks at Gregoletto that we let Alessio know we weren’t really hungry anymore. He had no issue with our change of plan and said he could take us to a wonderful area where we could buy snacks if we wanted and sit and relax. We went to the area on a hill right above Col Vetorazol (about 35-40 minutes drive?). I can’t stress enough that this is a must-see. There is a little shed type house with wine openers, cups, cutlery, napkins, and food for sale based on an honor system (just leave money and take, no one actually working). There is even a book where you can sign and a ton of wine bottles hanging everywhere. There are picnic tables uphill with chairs and shade, with the most stunning view I think I saw in all of Italy. The vineyards sprawling out for miles, and mountains in the background. Me and my boyfriend brought our recently purchased bottle of prosecco and sat up here for over an hour in the shade. We were the only ones here, it was such a romantic spot to sit and relax. Alessio couldn’t have been more perfect, he showed us where everything was and then let us be alone and told us to take our time, and come back to the car when ready for the next tasting.
Our 3rd and last vineyard (our next tasting) was right at the bottom of the hill of where we just were. This vineyard was definitely the most stunning and modern, with floor to ceiling glass walls, a huge beautiful wooden bar, and a very modern look to it. Here, we sat in a large tasting table right near the bar. There were actually other people here at this one (a first for us all day, a family just drinking and relaxing). The other vineyards had a 3-wine tasting, here they offered us a 7-wine tasting so we shared each glass, we did not mind. After the tasting, we ordered a glass at the bar and also bought another bottle to bring home with us. We were conscious of time (It was about 3:15) but Alessio told us not to worry and to take our time. We left around 3:30 and got back to the train around 4:15 I think. Our tour was 6 hours, from 10-4.
In addition, we tipped Alessio what we felt he deserved (he did an amazing job so 20% of the cost) and he seemed so surprised! We could not imagine tipping less since he drove us around for 6 hours and was so fantastic, but I know in Italy the tipping is a bit different. We still felt obliged to tip well.
If you are on the fence about this, book it. It is great for couples and groups alike. It really blew away our expectations and it was so nice to get off of our feet and get out of Venice for a day of relaxation, drinking, and being waited on. Expertly planned, unique, and memorable experience.