If you enjoy sipping a glass of the finest wine with scenic views and walking around through vast green lands surrounded by hills and mountains, visiting the Veneto Region is a must. These fascinating Italian lands are the perfect destination for wine lovers. Let's discover the most renowned wine production areas of the enchanting Veneto region.
Valpolicella
From the lands of Valpolicella originate the most famous Veneto red wines, first and foremost Amarone, Verona's Red Gold. In the production of Amarone is included the use of dried grapes from the Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara vines, just like Recioto. The difference between Recioto and Amarone is that the latest is a dry wine and can be considered as deriving from Recioto since its fermentation is total, leaving only a small quantity of sugar residue. In the process of giving more body and softness to red Valpolicella, it is important the use of the ripasso technique, which consists of "passing" the Recioto or Amarone marc through the Valpolicella wine a second time, restarting the fermentation process to give the wine more structure and aroma.
Discover Valpolicella on an E-Bike! Learn more about Verona's Bottled Red Gold
Conegliano-Valdobbiadene and Montello-Colli Asolani
The Conegliano-Valdobbiadene and Montello-Colli Asolani areas are famous all over the world for their Prosecco. The grape variety used to make it was previously called prosecco, but was renamed Glera (a white grape variety of Slovenian origin) in 2009 to protect the name of the DOC wine. Prosecco is made with the Charmat or Martinotti system, perfect for preserving the aromatic qualities of the grape. Prosecco Superiore of Cartizze takes its name from the locality of the same name close to San Pietro in Barbozza, in the town of Valdobbiadene. The Prosecco Superiore di Cartizze area is hilly, covering about one hundred hectares that are entirely planted with vineyards. The Montello-Colli Asolani area is also famous for its red wines based mainly on Cabernet, Merlot and Carmenère grapes.
Soave and Recioto di Soave
It is from the lands of Soave, close to Verona, that the most famous white wines from Veneto come from. They are made with an indigenous Garganega and Trebbiano di Soave base. The classic area includes only two municipalities, Soave and Monteforte d’Alpone, from which the best white wines of this DOC classification originate. The Soave Superiore type was awarded DOCG designation. Recioto di Soave is also a DOCG wine, and is made with Garganega grapes that are dried for about six months before vinification, producing a sweet wine with notes of dried apricot, citrus and honey. It is perfect for accompanying dry pastries, but also remarkable for meditating.
Euganean Hills, Berici Hills and Breganze
The Euganean Hills in the province of Padua is where many white, red and sparkling wines are produced: among them, the most interesting is Fior d'Arancio (Orange Blossom), in particular the passito version, made with Moscato Giallo grapes. Serprino, which grows in the same area, is a local clone of the Glera grape variety and the wine made from it is mainly sparkling. The red wines of the Euganean Hills are generally made with Merlot, Cabernet, but also Raboso and Barbera, grapes. The other white wines are made using Tocai Italico, Pinot Bianco, Moscato Giallo, Garganega, Riesling, Sauvignon and Pinella grapes. The Berici Hills are known for their native Tocai Rosso grape, a local clone of the French Grenache, whose flavour comes out best in Rosso di Barbarano wine. Breganze, a small town in the province of Vicenza, the city of Palladio, makes not only white and red wines but also the famous Torcolato, a passito wine made from Vespaiola grapes.
Other wine production areas in the Veneto Region
Some other important production areas include Bardolino, whose wines are generally made from the same grapes as Valpolicella, but with different results in terms of structure and intensity. Bardolino Superiore was awarded DOCG qualification. Bianco di Custoza is produced with a blend of different grapes, the most important ones being Trebbiano Toscano, Garganega and Bianca Fernanda, a local clone of Cortese. Recioto di Gambellara, made from dried grapes, and the rarer Vin Santo, are made in Gambellara, in the province of Vicenza. Veneto shares three DOC wine areas with Lombardy: Lugana, San Martino della Battaglia and Garda. Raboso is, instead, the undisputed protagonist of the Piave DOC wine area. It is a grape rich in tannins and of considerable fixed acidity, from which interesting and robust red wines are produced.
Learn more about the history of viticulture in the Veneto Region