Best Wine Tasting Tours in Rome

Not exactly a 'wine tour' but the founder of Eating Italy Food Tours, Kenny Dunn does touch a little bit about wine during his 3-hour food tour. What's nice about this tour is that Kenny take you away from your comfort zone, out of the center of Rome and invites you to this typical working-class neighborhood called Testaccio. Here, tourists get the chance to go on a tour and learn about the history of the open air-market in Testaccio, taste food from the famous gourmet specialty food shop Volpetti, and sample other dishes and desserts from various pizza shops, restaurants and gelaterie.

Get ready because Eataly has touched down in Rome. The giant gourmet food chain opened up its romana location in the former air terminal at Ostiense station right along side with Italy's newest and fastest (and private) railway Italo. The new Italian culinary complex is the biggest store to date. It covers over 17,000 meters of space and is spread out over 4 floors. At the food market, one can shop from over 14,000 different 'Made in Italy' products to choose from. Eataly also features more than 23 restaurants and snack bars. There are also tasting stands where one can sample some of the finest Roman and Italian delicacies while crossing off all of your items on your shopping list. Eataly also organizes degustazioni (wine tastings) of wines from various regions from Lazio, Sicily and Calabria to Tuscany and Trentino. At Eataly, one can embark on a cooking class by getting their hands dirty in the cucina and learn from some of the Italia's finest top chefs.

Whether you're looking for that unique bottle of wine to bring back home or a nice quiet place to sit and indulge in glass of Brunello, Enoteca Costantini is your place. Located in the prominent Piazza Cavour, Costantini was born in 1972. It was one the first enoteca to open in up in Rome. Today, the shop features more than 800 labels of wines and over a thousand different types of spirits. BUS:492, 30, 49.

Citt? del Gusto is a culinary institution specializing in what else? Food. Well, they also specialize in wine as well. The gastronomical complex is spread out over six stories which includes a wine car, a caf? and restaurant, a book shop, an exhibition and conference hall where special events are organized. They also hold cooking classes for both amateurs and those seeking to be a professional chef. Citt? del Gusto also features monthly wine-tasting events showcasing wines from Sicily and Sardegna to Tuscany and the Veneto regions. METRO: Marconi

Context Travel is an American tour comany operating in cities all over Italy and Europe. What makes their 'tours' so special is that they're not actually tours but rather small walking seminars. Rather than using tour guides, Context uses professors, docents and experts in the field to lead the walks. Their walks are catered to the 'intellectually curious' or people who are interested in taking a class while on vacation rather than just following a typical tour guide with an umbrella. Context firmly believes in sustainable travel. Therefore, their walking seminars never exceed more than 8 people per group. Their seminars cover everything from Ancient and Religious Rome, Renaissance and Baroque Art, Architecture, Food seminars and even wine tastings. Context has a specialized wine walk lead in Rome by a professional sommelier. During the course, the sommelier takes the group to two typical enoteche where he/she teaches you about the history of wine making, seasonal wines and how to pair your wine with certain foods.

Katie Parla is a food and travel writer based in Rome who does small, private specialized tours on food, wine, art and archeaology. Around Italy, she is considered to be a food guru and has a pretty extensive blog to show for it www.parlafood.com. Per request, she can take you on tours teaching you about traditional Roman Cuisine, Rome's Open Air Markets, Craft Beer, and Local Regional Wines. Her specialty wine tour takes a look at the bureacracy behind the wine industry in Italy, history of wine making and also teaches you how to pair your wine with the appropriate foods. Katie has written for various travel publications such as National Geographic Traveler, Insight Guides, TimeOut, Fodors and the New York Times. She is also a trainer sommelier.

Dark Rome is one of the top tour groups in Rome specializing in everything from historical and religious sights to culinary tours and wine tastings in the local vineyards. Dark Rome does an exceptional wine tour near Rome in the local nearby vineyards of Frascati. The tour is roughly 3.5 hours long where travelers get to visit one of the oldest vineyards belonging to the Pallavincini estate in the Castelli Romani (Roman Castles) region. On the tour, visitors will get to visit over 200 acres of the estate's vines, learn about the process of making wine and sample three different types of red and white wines explained by a professionally-trained sommelier.

Walks of Italy is an American company that specializes in small English-language led tours of major historical sights in Rome, Florence, Pisa, Venice, Milan, Umbria, Pompei and the Amalfi coast. They feature tours on the Vatican Museums and the Roman Forum to the leaning tower of Pisa and the Uffizi museum in Florence. They also organize culinary tours and cooking classes. If you wish to visit the vineyards of Tuscany, they arrange for a full day on a private farmhouse. The tour includes a full home cooked meal, wine tastings and lessons on truffles and how to make cheese.

When in Rome Tours takes wine enthusiasts on a tour of three different towns in the Castelli Romani. The tour takes you to three family-run vineyards in Tenimento di Casamara, Velletri e Montecompatri. The tour starts off in a family run vineyard and wine cellar that dates back to the 1700s. Visitors will get to taste various different white and red wines from the Frascati region including Frascati Doc. Tourists will also get the chance to sample extra-virgin olive oil and visit the historical city center of Frascati.