MORE WINE with LESS MONEY in Italy

Tied with France, Italy is the number one major wine region of the world. So it obviously has some of the best wine in the world. When visiting Italy, you will most likely take advantage of drinking as much of this glorious, top ranked wine as you can. Will it be expensive, though? The answer is yes, unless you follow these simple tips.

   1)      Vino della casa. When you dine-in at a restaurant, pass up their bottled wines. Instead, ask your server for the “vino della casa” (house wine). It’s similar to asking for the “rail” liquor at a bar, but much better. You will be getting not only great wine, but wine that’s local to the region that you are visiting. And we mustn’t forget to mention that it’s the least expensive! A LITER (yes one whole liter) of vino della casa averaged around 8€ ($8.50 U.S. dollars). 


 2)      Supermarkets. Go to one of the local supermarkets and buy a bottle (or two) of their Italian wine. It will be far cheaper than just ordering wine at a restaurant or or buying a bottle at a wine store. Even the cheapest Italian wine in the store is bound to be good since, well…you’re in Italy! And while you’re at it, buy some Prosecco (a popular Italian white wine made from Glera grapes that can taste similar to sparkling wine). A bottle of the middle shelf wines and Prosecco averages around 5-7€. Try the “Coop” supermarkets or “Discount Italiano” for a wide selection of wines for great prices. 

      Suggestion: Keep in mind that European cities tend to be a little more lenient with drinking in public than the U.S. So I suggest finding an area, walking around, or taking your bottle back to your hotel/B&B if you’re exhausted from your busy itinerary. Drink your Italian wine in an Italian city! 

Side note: I knew I should have listened to one of  Brooke Schoenman’s blog posts about what to bring to Venice and brought a wine bottle opener. Forgetting this essential item cost us 9€ to buy at the store when we were desperate one night and running out of options for places to purchase one. Don't make the same mistake we did and bring one in your carry-on. Just make sure it's not too heavy-duty so it doesn't add weight to your bag or become a reason to have your bag checked in security at the airport (like mine did on the way back).

   3)  Local Vino Stores. So, honestly, I’m not sure if these are all over, or if we just got lucky and found one when walking around Venice. But, boy, am I happy we stumbled (maybe even literally) across one. As we walked into one of these (what I like to call “vino stores”), there were barrels and barrels of home-made wine that were being sold for around 1.50€ per liter. Local wine cheaper than bottled water, YES PLEASE! The best part was that you could bring your own empty liter water bottle to be filled up and take to go. The “vino store” we became familiar with was open during the afternoon, then re-opened again in the evening. Be sure to have cash on hand for these stores.


      With these tips, you will be able to drink amazing wine while visiting the #1 country that has the most (and the best) wines in the world without spending too much money. You will be drinking a lot of it, so make it affordable on your trip. Save that money that you would otherwise spend on expensive and and use it for something else. Perhaps cicchetti, souvenirs, or savings for your next trip, perhaps? More wine with less money. Saluti to that!