Veneto

Veneto (Veneto) is an extensive wine region in the North-East of Italy with increasing value. According to the administrative division it is part of the triveneto zone, along with its smaller neighbors Trentino-Alto Adige and Friuli-Venezia Giulia.

From the point of view of geography, culture and wine styles, it represents a transition from the Alpine German-Slavic region of Italy to its dry warm Roman lands in the South.

Veneto is slightly smaller than the other major wine regions of Italy – Piedmont, Tuscany, Lombardy, Puglia and Sicily. While wine is produced here more than any of them.

For a long time the southern regions of Sicily and Puglia were the main suppliers of Italian wine. But in the second half of the 20th century, the balance began to shift North towards Veneto.

In the 1990s the Italian wines of the South are lost in a host of competing wines from around the world. But Veneto was gaining momentum, gaining more and more fans thanks to such wines as Valpolicella, Amarone, Soave and Prosecco.

Having gently fruity red Valpolicella, complemented by intense Amarone and sweet Recioto, Veneto has a luxurious portfolio of red wines that complement the fresh white like Soave and the sparkling Prosecco.

And while many new vineyards that have contributed to the growth of wine production in Veneto are ambiguous indicators of quality, still more than 25% of the region’s wines are produced in the classes DOC and DOCG.

Veneto can be roughly divided into three geographical areas with different topography and Geology.

In the North-West the lower slopes of the Alps down to the Eastern edge of lake Garda, a journey reflected in the Adige river, flowing down from the heights of Alto Adige.

Here Prealpina in colder climates, make cheerful white wines Bianco di Custoza and Garda, and on the banks of the river Garda is born the lowly refreshing Bardolino is one of the easiest representatives of red from the Veneto.

On the Eastern edge of the lake and North of Verona lies the Valpolicella region of production and its subregion Valpantena: is the “Valley of many cellars”, annually produces half a million hectoliters of fruity-juicy red wine. In terms of production the Valpolicella is the only DOC in Italy, competing with Tuscan Chianti.

From the Eastern edge to the adjacent Valpolicella Soave – the birthplace of the eponymous dry white wine which is one of the most famous wines of Italy. Garganega and Trebbiano are the basis of local white and Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara red.

In Central Veneto, around Venice and Padua, located zone (. DOC), Colli Berici, Colli Euganei and Breganze. Although on the plains at the foot of these hills is a large quantity of wine, DOC status was awarded only the higher quality wines from these higher-lying areas. Good results here showed international varieties: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet franc, Pinot Noir and even Carmenere, as well as the flagship Northern Italian Pinot Grigio and the local autochthonous Tokay Friulano (Tocai Friulano).

The North-Eastern part of the region, on both banks of the Piave river (which has its own DOC Piave area between Conegliano and the coast) is the Kingdom of Prosecco.

Still wines here, too, are doing: Lison, Lison-Pramaggiore, Montello e Colli Asolani and Colli di Conegliano. But all of the wine area of North-East Veneto is glorified by the variety glera (known as Prosecco) and his most famous sparkling representatives of all stripes.