Welcome to the seventh part of The great wine regions. After our journey through Italy's great red wine landscapes in Piemonte and Toscana, we now set course for the northeast, to Veneto. It is a region with an impressive range, from light, fresh sparkling wines to deep, concentrated reds.
If you already have a few Italian favourites in your glass but would like to understand what really sets a Prosecco apart from an Amarone, and why Veneto in particular can hold both, then this is where the pieces fall into place.
What you will learn
- Which grapes and styles define Veneto, and just how large the region really is
- How Valpolicella and the special Amarone method are connected
- What characterises the most important areas, including Soave
- What you can expect to taste when you open a bottle from the region
Veneto in brief
Veneto lies in northeastern Italy and covers the provinces around Verona, Venice, Treviso and Vicenza. It is Italy's largest wine region by volume, and the province of Verona is considered Europe's most productive wine district. There are more than twenty DOC zones within the region's borders.
Geographically, Veneto stretches from the alpine foothills in the north to the Adriatic plains to the east. The climate is shaped by an interplay between cool alpine winds from the north and warmer air from the Adriatic Sea to the southeast. This gives a breadth of conditions that explains why the region can grow such different wines. The Adige river and its valley are one of the central geographical features, and the city of Verona lies right here as an important centre for wine production.
Veneto is also a region with two faces. On the one side large, industrial producers with enormous volumes, on the other smaller, craft-minded winemakers who work at an entirely different pace. Both exist side by side, and it is worth bearing in mind as you explore the shelves.
Grapes and styles
Veneto's strength is precisely its range. Here everything is made, from bone-dry whites through fresh sparkling wines to powerful, dried reds. The classification follows the Italian system with DOC and DOCG as markers of origin and rules, while IGT gives winemakers greater freedom.
Among the white grapes, it is especially those around Soave that account for the largest volumes. Soave alone makes up about a third of the region's classified wine production. On the red side, it is the grapes in Valpolicella that carry the region's reputation, both in light and concentrated versions.
Veneto is also home to a large production of mousserende vin. In Italy, by far the most sparkling wines outside Franciacorta are made by the cuve close method, where the second fermentation takes place in a steel tank rather than in the bottle. This gives fresh, fruity sparkling wines meant to be drunk young, and this is precisely where Veneto's best-known sparkling style belongs.
Valpolicella, Amarone and Soave
These are three names worth getting to know, because each represents a style of its own.
Soave
Soave is the region's great white wine area and its largest DOC by volume. The style is typically dry, fresh and with a moderate body, a white wine that goes well with light dishes and works fine as an everyday glass. As with so much else in Veneto, the quality ranges from the very simple to the more ambitious, depending on producer and yield.
Valpolicella
Valpolicella is the heart of Veneto's red wine production. In its basic form it is a light to medium-bodied red with fresh acidity and an aroma of red berries. It is an approachable style that is easy to drink and flexible at the table.
Amarone
Amarone is Valpolicella's big, concentrated relative, and it is built on a special method. The grapes are harvested and then laid out to dry for a period before they are pressed. As the water evaporates from the grapes, sugar, acidity and flavour all become concentrated. The result is a deep, powerful red with a high alcohol content, often at the upper end of the scale for red wine.
The method is called appassimento, that is, the drying of the grapes. It gives Amarone its characteristic body and its notes of dried fruit. It is a wine that asks a little more of both the glass and the food, and one that has often spent some time in barrel before bottling.
How the wines taste
Veneto's wines are hard to pin down to a single formula, precisely because the range is so great. But some traits recur within each style.
The sparkling wines are light, fresh and fruity, meant to be enjoyed young and preferably chilled. The whites from Soave are typically dry with fresh acidity and a mild, soft fruit, without the heavy oak or buttery notes you find in some whites from elsewhere.
On the red side, a classic Valpolicella is juicy and fresh with red berries and a light body. Amarone goes in the opposite direction. Here you meet depth, concentration, notes of dried fruit and a marked body on the palate. Where a Valpolicella invites a light lunch, Amarone is a wine for slow evenings and more powerful food.
The common denominator is that Veneto has something for almost any occasion. It is a region where you can begin the day with sparkling wine and end it with one of Italy's fullest reds.
In brief
- Veneto is Italy's largest wine region by volume and stretches from alpine foothills to Adriatic plains.
- Soave is the largest DOC and accounts for the region's classic, fresh white wines.
- Valpolicella delivers both light, juicy reds and the concentrated Amarone.
- Amarone is made by appassimento, where the grapes are dried before pressing, giving a deep and powerful wine.
- Veneto is also a large home for fresh mousserende vin made by the tank method.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Valpolicella and Amarone?
They come from the same area and the same grape types, but Amarone is made from grapes that have first been dried after harvest. That drying concentrates flavour and sugar, so Amarone becomes markedly fuller and more powerful than an ordinary, fresh Valpolicella.
Is all sparkling wine from Veneto made by the bottle method?
No. Most Italian sparkling wines outside Franciacorta are made by the cuve close method, where the second fermentation takes place in a steel tank. This gives light, fruity sparkling wines that are at their best in their youth.
Ready for the next step?
Veneto shows just how much a single region can hold, and it is a good reminder that the best pairing is always the wine you like yourself with the food you feel like. Let curiosity lead the way, and try your way from the fresh sparkling wines to the full-bodied reds.
In the next part we travel further north to Germany: Riesling's great homeland, where an entirely different grape and a cooler climate set the agenda. You are also always welcome to drop by the selection and find a bottle from Veneto that sparks your interest.
