Just a few hundred metres from the shore is enough to notice it: with the arrival of autumn, the hills around Lake Garda change colour. The vine rows turn yellow, gold and red, the air smells of must, and in the wineries it’s the most intense time of the year. It’s harvest season — and with it comes the best time to discover the lake from its most authentic side: wine.
Around Garda, some of Italy’s best-known labels are produced — from the crisp Lugana to Chiaretto di Bardolino, from the whites of Custoza to the reds of Valtènesi — and more and more wineries are opening their doors to visitors with vineyard tours and guided tastings. In this guide we look at why autumn is the perfect moment, which wine denominations line each shore of the lake, what to expect from a winery visit, and how to plan your own wine-tourism experience.
In this article: why autumn is the best time to visit wineries · the wine denominations around the lake, shore by shore · what to expect from a tasting · the Bardolino Grape and Wine Festival and other autumn events · how to plan your visit · wine and local flavours · frequently asked questions.
Why autumn is the perfect season for wine on Lake Garda
The grape harvest on Lake Garda generally runs from late August to October, depending on the grape variety and the season: white grapes are picked first, followed by red ones. It’s the moment when the countryside is at its most alive — grapes are hand-picked in historic vineyards, the harvest arrives at the winery, and pressing and the first stages of fermentation begin.
For visitors, this translates into a special atmosphere: still-mild temperatures, warm colours, fewer crowds than in peak summer season, and the chance, at many estates, to watch some stages of the winemaking process up close. Combining an off-season trip with a winery visit is one of the most beautiful — and most relaxed — ways to experience Garda in autumn.
Lake Garda’s wine denominations, shore by shore
Garda is a unique crossroads: around its shores, three territories meet — the Verona, Brescia and Trento areas — and a surprising variety of wines. Here are the main denominations, area by area.
Eastern (Verona) shore: Bardolino, Chiaretto and Custoza. On the morainic hills between Bardolino, Lazise and Peschiera del Garda, Bardolino DOC is born — a light, fragrant red made from Corvina and Rondinella, the same grapes as neighbouring Valpolicella. From the same area comes Chiaretto di Bardolino, one of Italy’s most celebrated rosés, pale pink with delicate aromas. A little further south, towards inland Verona, the fresh, versatile whites of Custoza DOC (Bianco di Custoza) are produced from grapes such as Garganega and Trebbiano.
Southern shore: Lugana. In the flat area around Sirmione and Peschiera, straddling Lombardy and Veneto, Lugana DOC is produced — Garda’s great white wine: made from the Turbiana grape, it’s fresh, savoury and has a characteristic note of almond. It’s perhaps the best-known Garda wine abroad.
Western (Brescia) shore: Valtènesi. On the hills of Valtènesi, between Moniga del Garda, Manerba and San Felice del Benaco, growers cultivate Groppello, a rare native grape that produces soft, spicy reds and one of the lake’s most distinctive rosés. The reference denomination is Valtènesi / Riviera del Garda Classico DOC.
Trento shore (north): between lake and mountains. At the northern tip, in the Garda Trentino area, the climate turns more alpine: here you’ll find grape varieties such as Marzemino and Nosiola, producing aromatic, mineral wines.
Umbrella over much of this mosaic is Garda DOC, a cross-shore denomination that unites the Verona and Brescia sides. It’s no coincidence that the lake’s main wine consortia — Garda DOC, Lugana, Custoza, Bardolino and Valtènesi — have started telling their story together as the “wines of Lake Garda”, precisely to showcase this extraordinary richness within a single territory.
If you’d like to learn more about the grape varieties and character of each wine, take a look at our dedicated guide to the wines of Lake Garda.
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What to expect from a winery visit with tasting
A winery visit on Garda usually follows a simple, enjoyable format. It starts with a walk through the vineyards or production areas, where your host — often the winemaker themselves — tells the story of the estate, the territory and the wine’s journey from vine to bottle. This is followed by a guided tasting: a few wines to sample, usually paired with local products such as cheeses, cured meats, extra virgin Garda olive oil and bread.
Formats vary widely: from a quick tasting of a couple of labels to a fuller experience with lunch or an aperitivo overlooking the vine rows. Many wineries also offer themed experiences during the harvest, so you can get closer to the picking itself.
A tip: most estates take visitors by appointment only, especially smaller, family-run ones. It’s best to contact the winery in advance and arrange the day and time directly with them.
The Bardolino Grape and Wine Festival and other autumn events
If there’s one event that captures Garda’s autumn better than any other, it’s the Bardolino Grape and Wine Festival (“Festa dell’Uva e del Vino”): one of the lake’s oldest and best-loved wine events, reaching its 95th edition in 2026 and filling the lakefront from 1 to 5 October. Five days of free entry, with dozens of food-and-wine stalls, tastings of local wines, the historic parade and re-enactment of grape pressing, music, shows and the traditional fireworks-and-music display over the lake. It’s the perfect chance to taste Bardolino and Chiaretto right on the shores of Garda — for the full, up-to-date programme it’s best to check the event’s official website.
But Bardolino isn’t the only wine date this autumn. On the Brescia shore, the wineries of Valtènesi open their vineyards for “Profumi di Mosto” — on 4 October in 2026 — with a tasting trail through local estates, between Groppello and Chiaretto from the Riviera del Garda Classico, paired with local food tastings (booking required). In Sirmione, meanwhile, the Lugana Festival makes its debut — its first edition, running from 16 to 19 October in 2026 — four days spread between the historic centre and the Lugana vineyards, with masterclasses and guided tastings, meetings with producers, winery visits, cultural events and dedicated shuttle services: a new opportunity to get to know the lake’s great white wine up close. A little further east, in Verona’s historic centre, “Hostaria” takes the stage — the wine and harvest festival, in its twelfth edition in 2026, from 16 to 18 October — featuring Verona’s great denominations, from Bardolino to Lugana, from Custoza to Valpolicella.
As these events’ dates change from year to year, it’s always worth checking the up-to-date calendar and participation details on the official event websites before planning your visit.
How to plan your wine-tourism experience on Garda
A few tips to make the most of your day:
- Book ahead. Many wineries only receive visitors by appointment, especially in autumn when they’re busy with the harvest.
- Plan your transport. If you’re planning several tastings, consider a designated driver, an organised tour with transport included, or an estate you can reach on foot: safety comes first behind the wheel.
- Choose the right area. You can focus on one shore — Lugana around Sirmione, Bardolino on the Verona hills, Valtènesi on the Brescia side — or combine a winery visit with a trip to the nearest village.
- Pair the experience. An early-afternoon tasting pairs perfectly with a sunset stroll along the lakefront: for some ideas, browse our guide to Lake Garda’s scenic spots and sunsets or the article “Lake Garda by Night”.
Wine and local flavours: Garda’s food pairings
The beauty of wine tourism on Garda is that wine never travels alone. Chiaretto and Lugana pair perfectly with lake fish, the whites of Custoza go well with risottos and starters, and the reds of Bardolino and Valtènesi suit traditional dishes. And then there’s the ever-present extra virgin Garda DOP olive oil, sharing the Garda table’s spotlight with wine.
To complete the picture of the lake’s flavours, take a look at our guides to Garda DOP olive oil, to the lake’s typical products and to its typical dishes: together with wine, they tell the food-and-wine soul of this territory.
Did you know? Chiaretto di Bardolino has a precise birth date: 1896. It was «invented» by Pompeo Gherardo Molmenti, a Venetian man of culture and statesman with a villa in Moniga del Garda, who perfected the technique for obtaining a rosé from local red grapes, drawing inspiration from French methods. Since then, Chiaretto has become one of the lake's symbols — so much so that a historic event on the Verona shore is still dedicated to it today.
An autumn to savour, glass in hand
Amid vineyards changing colour, wineries opening their doors and the scent of must in the air, autumn is perhaps the most genuine time to get to know Lake Garda. A winery visit with tasting brings together landscape, culture and flavour in a single experience — and offers a different memory of the lake from the one you’d take home in summer.
Whether you’re a wine lover or simply curious, choose your shore, book your tasting, and let yourself be guided, glass in hand, through the wines of Garda.
