Cinqueterre winery tour with wine tasting and pesto class

Cellar, vineyard, three wines, and pesto you make yourself

A combined winery tour and cooking class in Cinqueterre where you visit the BarCa cellar, walk the vineyards between Manarola and Volastra, taste three wines directly in the vineyard, and make fresh basil pesto by hand using the family's traditional method. The guide speaks English or Italian and the experience runs about 90 minutes, ending far from the tourist crowds of the main villages.

Step-by-step itinerary

Winery tour, vineyard walk, wine tasting, pesto class

• Meet at Volastra town entrance
• Visit BarCa cellar and learn winemaking
• Tour vineyards on Manarola-Volastra path
• Learn about grape varieties
• Taste three types of wine in vineyard
• Participate in basil pesto cooking class

The experience

Your guide meets you at the entrance to Volastra and takes you into the BarCa cellar to walk through how the wines are made, from harvest to bottling. You'll learn the differences between the three wines you'll taste later: BarCa Cinqueterre DOC, a sea wine that represents the region; Memento, a macerated white from the oldest vineyard selections; and Rosaluna, a rosé. The cellar sits on the family's own land, so the history and the winemaking process are the same story.

After the cellar, you walk the vineyards along the Manarola-Volastra path. The guide points out the three grape varieties that grow in Cinqueterre (Bosco, Arbarola and Vermentino), and explains how each one behaves differently on these steep terraces. Then you stop in the vineyard itself and taste all three wines where they're made, with the sea visible below. This is the part most visitors never reach: the crowds stay in the villages, and you're standing in the working vineyard.

The tasting comes with a pesto class. You grind fresh basil in a mortar by hand, learning the family's technique as you work. This isn't a demonstration. You're the one making it, discovering why the method matters and how the recipe has stayed the same across generations. The pesto goes with the wine and the view, and you leave with the skill to make it at home.

What’s included

• Cellar tour with an explanation of winemaking from harvest to bottling.
• vineyard walk along the Manarola-Volastra path.
• tastings of BarCa Cinqueterre DOC, Memento white wine, and Rosaluna rosé wine served in the vineyard.
• pesto class where you grind fresh basil in a mortar using the family recipe.

Before you book

Days and timesNext departure: 1 Jun 2027

Book up to6h before

AgesAdult (10 to 65 years) · Under 10: can't be booked

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish and Italian

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

ConfirmationConfirmation within 48 h

Prices and times updated 4 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortPets welcomePublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by BarCa wine

Is this one for you?The walk through the vineyards is moderate and the whole experience runs 90 minutes, so it fits into an afternoon without a full-day commitment. If you want to understand how Cinqueterre wine is actually made and taste it where it grows, without spending hours in the villages, this is the way to do it.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Italian.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What are the three wines I'll taste at BarCa?

BarCa Cinqueterre DOC is the flagship sea wine of the region; Memento is a macerated white made from grapes picked in the oldest vineyard sections; Rosaluna is a rosé. You taste all three directly in the vineyard where they're grown.

Do I need to know how to cook to make the pesto?

No. The pesto class teaches you the family's traditional method of grinding basil in a mortar by hand, and the guide walks you through each step. You'll learn the technique as you make it.

How much walking is involved in the vineyard tour?

You walk the Manarola-Volastra path through the vineyards, which is a moderate trek on the steep terrain of Cinqueterre. The guide meets you in Volastra and takes you through the cellar first, then into the working vineyards where you taste and do the pesto class.

Is the experience crowded with other tourists?

No. The tasting and class happen in the vineyard itself, away from the main villages where most Cinqueterre visitors stay. You're in the working landscape, not the tourist areas.

What's included in the price?

The experience includes the cellar tour, the vineyard walk, tastings of all three BarCa wines, and the pesto class where you make your own. Alcoholic drinks are served only to guests 18 and older.