Veneto

History

Documents from the second century BC report that the Romans defeated the Cimbri tribe also thanks to the “effects” that the local wine had on the latter. Alongside the traditional varieties typical of Veneto, many international ones are also grown in the region, as these were heavily planted here after the phylloxera plight. The firs DOC in Veneto was Lugana in 1967, followed by Bardolino, Soave, and Valpolicella. Veneto is a region where there are large mountain ranges (the Alps and Pre-Alps foothills), extensive hills, and an extensive flatland area covering almost 60% of the total area. The mountainous area covers 26% of the region, while the hilly areas account for 14%. The climate is continental. To the south the climate is mitigated by the Adriatic Sea and to the west by Lake Garda; the winter fogs are frequent even if located in the plain to the south-east.

Territory

Veneto is the first wine producer in Italy in terms of volume and has a surface area of over 75,000 hectares, of which 60% in the plain areas and 40% in the hills, with only a limited percentage of viticulture in the mountains.

Moving from east to west, the first viticultural area is that of the hills of Garda and the Valpolicella Veronese, characterized by the cultivation of red grapes Corvina, Rondinella, and Molinara with which Bardolino and Valpolicella wines are made as well as the famous Amarone (DOCG). There is also the “interregional” DOC Lugana, shared between the provinces of Verona and Mantova, where the white wine is made from Turbiana or Trebbiano di Lugana grape. Between the Lessini and Berici Mountains, the areas of Soave and Gambellara are known for white wines made from the Garganega grape. The Berici Hills are especially known for reds, with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Tai Rosso, similar to Cannonau or Grenache. The foothills of Vicenza in addition to producing fine reds, are also known for its native grape Vespaiola used to produce the sweet wine Torcolato Breganze. In the Padua area, two important DOCGs: Moscato Fiori d’Arancio dei Colli Euganei and the Friularo of Bagnoli DOCG, whose namesake wine is produced with the vine Friularo. The Treviso area is also home to the wine region of Prosecco (Glera grape), the most important district of Italian sparkling wines. It is noteworthy that the western area of Veneto is mainly characterized by the cultivation of native vines (such as in the DOCs Bardolino, Valpolicella and Soave) while in the east the majority of grapevines planted are of international varieties.