Private tour: discover Langhe wines with expert sommelier

We had an extraordinary two-day private wine and food experience in the Langhe with Riste Zafirov and his colleague Nicola — and it exceeded every expectation. We are two sisters visiting from Hong Kong and Singapore, and Riste went above and beyond to personalise both days for us. One of us is a non-drinker, and rather than making this an awkward situation, Riste embraced it graciously — even offering a thoughtful refund for the non-tasting guest. This kind of attention to detail set the tone for everything that followed. Day one was a private wine tour led by Nicola — a warm, knowledgeable and passionate guide with an impressive depth of knowledge about the Langhe. We visited Poderi Colla, where we discovered an extraordinary Moscato-based sweet Vermouth unlike anything we had tasted before, followed by a wonderful lunch at Osteria L'Aromatario in Neive, and an afternoon at Podere Ruggeri Corsini in Monforte d'Alba. Day two was a food experience led by Riste himself — a visit and full fixed menu lunch at Cascina Barroero hazelnut farm, where every dish featured hazelnuts as an ingredient. This was one of the most unique and memorable dining experiences of our entire trip through northern Italy. The afternoon at Contratto winery in Canelli — the UNESCO underground cathedral cellars carved deep into the tufa hillside — was spectacular for both guests, drinker and non-drinker alike. Riste communicated impeccably throughout the planning process — thoughtful, responsive, honest and full of genuine local knowledge. He tailored both days specifically to our interests and needs, including our interest in Moscato d'Asti. If you are visiting the Langhe and want an authentic, personalised and deeply memorable wine and food experience — look no further than Riste Zafirov and Wine Invasion. We cannot recommend him highly enough.

Unbelievable experience!! Riste was in excellent communication prior to the tour & arranged a day tailored to our preferences. We visited two family owned wineries that delivered a variety of fun, knowledge & history that gave a real flavor to the region. We also had a delicious lunch to break up the day. If you are looking for a tour that's comfortable, fun & immersive I would highly recommend! 10 out of 10 experience!

Unbelievable experience!! Riste was in excellent communication prior to the tour & arranged a day tailored to our preferences. We visited two family owned wineries that delivered a variety of fun, knowledge & history that gave a real flavor to the region. We also had a delicious lunch to break up the day. If you are looking for a tour that's comfortable, fun & immersive I would highly recommend! 10 out of 10 experience!

Very beautiful excursion with a visit to two vineyards, and the lunch restaurant was great, at a good price! Our guide was great and did not hesitate to go the extra mile to please us, as much as possible! Ideal for 3 people or fewer. You must like complex red wines.

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Riste was great! He was welcoming, easy to talk with and friendly. He selected two small family owned and operated vineyards. That resonated with us. He shared why these vineyards are important to the wine culture. He explained all about the different grapes and types of wine in the region. He answered all our questions, even the naive ones. He made the lunch reservation for us at a great restaurant with more amazing views and food. We greatly enjoyed our time with Riste! Oh, we did buy wine and he helped us with the shipping to the USA. He made our excursion amazing!

We strongly recommend this tour. The day was very well organized, with an excellent schedule, a thoughtful selection of wineries, and a perfectly timed lunch at a great restaurant. Riste is very nice and friendly. We thoroughly enjoyed the entire day, including the conversations during the drives between the wineries. He was highly knowledgeable about wines, as well as many other related topics. His explanations were clear, engaging, and complemented the tour beautifully. We want to attend his tour next time if we have a chance to visit this area again!

My wife and I had an amazing time on this tour. Riste was fantastic — incredibly knowledgeable about wine and the region, and just genuinely fun to spend the day with. He was in touch beforehand to arrange pickup from the train station in Asti and help us book lunch at a local Osteria that was outstanding. We visited some beautiful family vineyards that we never would have found on our own, and came away actually understanding the wines we were tasting. Highly recommend this experience!

Booking from Australia, we weren’t sure what would be the best way to explore the area. We had read good reviews of Riste and his tour and decided to book. Communication was excellent and answered any questions. The two of us had a great day with Riste and would recommend. The day was easy paced and we were conveniently picked up from Alba. We visited small family wineries who welcomed us and provided with the opportunity to understand the area, appellations and taste their range of wines through to Barolos. Lunch was at a restaurant in Castiglione Falletto that had been one of a selection provided by Riste and then pre booked at our request and at additional cost. The restaurant, food, wine and views were great. After lunch we moved onto a second family winery for further tastings including Barbaresco. Overall we really enjoyed the experience and Riste was a relaxed, personable and knowledgeable host. Highly recommend.

Riste gave us a great wine tour of the Langhe region. He was very proactive in communicating before the tour. He is very knowledgeable about the wine, region and wineries. He picked great boutique family run wineries, a great restaurant for lunch and also helped shipping wines home. Would gladly use his services again!

We did a private wine tour with Riste this week in Piedmonte. We have visited this region a couple of times before, but had never done a formal tour. Riste met us at our B&B and organized a full day for us. Riste was an excellent guide - he has a deep background in wine, having both studied wine, including achieving his Sommelier, working in the wine business and making wine. He is very knowledgeable and shared his experience with us, answering our questions all along the way. He was very comfortable guide - easy to talk to and made us feel like friends from the beginning. He organized two tastings/winery visits for us - one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Both were unique and different from each other, and in different areas. The private tastings allowed us to interact deeply with the wine makers and their family - both very relaxed experiences but full of education about the wine making and types of wines from this region. We also purchased wines from both wineries and Riste graciously assisted us in shipping them back to the US easily. He also arranged lunch for us in Nieve, which was traditional Piedmontese cuisine and was excellent. It was a nice stop in between the two winery visits. Riste was an excellent communicator both before the tour - asking what our preferences are, types of cuisine we would like, etc - during the trip, and afterwards. I would highly recommend Riste and his tours - you will not be disappointed! When we are back in Piedmonte, we will do another tour with Riste!

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