Monday, October 19, 2026

Tour of Verona with the Ancient Roman Arena that still hosts Summer Opera Shows and the Story of Romeo and Juliet - Alto Adige 2026 by ombiasy WineTours






 

Alto Adige 2026 by ombiasy WineTours, led by Annette Schiller, took place from Sunday, September 06 - Sunday, September 13, 2026.   
 
Being the northernmost wine region of Italy, Alto Adige is a very special place where Italian and German traditions merge. It is a fascinating and unique region in the Alpes. It boasts of an extraordinary variety of landscapes: snow-capped mountains in the Dolomites, fertile valleys, streams, century-old breathtakingly beautiful towns true to their hybrid Germanic-Italian culture. 
 
During this tour we did not change hotels. We stayed 7 nights at the famous, beautiful 5-star Art-Nouveau style Parkhotel Laurin in Bozen.
 
See:
 
Day 4: Trentino and Valpolicella
 
This was our day to go to Trentino and to also explore the Valpolicella region north of Verona and also taste @Amarone.
 
(1) Azienda Agricola Foradori, the world-renowned biodynamic winery in Trentino, often called the "Queen of Teroldogo", that Elisabetta Foradori took over at a very young age. Today, the estate is run by Elisabetta's three children Emilio, Theo and Myrtha Zierock and the latter was our host. 
 
I met her for the first time many years ago at a winemaker dinner at Restaurant schauMahl in Frankfurt when she was still studying in Germany. Myrtha showed us the vineyards and the wine cellar, including the very special amphora cellar, probably the largest in the world, and we sat down for a tasting of the Foradori #worldclass wines. 
 
(2) Lunch at @Enotheca della Valpolicella in Fumane with @Valpolicella wines. The lunch was excellent - very local and traditional, and at the same time at MICHELIN Guide level. We were met by the owner Ada Riolfi.
 
(3) Visit of @Allegrini , a benchmark producer in the @Valpolicella Classica region. We tasted through the whole range of the Valpolicella wine pyramid: Valpolicella Classico, Superiore, Amarone (using the appassimento method) and Recioto.
 
(4) Tour of Verona with the ancient Roman Arena that still hosts summer opera shows and the story of Romeo and Juliet. The tour ended with a glass of wine in a traditional wine bar.

Sightseeing in Verona 

Verona, straddling a bend of the Adige river in the Veneto, is one of northern Italy's best-preserved historic cities and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. At the city's heart stands the Verona Arena, a first-century Roman amphitheater whose stone tiers, still largely intact after two thousand years, now host one of the world's most famous open-air opera festivals each summer, a striking continuity between ancient spectacle and modern performance. 

We strolled through Verona’s layered, centuries-deep streets, the bustling market square of Piazza delle Erbe, built over the old Roman forum, to the adjoining Piazza dei Signori with its Renaissance loggias. Casa di Giulietta, the courtyard and balcony popularly associated with Shakespeare's heroine. 

















Alto Adige 2026 by ombiasy WineTours: Already Released and Forthcoming Postings
 
Meet and Greet in the Garden of Parkhotel Laurin in Bozen - Alto Adige 2026 by ombiasy WineTours 
 
After-dinner Wine at Toma by Lisa Wine Bar in Bozen - Alto Adige 2026 by ombiasy WineTours
 
Guided Visit of Oetzi, the Iceman in Bozen - Alto Adige 2026 by ombiasy WineTours 
 

Monastery Tour, Vineyard Tour and Wine Tasting at the Neustift Monastery in Brixen - Alto Adige 2026 by ombiasy WineTours

Lunch at Granpanorama Hotel Sambergerhof, Famous for its Uninterrupted 54-kilometer Panoramic View of the Dolomites Chain - Alto Adige 2026 by ombiasy WineTours 

 
Lovely Al Fresco Dinner in the Alleys of Old Town Bolzano at Franziskaner Stuben - Alto Adige 2026 by ombiasy WineTours
 
 
Tour and Tasting at Kellerei/ Cantina Nals Margreid - Alto Adige 2026 by ombiasy WineTours
 
Tour of Verona with the Ancient Roman Arena that still hosts Summer Opera Shows and the Story of Romeo and Juliet - Alto Adige 2026 by ombiasy WineTours 
 
Tasting at Weingut Tiefenbrunner with Owner hristof Tiefenbrunner in Kurtatsch - Alto Adige 2026 by ombiasy WineTours  
 
Lunch and Tasting at Elena Walch at Castel Ringberg, Overlooking Lake Caldero - Alto Adige 2026 by ombiasy WineTours 
 
Dinner at Thaler Arome, an Upscale Rooftop Restaurant in the Heart of Bolzano - Alto Adige 2026 by ombiasy WineTours 

Cellar Tour and Tasting at Manincor, a Biodynamic Pioneer and Flagship Winery of the Region, with Owner Count Michael Goess Enzenberg - Alto Adige 2026 by ombiasy WineTours
 
Lunch at Alpin Hut Oberholz up in the Dolomites 6300 Feet Above Sea Level - Alto Adige 2026 by ombiasy WineTours 
 
Tasting at Cantina Kurtatsch, a Premier Cooperative, with a Spectacular View of Adige Valley - Alto Adige 2026 by ombiasy WineTours 
 
Extensive Vineyard Tour, Tasting and Lunch at Alois Lageder, a Historic, Family-run Flagship Winery in Alto Adige, with Sarah Daval, Weinakademiker - Alto Adige 2026 by ombiasy WineTours
 
Tour and Tasting at Tenuta Hofstätter in Tramin, a Flagship Winery of the Alto Adige Region, a Pioneer of Vigna (Single Vineyard) Classification in Alto Adige, with Fourth-generation Owner Martin Hofstaetter - Alto Adige 2026 by ombiasy WineTours  
 
Farewell Dinner at Restaurant 1500 (1 Star Michelin) up in the Vigiljoch above Lana (Reachable only by Cable Car), with Chef Daniel Sanin and Sous-Chef Jonas Graber - Alto Adige 2026 by ombiasy 
WineTours

 

"The Six Contemporary German Winemakers to Know" (Wine Spectator September 30, 2026) - We Know Them All




 


In its September 30, 2026 issue, the Wine Spectator published a feature entitled "Six Contemporary German Winemakers to Know", highlighting a new generation of producers shaping modern expressions of Riesling, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Blanc". Annette Schiller Ombiasy Public Relations and Wine Tours and I know all of them quite well.  

The Six Contemporary German Winemakers to Know (Wine Spectator)

Andreas Spreitzer (Weingut Josef Spreitzer – Rheingau): Known for seeking purity, precision, and tight balance in his regional Rieslings. 

Niklas and Lara Haag (Weingut Schloss Lieser – Mosel): Representing a continuing legacy in the heart of the Mosel Valley. 

Oliver Haag (Weingut Fritz Haag – Central Mosel): Serving as a key benchmark producer for the central Mosel region. 

Philipp Lucas (Weingut Lucashof – Pfalz): Refining a delicate, elegant, and low-intervention style of Pfalz Riesling from prominent sites like Forster Pechstein. 

Hans and Valentin Rebholz (Ökonomierat Rebholz – Pfalz): Representing the next generation of this historic estate with a commitment to dry, terroir-driven wines. 

Maximin von Schubert (Weingut Maximin Grünhaus – Mosel): Sixth-generation owner guiding his historic estate into a modern era of timeless, precision-focused Mosel Riesling. 

Andreas Spreitzer (Weingut Josef Spreitzer – Rheingau): Known for seeking purity, precision, and tight balance in his regional Rieslings




 
Pictures: Tour and Tasting at Weingut Spreitzer in Oestrich, Rheingau, with Bernd Spreitzer – Germany-North Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), Germany

 
Pictures: Annette Schiller, Andreas Spreitzer, David Schildknecht. See: Rieslingfeier 2018 in New York City: Gränd Tasting and Gala Dinner

Niklas and Lara Haag (Weingut Schloss Lieser – Mosel): Representing a continuing legacy in the heart of the Mosel Valley 

 
Pictures: With Lara Haag at Rieslingfeier January 2025 in New York City, USA: Gränd Tasting (with 12 German and 3 Austrian #worldclass Winemakers) 
 

Pictures: Tasting at Weingut Schloss Lieser in Lieser with Owner/ Winemaker Thomas Haag – Germany-North Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2016

Picture: Thomas Haag, Weingut Schloss Lieser, and Christian Schiller in Mainz. See: Thomas Haag, Weingut Schloss Lieser, Germany’s Winemaker of the Year, Gault Millau WeinGuide Deutschland 2015

Picture: Annette Schiller, Thomas Haag with his Son (Weingut Schloss Lieser) and Stephen Bitterolf at the 2017 Rieslingfeier in NYC. See: The Annual "Slaughterhouse" Riesling Feast in New York: Rieslingfeier 2017, USA

Oliver Haag (Weingut Fritz Haag – Central Mosel): Serving as a key benchmark producer for the central Mosel region

Pictures: At Weingut Fritz Haag, with Oliver Haag. See: Germany-North Tour 2017 by ombiasy WineTours: Quintessential German Riesling and the Northernmost Pinot Noir

Philipp Lucas (Weingut Lucashof – Pfalz): Refining a delicate, elegant, and low-intervention style of Pfalz Riesling from prominent sites like Forster Pechstein  




Pictures: In its September 30, 2026 Issue, the Wine Spectator Published a Feature Entitled "Six Contemporary German Winemakers to Know" - We Met one of them at Brut Wine Bar in Alexandria, Washington DC: Phillip Lucas of Weingut Lucashof, Pfalz

Hans and Valentin Rebholz (Ökonomierat Rebholz – Pfalz): Representing the next generation of this historic estate with a commitment to dry, terroir-driven wines






 
Pictures: Hans Rebholz, Weingut Oekonomierat Rebholz, Pfalz, Presenting his Wines at the German Embassy in Washington DC, USA (January 2025) 
 



Pictures: 2025 Rieslingfeier Gala Dinner in New York City, Sky Loft, 32nd Floor of 50 Hudson Yard, with 15 #worldclass Winemakers from Germany + Austria and Estimated 300 Wines, many 20, 30, 40 Years old, many Larger Format and almost all Ultra-premium 




Pictures: Germany-South and Alsace 2022 Tour by ombiasy WineTours

Picture: In the Cellar of Weingut Ökonomierat Rebholz, Siebeldingen, Pfalz, with Hansjörg and Valentin Rebholz. See: Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Ökonomierat Rebholz in Siebeldingen, Pfalz, with Hansjörg and Valentin Rebholz and Sabine Wagner - Germany-South and Alsace 2017 Tour by ombiasy WineTours

Picture: The Table of Hannsjörg Rebholz, Weingut Ökonomierat Rebholz, Pfalz, at the Gala Dinner of the Rieslingfeier 2016 in New York City, with Annette Schiller, David Schildknecht and Hannsjörg Rebholz. See: A German Riesling Feast in New York City: Rieslingfeier 2016, USA

Picture: Annette and Christian Schiller with Hansjörg and Birgit Rebholz at Prowein 2015 in Düsseldorf

Pictures: Tasting at Weingut Ökonomierat Rebholz in Siebeldingen, Pfalz, with Hansjörg Rebholz. See: Tasting at Weingut Ökonomierat Rebholz in Siebeldingen, Pfalz – Germany-South by ombiasy WineTours (2015)

Maximin von Schubert (Weingut Maximin Grünhaus – Mosel): Sixth-generation owner guiding his historic estate into a modern era of timeless, precision-focused Mosel Riesling

Pictures: In the Vineyards

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