Welcome to VinTravel. We are a custom tour operator offering private trips to Italy to explore and taste fine wines and food. Whether there are just 2 of you or 8 of you, VinTravel can create a magical trip to explore regions of Italy and wineries that other tours can't show you. Your Italian host will introduce you to the winemakers and cooks who create memories that last a lifetime.

Recently, at home in the US, I opened a bottle of 1998 Cannubi Barolo with some friends. I was instantly transported back to the flagstone porch of the cantina where it was produced, I remember the owner coming to the door and inviting us to come in and sit a a lovely table. She brought some breadsticks, some water, and excused herself. A moment later she returned with five bottles of wine. As she began to open them she told us about about each bottle as if she were proudly showing off grandchildren.

We tasted these wines, chatting comfortably as the wines unfolded in the glass and as we learned about her cantina and how the year had gone. There was no pressure and although we were there to buy we were free to take as much time as we liked. We started with a Barbera, a table wine I particularly enjoy, then moved to a Barbaresco, then to a Canubbi Barolo and a Reserve Canubbi Barolo.

The Barolo rolls onto the tongue with a burst of fruit, and fills your mouth with tannins (these are young, after all). Then you get a wave of earthy aroma, a blending of senses as you smell the wine, taste the berries, and look out over the rows of vines. There is such a massive body to this wine that several minutes later you still taste the fruit, the earth, and the berries. The tannins have mellowed by now and your mouth feels energized and alive to this big wine taste.

Barolo has such a massive body to it that in my experience every time I drink it I am transported back to that hillside and the cantina where I first tasted this wonderful wine.

This is the promise of VinTravel: We will create experiences that bring back the people, the wines, the foods, and the satisfaction of your custom tour. Our tours are truly custom - we work closely with our guests to create an itinerary that you have dreamed about. We start by asking you which wines you like and where you have traveled. What wines and foods do you wish to explore? We take your ideas, create an itinerary for you, and then we work to refine it - a day off here, a special winery there, maybe a chance to hike or take photos or a cooking class. The trip is truely custom developed for each party.

Come join us now!

Dave Mention

President, VinTravel