An Ostuni wine tasting is the easiest way into the Itria Valley’s wine, and the least known. The white town sits above olive groves, but the hills behind it, toward Martina Franca, Locorotondo and Alberobello, are covered in low vines and trulli, and a handful of estates now open their cellars to visitors. These seven visits can all be booked online, from organic Ostuni DOC reds to the crisp whites of the valley.
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How we chose these Ostuni wine tasting visits
GetYourGuide and Viator list dozens of experiences around Ostuni with the word “wine” in the title. Most are cooking classes, olive oil tours or town walks with a glass at the end. Three rules cut the field to the seven below.
First, the tasting has to happen at a producing estate, with the estate’s own wines in the glass: we left out wine shops and enotecas in town, however good. Second, the visit has to be bookable online with a clear price, so you can plan it from home. Third, every estate had to be different from the eight in our round-up of the best wineries in Puglia, so the two lists work together rather than repeat each other.
We did not set a minimum rating, because the Itria Valley is still new to wine tourism and some of the most interesting visits have only a handful of reviews. The box under each entry says how many there are, so you can weigh that yourself.
What wine tasting in the Itria Valley is like
The valley is limestone upland between the Adriatic and the Gulf of Taranto, cooler and windier than the Salento to the south. That is why it is white-wine country in a region known for big reds. Verdeca and Bianco d’Alessano are the traditional grapes of Locorotondo and Martina Franca, while around Ostuni a few growers are reviving grapes that almost disappeared: Ottavianello for red, Impigno and Francavidda for white, all covered by the small Ostuni DOC.
Visits are small and personal. You meet the family or a sommelier, walk a few rows of vines, see the cellar, and sit down to three or four wines with taralli, cheese, focaccia and cured meats. Prices are modest by Napa or Tuscany standards, and most visits last between one and two hours, which leaves room for a town in the afternoon. All of this sits within the wider picture of our Puglia wine country guide.
Ostuni
1. Cantine Amalberga, Ostuni
Amalberga is the most complete winery visit on the Ostuni side of the valley: a certified organic estate in the countryside outside the town, with a guided walk through the cellar before the tasting. The operator presents it as one of the few wineries taking part in the relaunch of the Ostuni DOC, which makes it a good first stop if you want to understand what the local grapes taste like.
The tasting is built around food from the area, with cheeses, cured meats and seasonal produce next to each wine. It suits a couple or a small group who want an unhurried afternoon. The estate also sells a longer version with lunch from its own vegetable garden, if you would rather make a meal of it.
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2. Ostuni DOC Vineyard Walk, Contrada Conca d’Oro
This is the visit for anyone curious about the grapes that make Ostuni different. A sommelier walks you through vineyards of Ottavianello, Impigno and Francavidda, varieties that were close to vanishing, and then takes you down into a medieval underground chamber beneath the estate. It is the closest thing in the valley to a lesson in local wine history.
The visit is private, so it is only your group, and at its price it is one of the best values on this list. The listing is sold under the name Ostuni Wine Tour and does not name the estate, only the location in Contrada Conca d’Oro, off the road from Ostuni to the coast. If you like knowing exactly where you will be, ask the operator after booking.
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Martina Franca
3. Vigna il Castagno, Martina Franca
Vigna il Castagno has the strongest track record of any visit in the valley, and it earns it with a simple format done well: a walk through the vineyard, then four wines at a long table among the trulli, each with a small homemade dish. Reviewers keep mentioning the evening light, so a late slot is worth asking for in summer.
The four wines are a neat summary of the region in one sitting: a Verdeca from the Itria Valley, a dry Moscato, and a rosé and a red from Nero di Troia. It is an easy choice for first-timers, though the food is a tasting, not a dinner.
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4. Tenute Rosato, Martina Franca
Tenute Rosato is the short, relaxed option, set in quiet countryside about 15 minutes’ drive from Alberobello. You wander the vineyard on your own among dry-stone walls, then join a guided look at the cellar and a tasting of four half glasses with local snacks.
At 75 minutes it fits neatly between a morning in Alberobello and lunch in Locorotondo. The trade-off is depth: this is an introduction rather than a deep dive, and it has only ten reviews so far.
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5. I Pastini, Martina Franca
I Pastini sits in the countryside outside Martina Franca, and the visit takes you through both vineyard and cellar before three wines at the table. The food is plain and very local: taralli, friselle with tomato and basil, olives and dried fava beans.
It is a good pick for a short, food-led stop between towns. Reviews are solid rather than glowing, and the wines poured can change with the season.
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Want to compare more Ostuni wine tasting options? GetYourGuide lists cellar visits across the Itria Valley, from Ostuni to Alberobello.
All Itria Valley wine tastings in one search, filtered and ready.
Alberobello and Putignano
6. Cantina Museo Albea, Alberobello
Albea is the one winery you can walk to from the trulli of Alberobello, which makes it the easiest Locorotondo wine tasting for anyone without a car. The visit covers the production areas and a small wine museum full of old tools, then three wines with tarallini.
At one hour it is among the shortest visits here, and the cheapest, so it works as a stop on a day of sightseeing rather than a destination. Albea also makes a white Locorotondo DOC, Il Selva, so ask whether it is open on the day.
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7. Vitivinicola Colavecchio, Putignano
Colavecchio is on the western edge of the valley, near Putignano, and it is the most old-fashioned cellar on this list: a family winery dating back to 1795, with wine still aged in large oak barrels. Three wines come with local cheeses, focaccia and regional sweets, in a stone room that suits a rainy afternoon.
The limits are clear. The visit is listed in Italian only, it has a single review, and the operator is a local host rather than the winery itself. Book it for the setting and the history, and come with some Italian or a translation app.
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Booking, timing and getting back
Book an Ostuni wine tasting at least a few days ahead from June to September, when evening slots at the bigger estates fill first. In spring and fall there is more choice, and the light on the vines is better. Harvest weeks in September can mean fewer slots at small estates: if a date shows no availability, try the week after.
Plan on getting yourself to each estate, since the listings start at the cellar door. Ostuni, Martina Franca and Alberobello are within about 40 minutes’ drive of one another, but the estates sit on narrow country roads, and Italy’s limit for drivers is lower than in most US states. If you plan to taste properly, have one person stay sober or ask your hotel to book a driver. Our guide to renting a car for a wine trip covers the rules.
Prices here are per person unless stated. Both platforms convert into your own currency at checkout. Prices are indicative and set by our booking partners.
Where this fits in a Puglia wine trip
The Itria Valley is the natural base for most visitors to Puglia: Ostuni, Locorotondo and Alberobello sit within a short drive of the coast, and many of the region’s best farm stays are here. If you want to sleep among the vines too, our pick of wine masserie in Puglia includes estates within reach of these cellars.
Two or three of these visits make a good wine day in the valley. For Primitivo and Negroamaro, the reds Puglia is known for, head south to Manduria and the Salento, where our round-up of the wineries in Puglia picks up.
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Staying in Puglia for more than just today? A rental car makes it easy to reach the Itria Valley wineries and the coast at your own pace.
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