A Rainy Day in Merano – Behind the Scenes

Is it raining outside? All the better. Then it might be just the right day to peek behind cellar doors, taste wines, or learn about the journey our apples take after harvest.

August 21, 2026 — approx. 4 minutes reading time

Even in Merano, the sun doesn’t shine every day. And actually, that’s not a bad thing at all.

Because a rainy day is a good opportunity to discover things you might never take the time for when the weather is nice. A look into a wine cellar, a tasting in the middle of town, or a tour through a modern fruit cooperative are exactly that for us.

And the best part: we at Bäcksteinerhof have a personal connection to all of the following places.

Getting to Know Our Grapes – at Kellerei Meran

We deliver our grapes to Kellerei Meran Burggräfler in Marling. If you want to know what happens to them afterward, you can follow their journey there during a cellar tour—from grape reception through processing and the deep cellars to the panoramic wine shop.

The winery offers cellar tours with sparkling wine and wine tasting year-round on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 3 PM. Advance registration is required.

For us, this is especially wonderful because you’re not visiting just any winery there, but the very cooperative where the grapes from Bäcksteinerhof are also delivered.

Perhaps the glass of wine will taste a little different afterward.

Tasting Wine – Right in the Merano Arcades

If you’d rather stay in town when it’s raining, you can visit the City.Vinothek of Kellerei Meran.

It’s located right in the heart of Merano in the arcades and combines wine sales, tastings, and cellar experiences. Tastings of sparkling wine, wine, and grappa are offered there, as well as regularly guided experiences. Currently, these take place year-round on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays at 3 PM, as well as Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 10:30 AM; registration is required.

A lovely tip if you want to simply interrupt your stroll through town for an hour or two—and then step right back into the arcades afterward.

Quite Romantic: Schloss Rametz

Even closer to us is Schloss Rametz in Obermais.

Or as we would say: at our neighbor Stani’s.

The historic winery looks back on around 800 years of winemaking. A tour takes you through the vineyards, the wine museum, and down into the historic cellars. Afterward, five of the estate’s wines are tasted and a small sample of their own Kaiserspeck is served. The tour lasts approximately two hours.

If you don’t want to do a full tour, you can also simply stop by the historic wine shop and taste a few wines. Tasting as few as three wines is possible.

Especially on a gray afternoon, the castle with its old walls, historic cellar, and wine shop has a very special atmosphere.

And if the rainy day turns into a romantic evening…

Then we’d stay right there.

We highly recommend the restaurant at Schloss Rametz if you want to take your loved one out for a particularly special meal.

Head chef Dominic Pernstich and his team combine alpine-Mediterranean cuisine with the wines of Schloss Rametz and selected other wineries. The restaurant itself describes its ambiance as romantic and elegantly alpine; in the warmer months, there’s also a terrace shaded by grapevines.

So sometimes a rainy day might simply be a good excuse for a long lunch—or a romantic evening for two.

Completely Alcohol-Free: A Look Behind the Scenes of Our Apples

Not everyone wants to spend their rainy day with wine.

In that case, we recommend a visit to the fruit cooperative CAFA in Merano—the cooperative where we deliver our apples.

During the apple tour, you see what happens after harvest: After a short introductory film, an apple expert guides you through the cooperative. The tour covers storage, sorting, packaging, and loading. You’ll also learn interesting facts about apple varieties, nutritional content, and proper storage at home. The tour concludes with a small apple tasting.

For us, this visit is especially exciting because you get to know a side of fruit growing that you don’t see out in our orchards.

The apple’s story begins in the field—at CAFA, you experience how modern and precise it continues after harvest.

Tours are offered on selected dates and must be booked in advance. For the currently published dates, the tour costs €4 for adults and €2 for children aged 6 to 17. CAFA is located at Rennstallweg 14 in Untermais; a large free parking lot is available.

Rainy Day at a Glance

• For wine lovers: Cellar tour at Kellerei Meran in Marling
• For a stroll through town with enjoyment: Tasting at the City.Vinothek
• For romance and history: Schloss Rametz
• For a special evening: Restaurant at Schloss Rametz
• Completely alcohol-free: Apple tour at our fruit cooperative CAFA
• Our advice: Always reserve tours and tastings in advance, as dates and spaces may be limited.

Our Tip

Don’t try to “save” a rainy day. Simply enjoy it differently.

Sleep a little longer, take your time with breakfast, and then decide what you feel like doing: learn about the journey of our grapes to wine, taste a glass in the Merano arcades, walk through the old cellars of Schloss Rametz, or discover what happens to our apples after harvest.

And if it’s still raining in the evening?

Then perhaps just a good meal, a glass of wine, and the certainty that a lovely vacation day doesn’t necessarily need blue skies.