From the region of Veneto, Verona's classic wines are bona fide natives. Soave, from Garganega and Trebbiano di Soave, is usually dry and still, though sparkling and sweet Recioto versions are also prescribed. Soave, the most popular of Italian dry whites, ranks third after Chianti and Asti in volume among classified wines (with more than 50
milion liters a year).
Valpolicella, made from a blend of Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara grapes, has
been fourth in volume among DOCs with more than 30 million liters. Valpolicella
is noted as a hearty red to drink relatively young, though grapes from its
vineyards in the hills north of Verona can also be partly dried and made into the
richly dry Amarone della Valpolicella or the opulently sweet Recioto della
Valpolicella.
Amarone, amply structured and long on the palate, ranks with Italy's most
authoritative red wines with a list of admirers growing around the world. It is
unquestionably one of the great red wines for aging.
Bardolino from the same basic grapes as Valpolicella, is enviably easy to drink,
whether in the light red or dark pink Chiaretto version. Bardolino has also
gained in popularity as a Vino Novello, another category in which Veneto leads
production in Italy. Bardolino, from the shores of Lake Garda, also ranks high in
terms of volume with about 20 million liters a year.
Another Veronese DOC wine of note is Bianco di Custoza, a crisp white much
appreciated in northern Italy. Verona also shares two DOCs with Lombardy: Lugana
and Garda. A distinctive DOC produced between Verona and Vicenza is Lessini
Durello, a steely dry white, usually sparkling, that seems destined for wider
recognition. The Veronese also make alternative wines of distinction, especially
the reds produced by the so-called ripasso method in which the basic Valpolicella
is refermented with the pomace of Amarone to gain body and structure.
The Veneto's central hills take in several DOC zones. Near Vicenza are
Gambellara, with whites similar to those of neighboring Soave, and Colli Berici,
where varietal wines from Tocai, the Pinots, Merlot and Cabernet prevail. Also in
the province is Breganze, where Cabernet, Merlot and whites from the Pinots and
Chardonnay have earned a reputation, though the most admired wine is often the
sweet Torcolato. Near Padova are the Colli Euganei range of hills,
whose sheer slopes render a range of red and white varietals.
Treviso's province takes in the hills north of Venice between the towns of
Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, noted for the popular Prosecco, a dry to softly
sweet white, almost always bubbly. A refined version is known as Superiore di
Cartizze. The adjacent Montello e Colli Asolani zone is noted for Prosecco,
Cabernet and Merlot. Producers of Prosecco have used their experience with
sparkling wine to build markets with Pinot and Chardonnay, made either by the
tank fermentation or the classical bottle fermentation methods.
The plains northeast of Venice take in the Piave DOC zone, where Merlot and
Cabernet dominate a large range of trendy varietals, though the local red Raboso
and white Verduzzo still attract admirers. Lison-Pramaggiore (previously noted
for white Tocai and Cabernet and Merlot) has a full list of popular varietals.
Merlot and Cabernet Franc have been the workhorse varieties of the central and
eastern Veneto for decades, often in light and easy wines to drink young. But
some producers blend the two, increasingly with Cabernet Sauvignon, and age the
wines in small oak barrels to develop greater style and complexity.
Among white varieties, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon and Chardonnay continue to gain
ground, often in youthfully fruity versions but also as oak-aged wines of depth
and style.
Veneto shares 5 DOC zones with other regions: Garda, Lugana and San Martino
della Battaglia with Lombardy, Lison-Pramaggiore with Friuli-Venezia Giulia and
Valdadige with Trentino-Alto Adige.
