Veneto

Veneto

The Veneto is home to some of Italy’s most famous and well-loved wines: Soave, Valpolicella, Prosecco and the monumental expression that is Amarone. However, for many years industrial producers churned out undistinguished wine under those great names, destabilising the integrity and value of the monikers, and making an awful lot of money in the process. Naturally, underneath this profiteering there has always been a core of high-quality producers that have vinified the traditional grapes with integrity and made wine of world-class standard.
 
Even the grey giants have now seen that the ‘vindustrial’ methods and standards were short-sighted, and to prosper in an increasingly educated market that prizes character and authenticity, real viticultural and oenological integrity is vital. Today, the Veneto still produces a vast amount of wine, ...READ MORE

Veneto

The Veneto is home to some of Italy’s most famous and well-loved wines: Soave, Valpolicella, Prosecco and the monumental expression that is Amarone. However, for many years industrial producers churned out undistinguished wine under those great names, destabilising the integrity and value of the monikers, and making an awful lot of money in the process. Naturally, underneath this profiteering there has always been a core of high-quality producers that have vinified the traditional grapes with integrity and made wine of world-class standard.
 
Even the grey giants have now seen that the ‘vindustrial’ methods and standards were short-sighted, and to prosper in an increasingly educated market that prizes character and authenticity, real viticultural and oenological integrity is vital. Today, the Veneto still produces a vast amount of wine, but it is no longer overwhelmingly characterised by a somewhat cynical recent past. Needless to say, the Veneto is the volume powerhouse of Italy, easily outstripping previous competitors, Emilia-Romagna, Sicily and Puglia.
 
Although Prosecco is also made in Friuli (where the town of Prosecco is situated), it is in the Veneto where it flourishes. A recent name change has branded the grape variety Glera, reserving the term Prosecco for the DOC(G) areas. From simple expressions to the more refined versions from Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, and more exclusively to the subzone of Cartizze, Prosecco is Italy’s emblematic sparkling wine. Prosecco’s ingredients and methods preclude serious comparisons or competition with Champagne, leaving the feuding to Lombardy’s Franciacorta.
 
Though there is much white wine produced in the Veneto – and a seemingly inexhaustible supply of Pinot Grigio under the Delle Venezie IGP – Soave is certainly the region’s most celebrated white wine. Soave has suffered like few other DOCs from poorly framed changes to its legal boundaries and its mandatory production requirements, as well as the tarnishing of its name by the aforementioned industrial producers. However, with both the consistency of some brilliant makers and the revived fortunes of others, Soave is once again a name to take very seriously. Like its red cousin Valpolicella, Soave can produce both wines of immediacy and vino di meditazione styles.
 
The core red wines of the Veneto are built around the autochthonous varieties, in order of importance, Corvina (with Corvinone), Rondinella and Molinara, along with several less-heralded local contributors. From simple, fruit-driven wines to vini di meditazione, such as Amarone and Recioto, this trio – though with Molinara in steady and mostly welcome decline – mainly go into making up the Veneto’s strongest suit: Valpolicella. They also crop up on the shores of Lake Garda in an altogether more carefree way, mirroring the leisurely pursuits of the area. Under the area’s red Bardolino DOC there is also a category for rosé, known as Chiaretto.
 
Principal denominations: Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG, Friularo di Bagnoli DOCG, Bardolino DOC, Bardolino Superiore DOCG, Colli di Conegliano DOCG, Colli Euganei Fior d’Arancio DOCG, Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG, Gambellara DOC, Garda DOC, IGP delle Venezie, IGP Veneto, Lison DOCG, Lugana DOC, Malanotte del Piave DOCG, Prosecco DOC, Recioto della Valpolicella DOCG, Recioto di Gambellara DOCG, Recioto di Soave DOCG, Soave DOC, Soave Superiore DOCG, Valpolicella DOC, Valpolicella Ripasso DOC, Venezia DOC
Important white varieties: Garganega, Glera, Manzoni Bianco, Moscato, Pinot Grigio, Trebbiano, Vespaiola
Important red varieties: Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, CarmenèreCorvinaCorvinoneMolinara, Raboso, Rondinella COLLAPSE TEXT
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