I recently explored the beautiful Veneto wine region, which is located in the northeast of Italy. It stretches from the Dolomites to the Adriatic Sea and is home to the beloved cities of Venice and Verona. Here, they make everything from Valpolicella, Soave and Prosecco, to simple but delicious IGT Pinot Grigio. Below I’ll list a few highlights of Veneto’s wines.
Valpolicella – What to Know
Valpolicella spans about 95 square miles within Veneto and produces the most famous red wine in the Veneto region. From soft and approachable wines labeled with the broad Valpolicella DOC to the rich and concentrated Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG, there’s a style to suit every palate across a wide price range.
All wines from this area are predominately made with the same grapes: Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella and Molinara. They offer primary flavors of sour cherry, cinnamon, chocolate, pepper, and almond. On the nose, aromas of cherries and herbs. Valpolicella wines usually have low tannins and high acidity, balanced by moderate alcohol content and body.
The Four Styles of Wine in Valpolicella
The four key styles, from least to most intensity are: Valpolicella, Valpolicella Ripasso, Amarone della Valpolicella and Recioto della Valpolicella.
- Valpolicella DOC: This is an easy-drinking everyday red. It’s fresh, light and fruity and can come from anywhere within the region. Because it tends to be light in profile, some winemakers employ techniques to achieve greater depth, complexity and richness. I love Valpolicella DOC wines for anytime of day—perfect light reds.
- Valpolicella Ripasso DOC: This is a more intense version of Valpolicella and some call it “poor man’s Amarone”. Ripasso refers to the method of production, or “re-pass,” a category of wine awarded DOC status in 2010. First, winemakers ferment a basic Valpolicella DOC. They then start a second fermentation using a vat of Amarone, which is drained off its skins, and those grape skins are added into the vat of Valpolicella. This takes the soft character of Valpolicella and melds it with the flavorful, raisin-like notes of Amarone to make a fuller, deeper wine.
- Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG: Amarone became an international phenomenon in the 1990s. The name Amarone means “big bitter,” but it really doesn’t taste bitter at all!. Amarone shows very high concentration and structure balanced by plushness and elegance. Flavors of dark berries, cocoa and raisin are a result of the winemaking style. Amarone is made with grapes that are dried on mats or hung from rafters for weeks or months after harvest. The shriveled grapes are then fermented to dryness, which results in a huge, rich wine with robust alcohol levels that can near 17% alcohol by volume.
- Recioto della Valpolicella DOCG: Recioto Valpolicella is sweet red wine made from incredibly sugary, concentrated grapes. While similar to the process for Amarone, the fruit for these wines is dried for 100 to 200 days, further concentrating the flavors and sugar. The grapes are then vinified, but fermentation is stopped before all of the sugar converts to alcohol, which creates a sweet wine with bright natural acidity.
Valpolicella – What to Drink
I recommend trying Valpolicella from producers Ca’ La Bionda, Tedeschi, Quintarelli, and Allegrini.
Soave – What to Know
Though Pinot Grigio has earned consumer passion for the last decade or so, Soave is arguably the most internationally recognized Italian white wine.
Soave, known for its wines and medieval castle, spans the hills east of Verona. It is a DOC, and its wines must contain at least 70% of the Garganega grape. Another highlight in the area is the Soave Superiore DOCG. Under this category, there are two wines: Superiore, which denotes a minimum of six months of aging, and Riserva, which requires at least one year.
The wines are dry, crisp and refreshing, with a bright lemon flavor and saline mineral tang attributed to the area’s volcanic soils. I should also note they are very affordable! Soave is predominantly a still, dry wine, but there are rare bottles of fizz, or Soave Spumante, found mostly in local markets. There’s also a sweet wine known as Recioto di Soave DOCG, made with the same grapes.
Soave – What to Drink
I recommend trying Soave from producers Pieropan and Inama.
Bardolino – What to Know
Set along the southeastern shores of Lake Garda, Bardolino is a heaven for wine grapes and produces some of the best reds in Italy. Growing conditions are excellent, from bright sunshine to the temperature-moderating influence of the lake and fresh breezes that dry the rain. The region earned its status as a DOC in 1968.
Grapes used for these dry red wines are very similar to those in Valpolicella—Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella and Molinara. The wines are fruity and fragrant. Aromas of red cherry, black fruit and baking spice carry through to the palate, which has fine tannins, juicy acidity and a hint of saltiness.
Bardolino Classico wines come from traditional growing areas on the hills, a boundary created to add a quality distinction from regular Bardolino that often hails from the plains. The DOC imposes more stringent production rules on Bardolino Classico wines than Bardolino.
Another quality tier was added in 2001: Bardolino Superiore DOCG. These wines must contain a minimum of 12% alcohol and be aged at least one year before release. For the top wines of Bardolino, look for Bardolino Superiore Classico.
Bardolino – What to Drink
I recommend trying Bardolino wines from producers Rizzardi and Le Morette Di Valerio Zenato.
Prosecco – What to Know
Prosecco, the queen of the Italian sparkling wines, is an Italian DOC or DOCG white wine produced in a large area in the Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia regions. It is primarily made from the Glera grape, which is a high-yielding variety with good acidity. In 2009,“Prosecco” became a DOC and a protected name, in the same way that Champagne can only be made in the Champagne region of France. Two key DOCGs for Prosecco are Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG and Asolo DOCG.
Prosecco’s light body, refreshing acidity, and fantastic price point make it a fan favorite. It shows white fruit flavors such as honeydew, pear and white peach, as well as vanilla cream and orange blossom. The resulting wines are typically light to medium-bodied. Alcohol levels can range from 8.5% to 12.5%.
Prosecco – What to Drink
I recommend trying Prosecco from producers Ruggeri, Bisol, and Mionetto.
There are other wines to cover in this region, but hopefully this primer gives you a good overview of Veneto wine and what the area is best known for! And, if you are curious about the rest of our time in Italy, explore my other posts here and here.
Cheers!
xx—BB
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