Veneto

Veneto is an incredibly diverse wine region. Its best-known wines include Amarone della Valpolicella and Prosecco, both of which are prolifically exported, and appreciated, all around the world.

The Veneto wine region in the north-eastern corner of Italy stretches from Lake Garda to the Adriatic coast. It is bordered by the Alps to the north and by neighbouring Emilia-Romagna to the south. A thriving export market, which accounts for three quarters of total wine production, has done much for the region’s popularity and profile.

Diversity rules

Veneto comprises 80,000 hectares of vineyard and an incredibly diverse array of wines – red, white, sparkling or sweet, you name it. Apart from boasting the famous city of Venice, the region also has 28 DOCs and 14 DOCGs. These appellations include household names such as Amarone, Ripasso, Prosecco, Bardolino, and Colli Orientali. Thanks to a diverse geography, Veneto’s vineyards contain many different red and white grape varieties. The local climate and soils are equally varied.

Amarone – a red wine of power and concentration

Amarone della Valpolicella, probably Veneto’s best-known red wine, was awarded DOCG status in 2010. Amarone owes its characteristic power, concentration and hint of sweetness to the Appassimento method of drying healthy grapes – a process that traditionally takes around 100 days and involves laying out the bunches on wooden racks in special drying rooms. Drying causes the grapes to lose much of their water content, while alcohol, acidity and dry extract are also concentrated as a result. DOC-certified Valpolicella Ripasso offers a more affordable alternative to Amarone and is made from Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella – the exact same red grapes used for Amarone. However, no grapes are dried for Ripasso. Instead, Amarone pomace is added to a dry base wine to induce a second fermentation, adding colour and extract.

Popular Prosecco

Attracting the international market with its fruit-driven style, no other sparkling wine screams ‘party’ as much as Prosecco. Prosecco underwent a complete overhaul in 2010. Precise regulations were introduced, upgrading Prosecco’s geographical status from IGT to DOC and specifying that all Prosecco be produced and bottled in the Prosecco area and sold exclusively in glass bottles. The Prosecco DOC designation applies to five provinces in Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Veneto, while Prosecco di Conegliano Valdobbiadene and Prosecco di Asolo now have DOCG status. To qualify for the DOCG label, wines must be made exclusively from hand-picked grapes grown in these two localities in Treviso province. All Prosecco must be made with at least 85% Glera grapes, while the remaining 15% can include indigenous or more familiar varieties. Prosecco is usually fermented in tank, but there is also a bottle-fermented version referred to as ‘Col Fondo’. The most common styles are Brut (less than 12 grams per litre of residual sugar) and Extra Dry (12 to 17 grams per litre). Some degree of residual sweetness tends to be encouraged to help balance out the acidity.