Brunate Wine Tasting 2025 Review: A Taste Over Como

First Impressions: The Scenic Climb to Brunate

You know, the whole experience sort of starts way before you get a single drop of wine. I mean, it actually begins down in Como, right at the base of this really old funicular railway. Frankly, there’s a certain kind of anticipation that builds up as you wait for the little red car. It’s almost like a portal, ready to take you away from the lively streets and up into the sky. The ride itself, to be honest, is a bit of a charming clunker. It groans and creaks, moving steadily upward, and really, the windows reveal more of the stunning blue lake with every foot you climb. In a way, it’s the perfect overture for what’s to come, kind of setting a slow, deliberate pace that you have to adopt.

Okay, so once you step out in Brunate, the air is noticeably different, just a little crisper and cleaner. It’s a quiet little village, almost like it’s from another time, with twisting lanes and pretty Art Nouveau villas. As a matter of fact, the instructions for finding the tasting location were a bit of an adventure on their own. We had to walk along this narrow path that hugs the side of the mountain, and I mean, you’re literally walking with a jaw-dropping view to your side the entire time. Anyway, this walk is basically a fantastic way to stretch your legs after the funicular ride and it honestly lets you absorb the absolute peace of the place. You really feel like you’re arriving somewhere special, you know? We found some secret paths up here, which was just amazing.

Frankly, finding the exact villa felt like discovering a hidden gem, which in a way, it is. There’s just a discreet plaque by a large wooden gate, so it feels very private and exclusive. I mean, the instructions we received after booking were very clear, but still, there’s that little thrill of the search. At the end of the day, that feeling of having earned the destination is part of the magic. It isn’t like walking into a commercial winery on a main road. You actually feel like you’re being welcomed into a private home for a special gathering, and that feeling is, obviously, very hard to replicate.

The Setting: A Villa with a Heavenly View

Alright, so we rang the bell, and the gate swung open to reveal, well, a paradise. The tasting takes place on the stone terrace of a beautiful old villa, which is literally perched right on the edge of the hill. You walk through this lush, manicured garden just to get there, and seriously, the smell of jasmine and rosemary is everywhere. The host, a really warm woman named Elena, greets everyone like old friends, which immediately puts you at ease. The whole setup, you know, is incredibly tasteful and understated, with just a few tables dressed in white linen, pretty much letting the view be the star of the show. I mean, this location alone is almost worth the price of admission. It just makes you wonder, what it would be like to stay in a place like this.

And that view… honestly, words don’t quite do it justice. It’s just a completely panoramic, 180-degree spectacle of Lake Como below you. I mean, from our table, we could see the city of Como, Cernobbio across the water, and just endless blue stretching out towards the misty mountains in the distance. We literally watched the tiny ferries crisscrossing the lake like waterbugs, and the light kept changing, you know, making the colors of the water shift from deep navy to sparkling turquoise. Basically, sitting there, you feel totally removed from the world, sort of suspended between the sky and the water. It’s a very meditative and honestly, a deeply calming atmosphere.

As the afternoon went on, the sun started to dip lower, and frankly, the entire scene was bathed in this golden, syrupy light. To be honest, this is the time you want to be here. The shadows get long, and the Alps in the background turn a soft shade of pink and purple. It’s the kind of setting that automatically makes everything taste better, and obviously, every conversation feel more meaningful. I mean, it’s not just about drinking wine; it’s about being in a specific, almost magical, place at the perfect time of day. We were just so glad we chose the afternoon tasting for that reason alone.

The Star of the Show: The Wines Themselves

Now, for the main event, which is obviously the wine. Elena, our host, wasn’t just pouring drinks; she was, in a way, telling a story with each bottle. The whole thing was structured like a little play, you know, with a beginning, a middle, and an end. She had a lot of passion for local, small-production wineries from the Lombardy region, which was pretty cool. I mean, you could tell she really knew the people who made these wines and had a genuine connection to the land. This approach made the tasting feel so much more personal and interesting than just reading a label. Seriously, learning about these small wineries was a real highlight.

The Opening Act: A Sparkling Franciacorta

So, we started with a Franciacorta. Elena explained that this is basically Lombardy’s answer to Champagne, made in the exact same traditional method. The one she poured for us was a Satèn, which she said means it has a softer, creamier fizz with slightly less pressure in the bottle. And you know what? It was totally true. As soon as I took a sniff, I got this really nice scent of toasted bread, a little bit of green apple, and maybe some almond. It was so, so inviting. It wasn’t aggressive at all, just very elegant and frankly, a perfect way to wake up your palate.

When I tasted it, the bubbles were incredibly fine, almost like silk on my tongue. I mean, it was crisp and dry but not harsh. It had this wonderful roundness to it, sort of creamy, just like Elena said it would. You could really taste the quality of the grapes. She told us it came from a tiny, family-run vineyard near Lake Iseo, a place where they literally still harvest everything by hand. Just knowing that little story made the wine feel even more special. Actually, it paired beautifully with the view, the light bubbles kind of echoing the sparkling sun on the lake. It was a pretty magical start to the whole tasting.

A Local White: Lugana

Next up, alright, was a still white wine, a Lugana. To be honest, I hadn’t heard much about Lugana before, so I was really curious. Elena explained that it’s made from the Turbiana grape, which grows in a very specific area just south of Lake Garda. This particular bottle, apparently, was from a producer known for a slightly richer style. The color in the glass was this beautiful pale gold, and it had these legs that slowly trickled down the side, you know, suggesting it had a bit of body. The smell was just lovely – sort of like ripe peaches, a bit of citrus, and a really interesting stony or mineral note. It’s almost like you could smell the soil where the grapes grew.

The taste was a complete, and very pleasant, surprise. It was full-bodied for a white wine, with a texture that was almost oily, in a good way. It coated your mouth with flavors of stone fruit and a hint of almond on the finish, a signature of the grape, as Elena pointed out. What I really liked, though, was the acidity. It was bright and fresh, which basically cut through the richness and made the wine feel perfectly balanced and not heavy at all. It made me think about all the other Italian white wines I’ve been missing out on. It was just a really satisfying and thought-provoking glass of wine, honestly.

The Main Event: A Nebbiolo from Valtellina

Then, frankly, came the wine I was most excited for: a red from Valtellina. This region is pretty unique, with vineyards on impossibly steep, terraced slopes in the Alps. They grow Nebbiolo here, the same grape as in the more famous Barolo and Barbaresco, but here it’s called Chiavennasca. Elena poured a Valtellina Superiore from the Sassella subzone, which she said is known for its elegance. The wine was a pale ruby color in the glass, you know, a lot lighter than you might expect, which is typical for Nebbiolo. Seriously, you could see right through it.

I mean, the aroma was just incredible. It was like a whole story in a glass. First, you got this hit of sour cherries and raspberries, then these more complex notes of dried roses, tar, and a little bit of leather and spice started to come through. It was the kind of wine you could just sit and smell for ages, really. On the palate, it was surprisingly light on its feet but had this firm structure from the tannins and a very high acidity. The tannins were present, you know, giving it a bit of a grip, but they weren’t harsh or unpleasant. At the end of the day, it was just a completely elegant and complex red wine that tasted like the mountains it came from. A real star.

A Sweet Surprise: Moscato di Scanzo

Alright, so for the final wine, Elena brought out something very special and, apparently, very rare: a Moscato di Scanzo. She explained that this is a passito-style sweet red wine made from air-dried grapes, and it only comes from one tiny little area near Bergamo. The serving was small, just as it should be, in a little dessert wine glass. The color was this amazing deep, dark ruby, almost black. It looked like liquid velvet, seriously. When I smelled it, I was just blown away by the intensity. It smelled of blackberry jam, prunes, dried cherries, and this really interesting note of cinnamon and sage. It was just an absolutely captivating aroma.

And the taste? Well, it was sweet, obviously, but not at all sticky or cloying. The sweetness was perfectly balanced by a surprising amount of acidity and some gentle tannins, which kept it from being overwhelming. The flavors were so concentrated, like a mouthful of spiced cherry compote. You could just sip it slowly and savor every single drop. Frankly, it was one of the most unique and memorable sweet wines I’ve ever tasted. It felt like a very special secret we were being let in on, you know? I’m definitely going to search for this one when I get home.

The Perfect Pairings: Food to Complement the Wine

Of course, you can’t have good wine without good food, right? I mean, Elena didn’t just serve wine; she curated a whole spread of local delicacies to go along with it. And frankly, this was not your average cheese and crackers situation. Everything on the beautiful wooden board was sourced from small, local artisans, and she took the time to explain what everything was and why it paired with a particular wine. It was a lesson in food culture as much as it was a tasting, and this extra detail made everything so much more engaging.

For example, with the Franciacorta, we had some light, crispy breadsticks and a few delicate, buttery green olives. It was a really simple but perfect pairing, you know, as the saltiness of the olives just made the wine’s fruitiness pop. Then, with the Lugana white wine, she brought out a creamy, fresh goat cheese from a nearby mountain farm. Seriously, the texture of the cheese was so soft, and its tangy flavor was an amazing counterpoint to the richer texture of the wine. It just showed how much thought went into every single detail. We really wanted to find that specific goat cheese for ourselves later.

Now, the red Valtellina Superiore was matched with some truly amazing local charcuterie. We had Bresaola, which is an air-dried, salted beef that comes from the same Valtellina valley as the wine. The meat was sliced paper-thin and had this deep, savory, almost sweet flavor that was just made for the Nebbiolo grape. We also had a piece of aged Bitto Storico cheese, which Elena explained is a legendary cheese from the region, aged for years. I mean, its nutty, complex flavor was a very, very powerful match for the wine’s tannins and acidity. It was honestly a perfect food and wine moment.

And finally, with that incredible Moscato di Scanzo, we weren’t given something overly sweet. Instead, Elena served a small piece of dark, slightly bitter chocolate. As a matter of fact, she called it a “meditation chocolate,” and that’s exactly what it was. The bitterness of the chocolate cut through the wine’s sweetness in a surprising way, highlighting all the spicy, cherry notes in the Moscato. It was just a totally inspired pairing that I never would have thought of on my own. It just goes to show that a great host can really open your eyes to new flavor combinations.

Was It Worth It? My Honest Thoughts and Tips

So, at the end of the day, you’re probably wondering if this whole exclusive wine tasting in Brunate is actually worth the fairly high price tag. My honest answer is: absolutely, but for the right person. Obviously, this is not a budget activity. If you’re just looking to quickly try a few wines, this probably isn’t the experience for you. This is something much more than that. I mean, you’re basically paying for an entire afternoon of culture, storytelling, breathtaking scenery, and access to really special, hard-to-find wines and foods. It’s a full sensory experience, you know?

This experience is pretty much perfect for a special occasion, like an anniversary or a milestone birthday, or just for someone who is genuinely passionate about food and wine and wants to go a bit deeper than the average tour. The small group size, which was just us and two other couples, meant we had plenty of time to chat with Elena and ask questions. It felt like a private party, not a commercial tour. The value, frankly, is in the quality and exclusivity of it all. For instance, comparing it to other high-end activities around Lake Como, it felt quite unique and personal.

Alright, so if you’re thinking about booking this for the 2025 season, I do have a few tips for you. First, you absolutely have to book well in advance. I mean, spots are incredibly limited, and they fill up months ahead of time, especially for weekend dates. Seriously, don’t wait until the last minute. Second, make sure you wear comfortable shoes. That walk from the funicular station, while beautiful, is on a slightly uneven path, so heels are a definite no-go. Also, even on a warm day, you might want to bring a light jacket or sweater, as the breeze off the lake can get a little cool up on the mountain, especially later in the afternoon. And my final piece of advice is just to go with an open mind and a curious palate. Let your host guide you and just soak it all in.