Everything You Need to Know About Wine Tasting in Milan

There is a lot to know about wine tasting in Milan, like in most places of Italy. Milan is surrounded by many fantastic Italian wine regions like Franciacorta, Valtellina and even the Langhe in Piedmont isn’t too far away. If you are in town for just a short trip, it can be tough to fit in a little wine-tasting trip.

So, we thought: why not taste your way through the city directly? We want to share a few of our favorite spots to go wine tasting in Milan and make memorable experiences.

Of course, if you are down for a trip to the vineyards, scroll down and you’ll find out more about nearby wine regions that you can also enjoy.

Discover Milan’s wine tasting experiences while enjoying the city. Photo credit: Nellie Adamyan

Wineries in Milan

Milan, of course, has plenty of excellent enoteche―wine bars, where you can enjoy a glass at any time. Yet, there are a few places in the city where you can take your wine experience a step further, with tasting, or with a peek into a charming vineyard.

Did you know that right in the city there is actually a winery and a little vineyard? Cantina Urbana is the only so-called urban winery, producing wine directly within the city. At the same time, there are fascinating places full of history, culture, and wine-making passion. Let’s explore these hidden gems of wine tasting in Milan. 

In Milan, you can find extraordinary and unique wine tasting experiences.

Cantina Urbana winery

Every step of the wine-making process, from grape selection to refinement, occurs right within the heart of Milan. Cantina Urbana was born with the idea to follow a passion for artisan quality and conviviality, and to make both accessible to all.  The founder, Michele Rimpici, brought together 5 other winemakers to make this dream a reality.

They invite visitors to taste their wines at a number of locations around Milan, but what they really love is when you come to find them proprio in cantina, right at the winery. A major part of their philosophy is participation and bringing people to the center of wine. 

They produce a wide range of wines, including sparkling, pet-nat, whites, rosè, and reds. There is a bottle ready for every wine drinker.

You can enjoy a special led tasting of their wines, a tasting of their amphora-refined wines, or a “make your wine” experience, all at their primary location on Via Ascanio Sforza, 87, in Milan. 

Definitely consider the Make Your Wine experience, as it takes you beyond the traditional tasting, and it lets you fully immerse yourself into a life of winemaking.

The Make your wine experience is certainly memorable and unique. Photo credit: Caroline Attwood

La Cieca

The most fun way to taste wine? Blind! La Cieca (Via Carlo Vittadini, 6), meaning blind in Italian, is a wine bar unlike any other. It’s a tiny hole-in-the-wall enoteca. In fact, you might miss it if you weren’t searching for it. It’s a local favorite, and a favorite of wine connoisseurs from all over Italy. 

Here, you can participate in a wine tasting of their extensive selection, either by choosing your own lineup of variety or vintage, or leaving it all in the hands of the professional sommelier at the bar. 

But to give yourself even more of a challenge, ask for a wine alla cieca. They’ll serve you a blind-tasting glass, and you’ll have to guess what you can about the wine. If you get the variety or region right, the glass is on the house. If you can provide even more details, like the producer and name of the wine, well then you’ll get a whole bottle!

Try your luck (and experience) at a blind wine tasting for a chance to get a free glass of wine.

Signorvino

Signorvino is a chain enoteca, but even so, they offer a great selection of small producers, and highlight some unique wines whenever they can, with all the authentic Italian charm and expertise. There are many locations, and one is nearby the Duomo.

While you can go any day and enjoy a glass of wine, and a bite to eat, they also host wine-tasting events quite regularly. These tasting events might be by producer, vertical, meaning by vintage, or horizontal, comparing the same vintage but different producers or styles.

Usually, their wine tasting in Milan includes a full glass, plus an accompanying bite to eat. Keep an eye on their website for future events.

Discover Signorvino’s many locations and explore their wide selection of wines. Photo credit: Camille Brodard

Milano Wine Week

Besides the renowned Fashion Week, there’s another famous week in Milan. If you find yourself in Milan in early October, you’ll be welcomed to the city with plenty of wine tasting! The Milano Wine Week is a one-week event where stores and enoteche open their doors to visitors for masterclasses, tastings, and special dining events.

While there are many events reserved for industry professionals, many more are open doors for wine lovers of all kinds. Keep an eye on the official website to find out more about their events and the tastings available. 

Discover Milan Wine Week’s many events to learn more about wine.

Wine tasting near Milan

Milan is an excellent central location to visit many of Northern Italy’s famous wine regions. With just a short drive, you can plan a day trip to the vineyards of Franciacorta, Oltrepò Pavese, and even the Langhe, or Monferatto.

To visit these regions, you might have to rent a car, or join in a tour, but being close you definitely can fit a few winery visits into one day.

These regions produce extraordinary wines that will expand your perception of this fine drink.

Franciacorta

If you are a big bubbly lover, you will want to take a trip to Franciacorta. The region along the southern coast of Lago d’Iseo is famous for sparkling wines made following the metodo classico.

Blends of Pinot Nero and Chardonnay are fermented a second time in the bottle, with months of fermentation time, to produce complex layers of aroma and flavor.

The region also produces still wines under the name Curtefranca. These wines include blends of Chardonnay and Pinot Bianco, or red blends of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, or Merlot. You can certainly find them in almost any wine tasting in Milan, too.

Franciacorta grapes will surprise and amaze you. Photo credit: Consorzio Franciacorta

Oltrepò Pavese

Just south of Milan, the Oltrepò Pavese region is well known for its Pinot Nero wines, both sparkling or still.

While not very famous outside of Italy, this region is not to be overlooked. You’ll find many excellent producers and beautiful vineyards to explore this hidden gem. 

Also, keep it in mind when you’re wine tasting in Milan, as you’ll surely find wines from this region in the best places.

Leave Milan behind for a day and enjoy these extraordinary views with delicious wines. Photo credit: Terensky

Langhe & Monferrato

A bit further away into the region of Piedmont, you can discover two renowned wine regions: The Langhe, and Monferrato. If you don’t have the time to visit, make sure to ask for some of these wines during your wine tasting in Milan.

The Langhe, you probably have heard of, even if you don’t know it by name: this is where the famous Barolo and Barbaresco are produced.

Monferrato, on the other hand, is often just off the beaten path, but it is one of Piedmont’s most productive wine regions. Here you can try Barbera d’Asti, Nebbiolo, Freisa, and one of our favorites: Ruchè!

Sparkling wine lovers will also find a new favorite wine here with the Alta Langa―another blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Nero made with the metodo classico, much like Franciacorta.

Langhe and Monferrato grapes are unique, explore this Italian regions near Milan. Photo credit: Andrea Cairone