There is something mysterious about wine cellars. Chilly, dark places where magic happens. Maybe that's why the wine tours, the open wine cellars days and the wine tastings on request are so popular. Walk among the vines, breathe in the sweet scent of the ripening grapes and taste the delicious wines explained to you personally by the winemaker. That sounds like the perfect programme for a day out with friends. If tasting and exercise can be combined and you also get to know unexpected corners of the region, all the better. Some of the wineries of Ascona-Locarno enjoy a particularly stunning view and immediately make you feel like you're on holiday, such as Cantina Carrara. Others are not just wineries, but real worlds to explore. Like the Matasci winery, for example, where not only is wine made, but the history of wine is carried on and the art is promoted. Among the many, there are also heroic vineyards - those hidden vineyards that are difficult to reach and cultivate because they are located in inaccessible or almost inaccessible areas - such as the Vigneto della Pioda above Maggia and one of the highest vineyards in Ticino, located in Brontallo at over 700 m.a.s.l., an altitude where grapes normally find it difficult to ripen. The Lago Maggiore region is rich in such hidden bijous: half of the region's vineyards are considered difficult to cultivate because of their location, accessibility and soil conditions. The result is rare wines that are worth tasting: Who knows, maybe it will become your new favourite wine.