Wine Tasting in Bari: City Tastings, Primitivo and Olive Oil – Which One?

Puglia is one of Italy’s largest wine regions, and Bari is a convenient place to taste it without hiring a car. The vineyards are outside the city, but several small operators run tastings in the centre, in a wine bar or a bookshop, and they take an hour or two.

The catch is that most of these are small listings with few reviews. This guide sorts them by what the booking pages actually say.

What you will taste

Puglia’s best-known red grapes are Primitivo, which is the same grape as California’s Zinfandel, and Negroamaro, whose name means “black bitter” and which grows mainly in the Salento in the south. In the north, Nero di Troia is the local red, and the Castel del Monte appellation is known for it. Among whites, Locorotondo is a small appellation near the trulli towns of the Itria Valley.

You do not need this list to enjoy a tasting. It helps to know that a tasting in Bari will normally be built around these grapes, and that Primitivo is the one most guests recognise.

The tastings in the city

Prices are per person on GetYourGuide.

Which one

For the best value, start with the €29 tasting. It is the cheapest by a wide margin and has the best-supported rating of the four: 4.9 from 45 reviews. It runs for two hours, which is also the longest, and the listing says it includes selected typical products. The setting is a bookstore, so it suits a quiet hour rather than a lively evening.

For a short, dense hour, take the 4-wine tasting. It is almost as well reviewed, at 4.9 from 42, and the listing mentions tasting tips and wine knowledge. At €55 for one hour it is the most expensive per minute.

For one grape in depth, take the Primitivo tasting. It is the only listing that says what it pours: four glasses of Primitivo, led by an oenologist. It has only nine reviews, and its 4.5 is the lowest rating here. If you already like Primitivo, the focus may be what you want.

The seafront wine bar has seven reviews at a perfect 5.0, which is not enough to separate it from the rest. The listing says it is held in English.

If you want to taste several grapes, check the booking page for the wines, not just the number of glasses; only one of the four listings names a grape.

Olive oil and cheese, if wine is not the point

Puglia is also a big producer of olive oil, and a few tastings in Bari turn to it:

• Guided olive oil tasting with local food: €60, 1.5 hours, with four oils from indigenous Puglian cultivars and an aperitivo; five reviews at 5.0.
• Olive oil mill tour with tasting near Molfetta and Bari: €36, 75 minutes, a family-run mill with a tasting; ten reviews at 4.4.
• Mozzarella making show in Bari: €29, 30 minutes, cheesemakers turn milk into mozzarella and burrata, followed by a tasting.

Leaving the city

Two listings take you to the producers. The Coppi winery tour with tasting in Turi is €63 for 1.5 hours, with a visit to the historic cellar and four wines with snacks; it has four reviews at 5.0. The wine and olive oil tasting at a historic masseria in the Itria Valley is €139 for 3.5 hours, with 21 reviews at 4.0. Check the booking pages for how you get to either place and whether the price includes the transport.

A tasting is also a normal part of a day trip. The Itria Valley is the wine-and-trulli country, covered in Itria Valley from Bari, and the Castel del Monte area is covered in Castel del Monte, Trani and Altamura from Bari.

Or cook with the wine

Many cooking classes in Bari include a glass or three of local wine, and you get a meal at the end. If you want food and wine in the same evening, see cooking classes in Bari. For eating without sitting down, see street food in Bari. The full list is under Bari food tours.

A last practical point: if you are driving later or heading to a day trip afterwards, plan for it, because a tasting pours more than it seems.