Visiting the Quintarelli Winery: How to See Valpolicella's Legendary Estate

Yes, you can visit the Quintarelli winery — but only by private appointment, never as a walk-in. Giuseppe Quintarelli’s legendary estate in Negrar di Valpolicella, around 20 minutes north of Verona, is one of the most revered names in Italian wine, and access is deliberately limited to small, pre-arranged private visits. This guide explains who Quintarelli is, what a visit involves, and exactly how to arrange one.

Who is Giuseppe Quintarelli?

Giuseppe “Bepi” Quintarelli (1927–2012) is, for many wine lovers, the single most important figure in the history of Valpolicella. Working with patience that bordered on the obsessive — long ageing, tiny yields, and an absolute refusal to compromise — he helped transform Amarone della Valpolicella from a regional curiosity into one of the world’s most sought-after red wines.

The estate he built carries that philosophy forward today. Production remains small, traditional and famously uncompromising, which is precisely why bottles are rare and visits are so closely guarded. For background on the appellation itself, see our Valpolicella and Amarone guides.

Can you actually visit — and how?

This is the question we’re asked most, so to be clear: the Quintarelli estate does not operate a public tasting room. There is no cellar door you can simply drive up to. Visits happen privately, by appointment, and in small numbers.

In practice, that means the reliable way to see Quintarelli is through a specialist who already has a relationship with the family. Our Lunch with Quintarelli experience is built exactly for this: a private visit with a guide and sommelier, followed by a chef-designed lunch in Verona paired to the wines you’ve just tasted.

What a private visit includes

A visit to the estate typically moves through three stages:

1. The vineyards — beginning at the historic Monte Ca’ Paletta slope, where you see the terraces and grapes that go into the wines.
2. The cellar — where the wines age slowly in large casks, and where your sommelier explains the appassimento drying process and the estate’s traditional methods.
3. The tasting — a guided sit-down through the range, from Valpolicella Classico Superiore up to the celebrated Amarone.

With Enouting the day is completed with a specially designed menu at one of our partner restaurants inside Verona’s ancient walls — turning a cellar visit into a full day to remember.

Where is the winery and when should you go?

The estate sits in Negrar di Valpolicella, in the Valpolicella Classico zone in the hills just north of Verona — roughly a 20 to 25 minute drive from the city centre. The surrounding countryside is at its most beautiful in spring and early autumn, and a September visit lets you see the cellar during the harvest. For broader timing advice, see our guide to the best time to visit Italy.

Prefer another legendary estate?

Quintarelli is not the only icon in these hills. Romano Dal Forno, in the eastern Valpolicella, is the other name spoken with reverence by Amarone lovers, and is equally exclusive. We arrange private access there too through our Lunch with Romano Dal Forno experience.

If you’d like a broader introduction to the region before committing to a single estate, the Taste of Valpolicella tour visits carefully selected wineries across the appellation — an ideal first day in Valpolicella. And to plan the wider trip, start with our complete guide to wine tours in Verona.