Veneto

Veneto is a substantial and increasingly important wine region in the north-eastern corner of Italy. Administratively it forms part of the Triveneto zone, along with its smaller neighbours Trentino-Alto Adige and Friuli-Venezia Giulia. In terms of geography, culture and wine styles, it represents a transition between the alpine, Germano-Slavic end of Italy and the warmer, drier, more Roman lands to the south.

Veneto is slightly smaller than Italy's other main wine producing regions – Piemonte, Toscana, Lombardia, Puglia and Sicilia – yet it generates more wine than any of them. Although the southern regions Sicilia and Puglia were for a long time Italy's main wine producers, this balance began to shift north towards Veneto in the latter half of the 20th century. In the 1990s, southern Italian wine languished in an increasingly competitive and demanding world, while Veneto upped its game, gaining recognition with such wines as Valpolicella, Amarone, Soave and Prosecco.

With fruity red Valpolicella complementing its intense Amarone and sweet Recioto counterparts, Veneto is armed with a formidable portfolio of red wines to complement its refreshing whites such as Soave and sparkling Prosecco. Although much of the new vineyard area which supported Veneto's increased wine output was of questionable viticultural quality, today more than 25% of the region's wine is made and sold under DOC/DOCG titles.

The Veneto region can be roughly split into three geographical areas, distinguished by their topography and geology. In the north-west the foothills of the Alps descend along the eastern edge of Lake Garda, their path mirrored by the Adige river as it descends from the heights of Alto Adige. Here in the cooler, alpine-influenced climate, fresh, crisp whites are made under the Bianco di Custoza and Garda titles, while refreshing, unassuming Bardolino from the shores of Lake Garda makes the case for Veneto's lightest reds. Just east of the lake and north of Verona is Valpolicella and its sub-region Valpantena: the fabled "Valley of Many Cellars" produces half a million hectolitres of fruity red wine every vintage. In terms of production volume, Valpolicella is the only DOC to rival Tuscany's famous Chianti. Immediately east of Valpolicella is Soave, home to the eponymous dry white wine which now ranks among Italy's most famous products, and beyond that Gambellara serves as an eastern extension of Soave, both geographically and stylistically. Garganega and Trebbiano are the key white wine grape varieties here, while Corvina, Molinara and Rondinella are behind the vast majority of reds.

In central Veneto, around Vicenza and Padua, are the Colli Berici, Colli Euganei and Breganze. Although the plains below these hills produce vast quantities of wine, only the better quality wines from more elevated areas have gained DOC status. International varieties such as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir (Pinot Nero here) and even Carmenère have proved successful here, as has northern Italy's flagship white Pinot Grigio and Veneto's own Tocai Friulano.

In the north-eastern corner of the region, on either side of the Piave river (which has its own Piave DOC covering the land between Conegliano and the coast), sparkling Prosecco reigns supreme. Still wines are also made here (Lison, Lison-Pramaggiore, Montello e Colli Asolani and Colli di Conegliano), but the common factor which unites almost all viticultural zones in north-eastern Veneto is the Glera grape (typically known as Prosecco), and the foaming spumante and semi-sparkling frizzante wines it creates.

Whatever the future holds for the region and its wine, the Vs of Veneto have made their mark on this era of wine history. The names Veneto, Verona, Vicenza, Valpolicella, Valpantena and Valdobbiadene have emerged with vigour into the 21st century, and now even the historic canal city of Venice has its own DOC (Venezia).