Wines from Veneto

Anyone who knows Amarone knows it from the history of Recioto. According to tradition, Italy's most famous red wine was created by chance: a Recioto that was fermented too long in the barrel – until none of the sweetness remained. What began as a mistake became a legend. But the Recioto itself, the older of the two, was almost forgotten. Wrongly so. In Valpolicella Classico, the upper, wide-open wings of the grape panicles are called "Recie" – ears. It is these wings that hang the highest, are most exposed to the sun and ripen the most. They are carefully selected for the Recioto and harvested by hand – at the end of September, when the season has reached its peak in the hills of Marano di Valpolicella on calcareous Eocene soils between 200 and 350 metres.

Lugana as a sparkling wine? The idea sounds unusual, but Sergio Zenato had been pursuing it ever since the winery was founded in the 1960s. He recognised early on that Trebbiano di Lugana, with its delicate acidity and aromatic purity, offers ideal conditions for traditional bottle fermentation. Hand-harvested in mid-September, gently pressed as whole bunches, fermented with natural yeasts at 16°C in stainless steel. Then comes the crucial step: the second fermentation in the bottle according to the Metodo Classico – the same process used in Champagne. The spumante matures sur lie for a full 24 months before remuage and dégorgement release its delicate aromas.

"Classico" is not just a marketing term in Valpolicella – it is a geographical designation. The Classico zone refers to the historic heart of the wine-growing region: those hills between Verona and Lake Garda, where Corvina Veronese has been at home for centuries and where the Allegrini family has been making wine since the 16th century. It was Giovanni Allegrini who, in the 1970s, initiated a leap in quality with the Guyot system and higher planting density, transforming the entire Valpolicella region. The Superiore differs from the standard Valpolicella due to a decision made in the cellar: whilst the Classico remains in steel, the Superiore spends six months in large oak barrels, followed by a further two months in concrete tanks – a sequence that harmonises structure, depth and fresh precision. Hand-harvested in the second half of September, 9 days’ maceration in steel.

An unusual cuvée in the still: Riva Vecia combines Cabernet and Glera marc (the Prosecco grape), the soul of the two wine worlds of Loredan Gasparini, in a single distillate. Where other grappas are single-varietal, Venegazzù takes the assemblage route, as with the famous Capo di Stato. Distillation is carried out using the traditional discontinuous method in a water bath, the gentle bagnomaria process in small copper stills.

In 1898, great-grandfather Titta mounted a still on a handcart and travelled from house to house to distil pomace. Four generations later, Jacopo Poli runs the family empire in Schiavon near Bassano del Grappa – with five discontinuous stills, including the original copper stills from 1956. Bomb follows a traditional recipe from Bassano: fresh egg yolks, fresh milk, sugar and the symbol of the region, grappa – grappa. The result is a "cream bomb" of beguiling density.

Palazzotto is the name of the two hectares of vineyard where only Cabernet Sauvignon is grown. Fausto Maculan vinifies a fine wine from these grapes. A spicy start in the glass: cedar wood and ground ginger give way to dusty roses and redcurrants. It's elegant yet refined, with creamy textures lifted by vibrant acidity, while a wave of mineral-tinged wild berries lightly wash over the palate. Leaves a tart note of citrus and raspberry and subtle, grippy tannins that frame the wine without slowing its momentum. Although already showing very well now, this beautifully balanced version of Palazzotto should improve even more with medium-term cellaring. SUPERIORE.DE

The name says it all: "torcolare" – to twist, to braid. In Breganze, it was once a tradition to braid the Vespaiola grapes into plaits after the harvest and hang them under the cellar ceiling so that the air could circulate between the berries. An exercise in patience that takes months and ends with liquid gold. Fausto Maculan did not invent this wine – he saved it. When he took over the winery in the 1970s, Torcolato was an oxidised, syrupy relic. Fausto turned it into a modern sweet wine of international calibre: precise, fresh, lively. Today, 10–15% of the grapes are still woven and hung as Rosolo using the old method, the rest are dried in modern crates. After four months, the berries have lost almost 70% of their weight. Slow fermentation in steel tanks for around a month, followed by a year in French barriques.

The Carbonare vineyard lies halfway up the slope, facing east, and feels different from Monte Foscarino. It’s not just my imagination – it has a different microclimate. Cool air flows down from the Val d’Alpone and its Piccole Dolomiti. Nearby streams reveal the underground water that flows deep beneath the vineyard. A precious resource for a great white wine. The basalt here is rich in colour: shifting from black to green, red and orange, depending on the degree of iron oxidation. When Inama first tasted the grapes, the character was immediately clear: lively citrus notes, vibrant acidity, mineral freshness. The Carbonare wine was born. 100% Garganega. Short maceration, fermentation and 12 months’ ageing in steel on the fine lees, followed by a further 6 months’ bottle ageing. No oak, no bâtonnage, no distraction from the terroir.

Before there was Soave, there was this wine. In the fifth century, the Roman senator Cassiodorus praised a sweet wine made from dried grapes at the court of the Ostrogoth king Theodoric – acinaticum, the original form of what is now called Recioto di Soave. Fifteen hundred years later, in 1998, it became the first Venetian wine with DOCG status. And yet very few people know it. The story has been reversed: Amarone, which originated in the 1930s as a "runaway" Recioto – a barrel that accidentally fermented through –became a world star. Recioto, its ancestor, remained in the shadows. Guerrieri Rizzardi's version comes from old pergola vines in Costeggiola, planted between 1960 and 1998 on volcanic gravel. Only a third of the harvest is deemed worthy of drying in fruttaio for three to five months – a selection within the selection.

In 1973, Graziano Merotto purchased plot 86 in the Rive di Col San Martino – —an overgrown stretch of hillside still covered in woodland. He cleared it himself, planted Glera and began to shape the vineyard that would one day become his most important. Over fifty years later, this wine bears his name. The Cuvée del Fondatore is made exclusively from that historic plot – 230 metres above sea level, south-facing, clay and sand, with vines over 40 years old. Graziano Merotto’s decision in the cellar is unusual: maceration before pressing – a step that most producers skip – then the must goes straight into the autoclave, 60 days of secondary fermentation, followed by a further 180 days of ageing on its own lees. Almost nine months from must to bottle – a comparatively very long time for a Prosecco Superiore. 33,000 bottles, 670 magnums, 10 jeroboams.

One of the first Bordeaux blends in Italy and still one of the best. Conte Loredan Gasparini has been vinifying this classic from the Alta Marca Trevigiana, just 50 kilometres from Venice, since 1951. The Montello area, declared a UNESCO biosphere reserve in 2016, offers ideal conditions for Bordeaux grape varieties with its ferrous clay soils (Ferreto) and cool microclimate. The cuvée combines Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec – a quartet that has found its northern Italian interpretation here for decades. Eighteen months of ageing in Slavonian oak barrels lend depth without dominating.

The light side of the Loredan Gasparini house and also its best-selling distillate. Fresh Glera marc is distilled immediately after gentle pressing in order to preserve the typical freshness and fruitiness of the grape variety. The traditional bagnomaria process in copper stills provides the raw distillate, but it is the eighteen months in small oak barrels that give this Riserva its special complexity.

The name means "motherland" – and the Tedeschi family has indeed found a special spot of land with the 84-hectare vineyard between Tregnago and Mezzane di Sotto, which they acquired in 2006. Extensive soil mapping identified real crus here, including the Impervio vineyard – named after its impassable steep slope at an altitude of 400 metres. White and yellow limestone marl of moraine origin characterise the terroir and give the wine its characteristic freshness. Corvina (40%), Corvinone (30%) and Rondinella (30%) are harvested overripe in mid to late October and fermented as whole bunches – a conscious decision for structure and depth of flavour. After 20 days of maceration, the wine matures for 18 months in Slavonian oak and a further six months in the bottle.

The first year of production of the single-varietal Merlot Clos Roareti dates back to 2004. The grapes are harvested from the 2 hectare historic Rovereti vineyard in Negrar. In this 100-year-old vineyard, which is surrounded by equally old walls, Merlot has been cultivated since the 1990s and is perfectly adapted to the climate and the red clay soil. The palate is rich and full-bodied with complex and very aromatic notes. Maturation in oak barrels gives this wine its special flavour and certain opulence. SUPERIORE.DE

In 1886, Carlo Campagnola founded his winery in the Marano Valley, in the heart of Valpolicella Classico. In 1907, he won the first gold medal for the best Recioto at the Verona Wine Fair – since then, the family, now in its fifth generation, has continued what began as a small farm. The vineyards for this Amarone are located on calcareous slopes between 200 and 350 metres above sea level, where Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella are harvested by hand at the end of September. The traditional appassimento drying process takes around 100 days until the grapes have lost 35–40% of their weight. Gentle pressing in December, 30 days of maceration, then ageing: 60% matures for 24 months in large Slavonian oak barrels, 40% for 18 months in new Allier oak barriques.

The renowned Italian wine critic Veronelli had already rated the Colli Berici, alongside Bolgheri, as one of the finest growing regions for Bordeaux grape varieties. This rare Merlot is dedicated to its creator, Alfredo Lazzarini, whose vineyards Inama has only recently acquired, and it embodies the history of the Colli Berici. Dark ruby-garnet in colour, with violet highlights and a delicate tear. Spicy undertones of black cherries, ripe plums, forest floor, a hint of jasmine and a pleasant touch of fine wood. Juicy on the palate, with good complexity and a chocolatey texture, featuring round tannins and a subtle sweetness from the extracts on the finish. SUPERIORE.DE

In Roman-medieval times, they called this sweet wine monument Acinatium – from the Latin "acinus", the grape berry. A name that encapsulates the essence of this extraordinary wine: made only from the very best and ripest individual Garganega berries, a selection of such precision that it borders on obsession. For the Tessari sisters, this rare Recioto is more than just a wine. It is the centrepiece of their family history, the wine of holidays and family gatherings, the first drop you would give a child to taste, if it were allowed and appropriate ...

In 2017, Stefano Pola was proposed to plant a vineyard in the heart of the beautiful area of the Belluno Dolomites, more precisely about 9 hectares in the Valbelluna area on a well-exposed high plateau at about 650 metres above sea level. The soil here is medium-heavy with calcareous deposits typical of mountain regions. Some layers contain solidified sands that form sandstone, and in other areas marls, i.e. old clays, are exposed. The soil structure is very stony, which provides good drainage and aeration conditions. The high lime content gives the wines a distinct olfactory finesse.

Grave di Stecca is Nino Franco's exposed single vineyard on the slopes of the Prealpi. The south-facing vineyard is planted exclusively with the Prosecco grape Glera. Brilliantly shining white gold, gently developing perlage, a bouquet of sage with fresh fruit flavours. Very pleasantly dry flavour, silky and long – the indisputably great top-quality wine from the renowned Prosecco producer. SUPERIORE.DE

The Foscarino label features two faces – studies by the English architect Inigo Jones (1573–1652), the first proponent of Palladian-inspired classicism in England. "The sacred and the profane," says Inama. A hint that this wine offers more than just a very special flavour. Monte Foscarino is the heart of Soave Classico – visible from the plain in every direction – the very reference point for the entire appellation. The volcanic rock here was formed around 30 million years ago. The so-called ‘red horizon’ of the Foscarino vineyards – a play of colours – black, green, red and orange – in the basalt – reveals the varying degrees of iron oxidation in this unique rock. On this soil, Garganega vines – between 10 and 75 years old – grow using the Pergola Veronese training system, at altitudes of 100 to 200 metres, on a semi-fan-shaped slope running from north-east to south-west.