Veneto

Region on the Adriatic coast in Italy. The vineyard area totals 75.314 hectares, making it the third largest wine-growing region in Italy. The capital is Venice. This is a verdant wine-growing landscape, which was already cultivated by the Etruscans. The Romans came later, and expressed their appreciation of the ancient wine Raeticum, described by the elder Pliny (23-79 AD), it is thought that this was a predecessor of today’s recioto wines (see under Amarone and Recioto). In the time of the "Serenissima" – the proud name Venice gave itself in the 15th century, when its galleons dominated the Mediterranean – viticulture here experienced its heyday. The dominant grape variety is the white Garganega, followed by Pinot Bianco and Trebbiano. The leading red varieties are Corvina Veronese, Corvinone, Rondinella and Molinara. French varieties such as the Cabernets, Merlot and Chardonnay are gaining ground. The vines are frequently still trained on the pergola trellis system, used in historical times. The extreme diversity of the wines is expressed I nthe fact there are more then 115.000 grape growers, with an average land holding of less than one hectare, producing around 100 types of wine. One of the largest and best-known producers is the family-owned winery Masi.

Around a quarter of the wines of Veneto have DOC status, and the 20% share of total Italian DOC production ensures the region is also at the forefront of quality wine producers. Two thirds of the wines originate from the area around the city of Verona, where there are no less than six DOC zones close to Lake Garda. The city of Verona is also considered to be the leading centre of wine in Italy, and the annual wine trade fair Vinitaly is held here. Wines from Veneto became extremely popular worldwide in the 1970Â’s, and in the USA, Soave replaced Chianti (Tuscany) as the most widely sold DOC. This is also the best known and most important wine of the region. Prosecco, made from the grape of the same name, is one of the most popular Italian sparkling wines. The DOC regions are:

* Arcole
* Bagnoli di Sopra or Bagnoli
* Bardolino
* Bardolino SuperioreBardolino (DOCG)
* Bardolino Classico SuperioreSoave (DOCG)
* Soave Superiore#Soave (DOCG)
* Valdadige or Etschtaler (also Trentino-Alto Adige)
* Valpolicella und Recioto della Valpolicella
* Vicenza