Veneto

This is largely owing to the immense success of Pinot grigio around the world. Veneto is the epicentre of production of this grape. The lion’s share is exported to the USA and the UK, where the variety is affectionately known as «Greej».

The second bestseller from Veneto is called Prosecco. 150 million bottles of this sparkling wine made from Glera grapes are produced every year. Quality can indeed be found in quantity: The best specimens come from Congeliano Valdobbiadene and the steep slopes of Cartizze, where the vines benefit from especially abundant sunshine.

And that’s not all: the fresh and fruity Soave and Bianco di Custoza white wine, both predominantly made from Trebbiano and Garganega, as well as the quaffable Valpolicella and Bardolino red wine from the Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara grape varieties – they all have their origins in Veneto with its extensive vineyards located between Verona and Lake Garda.

The star of the premium quality segment is Amarone. It is pressed from dried grapes. It owes its opulence, lush fruit sweetness and high alcohol content of up to 17 per cent by volume to this method. It is made from the same grape varieties as Valpolicella and Bardolino. Innovative producers, particularly the traditional Masi company, have also revitalised forgotten varieties such as Oseleta and Corbinone.

Masi also developed what is known as the Ripasso technique. To achieve this, young red wine is married with whole, dried grapes and fermented a second time. The result: an intensely fruity and spicy wine that remains light and drinkable. A sweet speciality of Veneto is Recioto. It comes in both red and white.

What are the sights in Veneto? Where to start: the opera capital of Verona, the Carnival of Venice, the university city of Padua...? The Veneto region is also home to the most beautiful villas designed by Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio, and the hills of the Prosecco region are a delight for nature lovers.

Delicacies from the region range from fegato alla veneziana, sliced veal liver, to risi e bisi, rice with tender young peas, and red radicchio from Treviso. Two world-famous dishes were invented in «Harry’s Bar» in Venice: Carpaccio Cipriani, wafer-thin slices of beef with a delicate sauce, and the Bellini, a cocktail made from Prosecco and fresh peach purée. And make sure you do as the locals do in the lagoon city: at around eleven in the morning, one meets with friends at a bar and drinks «un’ombra» – a «shadow» in the form of a glass of white wine.

Amarone della Valpolicella, Bagnoli Friularo or Friularo di Bagnoli, Bardolino Superiore, Colli di Conegliano, Colli Euganei Fior d’Arancio or Fior d’Arancio Colli Euganei, Lison, Montello Rosso or Montello, Piave Malanotte or Malanotte del Piave, Colli Asolani-Prosecco or Asolo-Prosecco, Conegliano Valdobbiadene-Prosecco or Conegliano-Prosecco or Valdobbiadene Prosecco, Recioto della Valpolicella, Recioto di Gambellara, Recioto di Soave, Soave Superiore.

Arcole, Bagnoli di Sopra or Bagnoli, Bardolino, Bianco di Custoza or Custoza, Breganze, Colli Berici, Colli Euganei, Corti Benedettine del Padovano, Gambellara, Garda, Lessini Durello or Durello Lessini, Lison-Pramaggiore, Lugana, Merlara, Montello – Colli Asolani, Monti Lessini, Piave, Prosecco, Riviera del Brenta, San Martino della Battaglia, Soave, Valdadige or Etschtaler, Valdadige Terradeiforti or Terradeiforti, Valpolicella, Valpolicella Ripasso, Venezia, Vicenza, Vigneti della Serenissima or Serenissima.

Anselmi, Ca’ La Bionda, Col de’Salici, Masi Agricola, Serego Alighieri, Merotto, Pieropan or Prà