Wine Journey · October 2026

From Barbaresco to Bardolino: Half a Liter of House Wine, a Pizza, and Escaping Lake Garda

Pizza, house wine, and crowds of tourists: Our wine journey leads from Barbaresco to Bardolino and onward into the unspoiled Etschtal.

2 min read

Vineyards and a village on a hill under a blue sky. — Our own travel photograph from Piedmont; the exact vantage point is not verified.

By Stefan Tappert · on the road in October 2026

Barbaresco has something you cannot buy: serenity. A small market square, ancient walls, a church, and that magnificent view across the vineyards. Here, time moves more slowly. At least that is how it feels to us. You stand there, look out, and think: we could actually stay longer. But Lake Garda is calling. So we move on.

A change of scenery with quite a crowd

Bardolino welcomes us on a sunny October day with pleasant temperatures—and an astonishing number of people. The lakeside promenade is packed. After the tranquility of Barbaresco, this is especially striking to us. It is beautiful here, no question about it. It just isn't quiet on this day.

We find a small pizzeria, order pizza and half a liter of house wine. Six or seven euros, as we recall; we cannot verify the exact amount today. This is a travel memory from October 2026, not a current price and not a recommendation for a specific restaurant.

What arrives brings us joy: a delightfully fresh, uncomplicated drop. A wine that doesn't need to boast about points and awards. It sits on the table, pairs well with the pizza for us, and does exactly what we need at this moment. Not every wine encounter has to turn into a grand tasting.

Bardolino is a name of origin

In Italy, many renowned wines are named after their places of origin. Barbaresco, Barolo, and Bardolino are not the names of individual grape varieties. For Bardolino, Corvina and Rondinella play the primary roles; the regulations also permit other varieties within defined limits.

Our house wine, however, remains house wine: we did not document any bottle or indication of origin for it. We will therefore not retroactively declare it a confirmed Bardolino. Even so, we still pick up a bottle of Bardolino Classico to take with us. Exactly which bottle that was is something our photo or travel records still need to clarify. This stop doesn't need a fabricated producer story.

Less promenade, more encounters

After the pizza, we know: we want fewer tourists and more winemakers. So we head north, into the Etschtal. Mountains, vines, a river—and suddenly peace and quiet again. For us, this is not a ranking of more beautiful places. It is simply the landscape in which we now want to continue our travels.

The next destination is Revena Farm near Brentino Belluno. We don't yet know that a rosato and an unfamiliar grape variety name will occupy our attention there. For now, we leave the promenade behind and follow our curiosity. Sometimes you have to leave beautiful places to find extraordinary ones.

Sources and context

Personal travel recollection by Stefan Tappert, supplemented by the sources listed below. Conversations, tasting impressions, and availability at the time do not represent current offers.

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