Liguria is not a region of grand wine estates. It is a thin strip of cliffs and valleys where vines grow on hand-built terraces, grapes ride down the slopes on small monorails, and most producers are tiny. This guide covers the wines worth knowing, six estates that take visitors, a realistic itinerary and where to stay, with ideas for a partner who is less into wine.
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Quick answer: wine in the Cinque Terre and Liguria
- Best estate for a first visit: Cantina Cinque Terre, the cooperative above Manarola, with a vineyard walk and Sciacchetrà.
- Best tasting experience: a small-group vineyard tour with Possa in Riomaggiore, led by the grower.
- Best base: Portovenere, with boats to the villages and the Colli di Luni about 50 minutes by car.
- Best months: May, June and September; harvest usually falls in September.
- What to book ahead: every tasting (one to two days’ notice, sometimes a minimum group), a driver and your hotel.
This guide adds Liguria to our complete guide to Italian wine regions. If you want to see the same coast from the water, pair it with our guide to Portofino and the Cinque Terre by boat.
Check prices and availability
The Cinque Terre villages have few luxury rooms. La Spezia and the Gulf of Poets give you more choice within reach of the vineyards.
The wines: grapes, appellations and styles
Liguria makes small quantities of mostly white wine. These names matter for a visit.
- Cinque Terre DOC: a dry white from Riomaggiore, Vernazza, Monterosso and parts of La Spezia. The rules require at least 80% Bosco, Albarola and/or Vermentino. Three sub-zones in Riomaggiore (Costa de Sera, Costa de Campu, Costa da Posa) can appear on labels.
- Cinque Terre Sciacchetrà: a sweet passito from the same grapes, dried after harvest until they reach a potential alcohol of at least 19%. They may not be crushed before 1 October, the yield is capped at 32% of the grape weight, and the wine is released from 1 October of the following year (the third year for the Riserva).
- Colli di Luni DOC: the hills around Sarzana and Castelnuovo Magra, on the Tuscan border. Vermentino leads, with Albarola and the red Vermentino Nero.
- Riviera Ligure di Ponente DOC: the western Riviera around Albenga, home of Pigato, a white grape closely linked to Vermentino.
- Rossese di Dolceacqua DOC: a red from at least 95% Rossese, grown behind Ventimiglia near the French border.
Heroic viticulture means vineyards too steep for machines. In the Cinque Terre that means dry-stone terraces, harvest by hand and narrow monorails that carry grape crates up and down the cliff.
The wineries: six estates that welcome visitors
We could not load the estates’ official sites, so the details below come from the booking pages through which each estate takes reservations, the national park and the Grand Hotel Portovenere. No estate published its own 2026 prices: check with the estate, and confirm days and times when you book.
1. Cantina Cinque Terre (Groppo, above Manarola)
The cooperative gathers grapes from many small growers, which makes it a clear introduction to the area. Its guided experience starts at Manarola station, walks through the vineyards, visits the winery, where grapes dry for Sciacchetrà, and ends with three wines, including Cinque Terre DOC and Sciacchetrà. It lasts about two and a half hours, in English and Italian, starting 9.30am or 4pm on Mondays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Book at least a day ahead; minimum four, maximum 15 guests. A local listing also mentions shorter cellar tours and shop tastings, April to October and December.
From Portovenere: about 20 minutes by car to La Spezia station, then a short train ride to Manarola.
2. Possa (Riomaggiore)
Samuele Heydi Bonanini began making wine here in 2004, on terraces so narrow that all work is done by hand, and has revived old local varieties alongside Sciacchetrà. The tour covers vineyard, cellar and five wines, lasts about two hours, in English or Italian, for two to eight guests, booked two days ahead. Our research turned up contradictory information on the schedule: one booking page lists Wednesday and Saturday at 10am or 5pm, a Cinque Terre agency Wednesday and Sunday at 5pm. It was not clear which applies in 2026, so confirm when you book.
From Portovenere: about 20 minutes to La Spezia, then one train stop.
3. Cantina Capellini (Volastra, above Manarola)
A small winery in the hamlet above Manarola. The visit starts at its historic cellar and continues to a terraced vineyard above the sea, with Cinque Terre DOC and bruschetta of local produce. It lasts about two hours, in English and Italian, at 6pm from Tuesday to Sunday. Book two days ahead, minimum two guests. The booking page gives both a maximum of ten and no maximum, and parts of it look dated, so check with the estate. A local bus runs up from Manarola.
From Portovenere: about 40 minutes by car with a driver, or train to Manarola and the bus.
4. Buranco (Monterosso)
A farm estate in the hills behind Monterosso, with vineyards and lemon groves. It sells a vineyard trek with picnic of about 90 minutes, and the national park has included Buranco tastings on its guided Monterosso walks. One review warns the walk is demanding. Inclusions, languages and group rules: check with the estate.
From Portovenere: about 20 minutes to La Spezia, then about 20 minutes by train to Monterosso.
5. Ca’ Lunae (Castelnuovo Magra, Colli di Luni)
The visitor centre of Cantine Lunae Bosoni, founded by the Bosoni family in 1966, sits in a restored 18th-century estate on the old Via Aurelia. Guided tastings centre on Vermentino, with Albarola and Vermentino Nero, and winery tours have run since 2024. A museum of rural wine culture, gardens and the Ostaia Ca’ Lunae restaurant make it a good stop for a partner who wants more than a tasting room. Book via the estate’s website, email or phone; duration, languages and prices: check with the estate.
From Portovenere: about 50 minutes by car.
6. Bio Vio (Bastia d’Albenga, Riviera di Ponente)
An organic estate and agriturismo run by the Vio family for generations, and the place to taste Pigato at source. The tour covers vineyards and cellar, then whites, reds and rosé. About two hours, in Italian, English and German, up to 12 guests, booked as a request the estate confirms within 24 hours. Ask whether food is included.
From Portovenere: about two hours by car, so stay in Garlenda, 15 minutes away.
For Rossese, Terre Bianche near Dolceacqua has an agriturismo, but we could not confirm its 2026 visits, so check with the estate. The same applies to Cantina Cheo in Vernazza.
Comparison table: Ligurian estates at a glance
| Estate | Area | Signature wine | Visit type | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cantina Cinque Terre | Groppo, Manarola | Cinque Terre DOC, Sciacchetrà | Vineyard walk, winery, 3 wines | A first overview |
| Possa | Riomaggiore | Sciacchetrà | Small-group vineyard tour, 5 wines | Heroic viticulture up close |
| Cantina Capellini | Volastra | Cinque Terre DOC | Evening cellar and vineyard visit | Sunset over the sea |
| Buranco | Monterosso | Cinque Terre DOC | Vineyard trek and picnic | Active couples |
| Ca’ Lunae | Castelnuovo Magra | Colli di Luni Vermentino | Tasting, winery tour, museum, restaurant | Partners less into wine |
| Bio Vio | Bastia d’Albenga | Pigato | Organic estate tour and tasting | Pigato at its source |
A sample three day itinerary
Use a driver or the train on every wine day. Italy’s drink-drive limit is 0.5 g/l, and zero for drivers licensed less than three years. Parking near the villages is very limited.
- Day 1, the cooperative and a sunset tasting: about 20 minutes by car to La Spezia, then train to Manarola for the 9.30am cooperative walk. Lunch in Manarola, then the bus to Volastra for Capellini at 6pm; have your driver collect you.
- Day 2, Riomaggiore and the sea: Possa’s vineyard tour, then an afternoon boat. Our guide to the Cinque Terre by boat has routes around Palmaria.
- Day 3, Colli di Luni: about 50 minutes by car to Ca’ Lunae for Vermentino, the museum and lunch. Stop in Lerici on the way back.
- Optional days 4 and 5, the west: about two hours by car to Garlenda, then 15 minutes to Bio Vio for Pigato. Combine with golf using our guide to yacht, wine and golf on the Italian Riviera.
Times are approximate. Our Italy travel planner covers transfers and private drivers.
Best months, harvest, events and practical tips
May, June and September are the most comfortable months for vineyard walks; July and August bring heat and crowds, so book morning or evening slots. Harvest usually falls in September, depending on the year, and Sciacchetrà grapes then dry until at least October. Ask whether harvest visits are possible. From November to March, call ahead.
Events: Cantine Aperte, the national open-cellar day organised by the Movimento Turismo del Vino, is usually held over the last weekend of May. The 2026 edition has already taken place, so check the Movimento Turismo del Vino programme for the 2027 date.
- Shipping wine home: ask each estate whether it ships to your country; otherwise pack bottles in checked luggage.
- Dress: flat shoes with grip for the terraces; smart casual elsewhere.
- Children: steep walks suit older children; ask each estate about age rules.
Charlotte’s tip: plan one wine visit a day, not three
Ligurian tastings run at fixed times and often start at a station, so stacking several rarely works. Book one visit in the morning or at sunset, keep midday for the sea, and buy Sciacchetrà at the cellar. If your partner prefers lunch and gardens to cellars, make Ca’ Lunae the shared day.
Where to stay for a Ligurian wine trip
Portovenere suits the Cinque Terre and Colli di Luni, Santa Margherita a Portofino trip, Garlenda the west. For sleeping among the vines elsewhere in Italy, see our vineyard hotels and wine resorts.
Grand Hotel Portovenere
A 17th-century former Franciscan convent at the edge of the old town, looking across to Palmaria. It has the Palmaria restaurant, the Venus wine bar and arranges vineyard visits at Possa. There is no pool; the wellness centre is a few steps away. Boats to the Cinque Terre leave nearby, La Spezia station is about 20 minutes by car and Ca’ Lunae about 50. Ask about seasonal opening.
Best for: a wine-focused stay with the grower visit arranged for you.
Check rates at Grand Hotel Portovenere
Royal Sporting Hotel, Portovenere
A four-star seafront hotel near the harbour, with an outdoor seawater pool, a tennis court and the Ristorante dei Poeti. Distances match the Grand Hotel. Opening dates were not published, so ask the hotel. Our guide to tennis hotels on the Italian Riviera has more detail.
Best for: families and travellers who want a pool between tastings.
Check rates at Royal Sporting Hotel
Grand Hotel Miramare, Santa Margherita Ligure
A seafront grand hotel with a seawater pool (April to October), the e’SPAce spa and its own beach. La Spezia is about an hour by car, then the train. See our guide to Portofino and Genoa for the rest of your stay.
Best for: a Portofino holiday with a Cinque Terre wine day.
Check rates at Grand Hotel Miramare
La Meridiana, Garlenda
A Relais & Châteaux member inland from Alassio, beside the Garlenda golf course, with Ligurian cooking at Il Rosmarino. Bio Vio is about 15 minutes away. Ask about seasonal opening, and see our guide to golf on the Italian Riviera if you play.
Best for: a western Riviera extension with wine and golf.
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Compare rooms around La Spezia, Portovenere and Lerici for your wine days.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Sciacchetrà?
A sweet passito from the Cinque Terre, made from Bosco, Albarola and Vermentino grapes dried after harvest. The rules keep it in the cellar until at least 1 October of the year after harvest, and the yield is very low.
Can I visit Cinque Terre wineries without a car?
Yes. Several tours start at Manarola or Riomaggiore station, and the train links La Spezia with all five villages. For Volastra, use the local bus or a driver.
Is Pigato the same as Vermentino?
They are closely linked, but Pigato is grown and labelled as its own wine in the western Riviera around Albenga. Taste both side by side at a Ponente estate and decide for yourself.
Do I need to book tastings in advance?
Yes. Most estates need one or two days’ notice, some need a minimum number of guests, and places on small group tours are limited.
