Masi - the legendary Amarone producer - has a mountain wine bar at Cortina's Druscié cable car station. Their Costasera Amarone with mountain views. Vertical tastings of Masi's top wines with Dolomite backdrop.
What to do there
3 things to do
Take Freccia nel Cielo cable car to Col Druscié (1,778m) and reserve a terrace table at the Masi Wine Bar facing the Cinque Torri peaks. Order Risotto all'Amarone (€18-25) paired with Masi Costasera Amarone (€12-18/glass) — you're eating wine that was dehydrated (appassimento method), then rehydrated in rice, paired with the same liquid wine. Time your visit for 15:30-17:00 to watch Olympic teams training on the bobsled track below during Feb 6-22, 2026, then witness 'Enrosadira' alpenglow at 17:30 when dolomite limestone turns pink.
Backup:If weather closes cable car (winds >40km/h shut it down), visit Enoteca Cortina in town. Ask sommelier Kristian for Amarone by the glass (€12-18) in the 1962 curtained-door setting.
Masi is a legendary Amarone producer from Valpolicella who opened here strategically: Cortina attracts wealthy international tourists, altitude sharpens your palate while softening tannins, and the 2026 Olympics return exactly 70 years after 1956. Order a vertical tasting if available — Campofiorin (baby Amarone, €8-12), Costasera Amarone (€12-18), maybe Serego Alighieri (€20-30). Ask bartender: 'Why did Masi choose this location?' The answer involves brand positioning, Olympic tourism, and altitude wine culture.
Backup:If vertical tasting unavailable, just order Costasera Amarone by the glass and ask for the production story - 3+ months drying, late-harvest Corvina grapes, appassimento method. This is wine as preservation technique from an era before refrigeration.
'Enrosadira' in Ladin means 'becoming rosy' — the moment when dolomite limestone (double carbonate of calcium and magnesium named after 18th-century French mineralogist Déodat Gratet de Dolomieu) turns pink, orange, then red at sunset. Position on the terrace facing Cinque Torri by 16:30, watch the glow start around 17:30 (summer) or 16:30 (winter) and last 15-30 minutes. Take one photo — wine glass with pink peaks — then put the phone away. This is the 8000-mile moment.
Backup:If clouds obscure the peaks, the alpenglow won't happen. Pivot to asking bartender about the 1956 Olympics instead - torchbearer Guido Caroli stumbled on a cable and almost dropped the Olympic flame. Now you're here 70 years later during the 2026 return.
