How to plan a tasting tour of Italy's hidden wine region

Shouldering up to the Alps with undulating vine-ribbed hills and glassy lakes, Lombardy is as easy on the eye as it is on the palate. The wine routes that thread through this northern corner of Italy pass through everything from clifftop villages, buzzing piazzas and alley-woven hill towns to medieval castles and Renaissance palazzi (palaces).

The ancient Greeks — who brought viticulture to the region over a millennia ago — knew the terroir was special, thanks to the diverse surrounding landscapes that include the Alps, the Po River Valley and some of Italy's most stunning lakes. Still, for all its beauty and fine wines, it can be difficult to know where to start when it comes to exploring Lombardy's wine areas. Here are four of the best routes to drive, hike or bike through the region, stopping at family-run cantines (wineries) to sample spumantes (sparkling wines), fresh minerally whites and full-bodied reds.

1. Strada del Vino della Valtellina

If ever there was a sight to send your spirits soaring, it’d be Lombardy’s Valtellina Valley. Backdropped by the majestic Rhaetian Alps, this wine region runs for 42 miles from Ardenno to Tirano. It can be explored via car, bicycle or on foot, with a number of vineyards along the way that are open for tours and tastings.

Valtellina is all about height and history, with terraced vineyards clinging to steep slopes that overlook the valleys, densely packed villages and slender-spired churches far below. These vines were first tended by Romans, then by medieval monks who busied themselves with perfecting the art of terracing.

The best way to get up close to this history is on foot. Of all the trails threading high into the vines, the four-mile, two-hour uphill hike from Sondrio to the hilltop 15th-century Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Sassella is one not to miss. You’ll pass through landscapes stamped with age-old winemaking traditions — visible in wells and fountains, fruttai (rustic drying rooms) and the steps needed for clambering up steep slopes to hand-harvest grapes.

The south-facing slopes, Lake Como breezes and the Alpine climate all create the perfect conditions for producing wines like noble Nebbiolo delle Alpi and full-bodied, spicy Sforzato reds (the latter made with partially dried grapes). Pair these wines with local specialities like bitto — a crumbly Alpine cheese — and pizzoccheri (buckwheat pasta ribbons with cheese, potato and cabbage).

2. Strada del Vino Franciacorta

Flanked by towering mountains and red-roofed medieval villages, green-blue Lake Iseo deserves to be better feted. As does the 56-mile Franciacorta wine route that rolls south of its shores, all the way to the Roman-rooted city of Brescia. Patchworked with vineyards, stone villages, castles, fortified towers and Benedictine monasteries, this hilly region is a slow-travel delight — best explored on foot or by bicycle.

Hop into the saddle to pedal the moderately challenging, 15-mile, two-hour Franciacorta Brut Green Route, which starts and ends in Clusane d’Iseo, and tick off vines, ruined castles and pretty hamlets. En route, many farmhouses and cantines — small-scale, family-run affairs — tempt with cellar tours and impromptu tastings.

Be sure to try Franciacorta DOCG, a fragrant sparkling white wine made with the Chardonnay grape — sometimes blended with Pinot Noir and Pinot Blanc in the traditional metodo classico, or Champagne method. Ranging from extra dry to sweet, and with notes of almond and dried fig, this straw-yellow wine pairs brilliantly with fish and seafood. Try it with grilled fresh trout, tench, whitefish, perch or char from Lake Iseo.

3. Strada del Vino e dei Sapori del Garda

Skimming Lake Garda’s southern shores and straying into the hinterland, the Lake Garda Wine and Flavour Route from Sirmione to Limone raises a glass to food, culture and history. Many wine merchants open their cellar doors for tours and tastings of DOC wines, which include zesty Lugana whites made from traditional Turbiana grapes (best paired with lake fish such as trout and pike) and the reds and rosés of Valtènesi. Visitors can also try the area’s flinty, aromatic white options, as well as the sweet, slightly floral San Martino della Battaglia blends, produced from Tocai Friulano grapes.

These wines can be paired with local delicacies such as DOP extra virgin olive oil, black and white Valtènesi truffles, cured meats like coppa (pork loin dry-cured in herbs and spices and then aged for several months) and crumbly, pungent grana padano cheese for a taste of the region’s best produce.

For hikers and bikers, the 20-mile, 2.5-hour circular route from the pretty village of Sirmione is particularly scenic, passing wine estates and picturesque places to swim. The village sits on a pencil-thin peninsula and is dominated by a 13th-century castle.

4. Strada del Vino e dei Sapori dell’Oltrepò Pavese

Oltrepò Pavese lets you step properly away from the crowds and into quiet, vineyard-covered terrain on a 37-mile wine route beginning in Voghera. Stretching into the fertile land beyond the Po River and dropping south to Liguria, this undulating region of ochre-hued hill towns, castles, meadows and woods sits at the foot of the Apennines and Ligurian Alps. If you can, time your visit for September when the harvest is in full swing and many villages host small local wine events.

Oltrepò Pavese is Lombardy’s most extensive wine-producing area, with a temperate climate and soil that’s ideal for viticulture. The area is sprinkled with hundreds of cantines with open-door policies, free tastings and warm welcomes.

Pinot Noir DOC wines, with aromas of red berries and plum, elegant Champagne-style spumantes made using classic methods honed over generations, and juicy, medium-bodied Bonarda reds are standouts. Enjoy matching these wines with regional specialities like spiced, cellar-cured Salame di Varzi D.O.P., wild meats such as rabbit or boar, risotto and goat’s cheeses wrapped in chestnut or walnut leaves.