The Venetian Vine is the name of this fabulous wine experience and wine tasting tour in Venice proposed by Venice and Veneto Gourmet

. Created and hosted by qualified sommelier Sara Cossiga, you will be tasting some of the best wines of the Tri-Veneto territory, that's Veneto, Trentino Alto Adige and Friuli Venezia Giulia.

Each tasting lasts two hours and is usually held in late afternoon in a typical Venice wine bar. You will try sample six different wines each paired with suitable appetizers.

The Venetian Vine includes:

• Two hour tasting of six different wines, chosen according to quality, theme and season
• Fresh Gourmet “cicheti” - appetizers of fish, cheese or meats - prepared fresh to pair with the wines served.
• Accompanying materials to help you remember and relate to the wine and food served.

The wine tastings are designed for two to a maximum of six participants and costs €70 per person. Specialised private and tailor made tastings can also be arranged and larger groups on advanced request.

To get you in the spirit, note that the Veneto region alone produces more liters of wine annually than any other region of Italy and that many are produced from native grape varieties imported centuries ago from the island of Crete, Greece and the Dalmatian (Croatian) coast.

The local bàcari (wine bars) serve an average of 50,000 glasses of wine every day!

These fabulous cooking classes experience in Venice are offered by Venice and Veneto Gourmet, specialists in food and wine tours in the territory and run by native Venetian Sara Cossiga.

Find out more about her Venice wine tasting tours and customized gourmet services including catering and private dinners from the links on this page.

Venice Cooking Courses

Culinary classes in Venice or at the Lido beach (min 2 - max 18)

Venice and Veneto Gourmet is offering a full immersion experience of Ventian culinary traditions and lifestyle. An expert cook will prepare the dishes in the well-equipped kitchen of a private apartment while Sara will introduce the ingredients together with the Venetian traditional cuisine and lifestyle.

Classes are held in a Palazzo apartment in Venice, close to the Rialto food market, or in charming context of a Liberty Villa at the Lido beach resort.

You'll learn some traditional Venetian recipes that you can do at home like for instance: “Corn meal with boiled baby Shrimps seasoned with Italian dressing”,  or “Homemade fresh Noodles with Basil Pesto and Scampi” , “Baked stuffed Calamari with Artichoke bottoms”, "Homemade Fiordilatte Ice Cream” or “Corn meal Cookies for dessert”!

The lunch will be served in the large dining room of this authentic Venetian home. The menu can also be arranged based on seasonal ingredients which you'll go personally to choose at the Rialto Market (minimum of six participants is required).

The cooking class is in English and lasts four hours, a booklet with the recipes of the day is provided

Venice and Veneto Gourmet can arrange your personalized Venice gourmet cooking class, wine tasting or culinary tours of Venice and the Veneto region.

The company is run by Sara Cossiga, a freelance art historian graduated at the Ca' Foscari University of Venice.

She has been working for the Venice Biennale as an assistant of the Visual Art Dep, the Archive of Contemporary Arts and, since 1992, as a tour guide in Venice and the Veneto Region.

Sara is also a professional wine taster and sommelier and will introduce you to the cuisine and flavours of Venice and its territory by explaining how these local dishes developed and changed over the centuries and why we are still so enthusiastic about them today

Below we outline each in turn, but contact Venice and Veneto Gourmet directly to find out more details and build your tailor made gastronomic Venice experience.

VENICE WINE TASTING CLASSES

Each class lasts 90 mins and all tastings take place in a typical "osteria" or wine bar chosen for the quality of the wines and food products.

Conducted in English, your professional wine taster will involve you in the session and ask you about your sensations and impressions about wine.

She will help you to discover the true spirit of the land it comes from, give you information about its history and its organic characteristics, and its versatility in matching with local food.

1 hour and a half tasting of 2 or 3 different Doc wines, a selection of fresh cheeses, Venetian appetizers and bread.