An overview on Veneto wine,
big gun in the Italian scenario

Veneto wine is the most relevant in Italy scene in terms of quality and amount of wine produced: from Veneto comes 20% of all the wines made in Italy. Think that just in the province of Verona is made more wine than in Tuscany or Piedmont.

92% of the Veneto wine is labeled as DOCG – Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita - DOC and IGT – Indicazione Geografica Tipica - meaning high quality wine and with a strong bond with the local territory.

Part of the wines come from international grape varieties like Cabernet, Melot, Pinot, but you’ll also find a wide choice of wines made up of native grapes.

Here below you’ll find a list of the most appreciated wines of Veneto: keep them in mind when you go to the restaurant or enjoying a relaxing getaway in one of the scenic Veneto wine routes.

Province of Verona

3 wines of the Verona area stand out:

the renowned DOCG Amarone wine, a top red Italian wine, with great body and high alcohol content, made in the scenic Valpolicella hills.

After the harvest grapes are layed upon racks for months to undergo a withering proceeding.
This prestigious Veneto wine is mostly made up of the native grape variety Corvina:
Corvina veronese 40 - 70%
Rondinella 20 - 40%
Molinara 5 - 25%.
Also a lower percentage of other vines like Sangiovese and Barbera are allowed.

Bardolino wine : made in the inland parts of the Lake of Garda: the areas involved in the making of Bardolino Classico are the villages of Bardolino, Affi, Cavaion Veronese, Costermano, Garda and Lasize.
It is a medium-bodied red wine, basically made up of the same grape variety of Amarone. The Superiore version requires a year of ageing.
There exists a rosé version named Chiaretto.

Valpolicella wine: this famous red wine takes its name from the hills rising north of Verona, nearby the pictoresque Garda lake. The grape varieties are mostly Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara as well.

Its raisin version is the Recioto della Valpolicella, which undergoes a withering proceeding: it is excellent as dessert wine. Some people consider Recioto wine as the Italian Porto.

The Soave wine – one of the most appreciated Italian white wines - is made in the province of Verona from the native Garganega vine. It can be also tasted in its Superiore version.

The Recioto di Soave – both still or sparkling - is the sweet version obtained after withering the grapes. It is a sweet tasting wine, but with a slight bitterish aftertaste.

Other appreciated Veneto wines of the Lake of Garda area are the delicate and fruity Bianco di Custoza, a good quality dry white wine. The prevailing vines used are Garganega and Trebbiano.
Excellent accompanied with light meals.

Province of Treviso

Another top seller Veneto wine – especially in its sparkling spumante version - is the Prosecco wine, grown in the Conegliano and Valdobbiadene hills, encompassing the territory of 15 villages.

The success of this typical wine has rocketed in the last years, becoming more and more appreciated worldwide (and thus more and more falsified worldwide too..).
The most prestigious version is Cartizze, or Superiore di Cartizze.
People in Veneto use to taste it as an aperitif accompanied with cicchetti - fingerfood, the Veneto version of tapas - or at dinner mostly with fish or risotto dishes.

Two noteworthy fine sweet Italian wines made in the Conegliano hills are also the Refrontolo Passito and the Torchiato di Fregona, both made with Prosecco grape variety (plus Verdiso and Boschera vines).

Province of Padua

The lush and picturesque Colli Euganei – Euganean hills – are renowned for the Moscato wine and Pinot Bianco.

Province of Vicenza

Wines made in this area comes from international grapes like Cabernet, Merlot and Tocai (Tai Rosso) or native grapes like Garganega.

A typical sweet raisin wine of the area is the Torcolato wine: a must-try specialty, recommended accompanied with a dessert or as after dinner drink.

The renowned and fine Grappa is a high alcohol content distillate – technically a marc brandy - made in Bassano del Grappa since 1779.
It is one of the symbols of the region Veneto.

Province of Treviso and Venice

Verduzzo – from the homonymous grape variety - is a common white wine made in the eastern Veneto, light and versatile. A pleasant table wine produced in the southern Piave valley.