Wine tasting in an ancient wine cellar in Manarola

Manarola, one of the five rugged villages of Italy's Cinque Terre on the Ligurian coast, offers more than breathtaking coastal trails and colorful harbor views. At Via Renato Birolli, 110, Arbaspaa invites travelers into an ancient wine cellar, a stone-arched sanctuary where history and viticulture meet in intimate harmony. This isn’t just any wine tasting — it’s an immersive journey into local terroir wrapped in layers of cultural flavor.

The cellar, now a stylish Bar-Enoteca, has been carefully renovated to maintain its historic charm while welcoming visitors with lively jazz performances that blend seamlessly with the soft clinking of glasses. Guests taste the distinctive Cinque Terre white DOC, boasting crisp minerality unique to the region’s sea-facing vineyards. The experience deepens with a red wine crafted in the Cinque Terre ITG tradition, robust yet balanced, and culminates with Sciacchetrà — a rare, luscious sweet wine made from late-harvested grapes sun-dried on terraced slopes above the sea.

Paired with these wines are authentic Ligurian snacks—croccantini with pesto, salted anchovies, and local cheeses—that ground the tasting in regional flavor. Beyond the pours, Arbaspaa’s cellar embraces the spirit of the land and its people, delivering a sensory link between the Mediterranean landscape and centuries of winemaking heritage. Located close to the village’s small harbor, the setting offers a perfect pause from hiking the famed coastal paths or exploring Old Manarola’s cliffs.

Arbaspaa’s wine tasting provides a cultured yet relaxed way to connect with the Cinque Terre’s outdoor lifestyle, crafting a memorable interlude where nature, history, and craftsmanship converge.