Veneto is one of the 20 regions of Italy with Venice as its capital and is among the wealthiest and most industrialized regions of Italy. Veneto’s natural, historical, and artistic beauty makes it, by far, the most visited region of Italy, with about 60 million tourists every year.  As for wine, Veneto is one of Italy’s largest wine producing regions, featuring wines like Valpolicella, Bardolino and Soave. The most famous of its wines is Amarone, a Valpolicella wine made by using only the ripest grapes that are hand-picked and left to dry and shrivel in the sun on straw mats until they resemble raisins. The resulting wine has a higher alcohol percentage than other wines from the region and exhibits a sweet taste on the palate.

Veneto is located in the north-eastern part of Italy. The region is protected from the harsh northern European climate by the Alps, the foothills of which form the Veneto’s northern extremes. These cooler climes are well-suited to white varieties like Garganega, the main grape for Soave wines, while the warmer Adriatic coastal plains and river valleys are where the renowned Valpolicella, Amarone and Bardolino DOC reds are produced.

Veneto’s growers are among the most modernized in Italy. While most of the ‘classic’ wines from this area are based on native grape varieties like Prosecco and Verduzzo, high international demand for Veneto wines has led the region’s producers to experiment with Cabernets, Chardonnay and Pinot varieties, among others. One of Italy’s leading wine schools, Conegliano, is based here and the nation’s most important wine fair, Vinitaly, takes place each spring in Verona.

As for the food, Veneto has an abundance of treats to make even the most fastidious connoisseur happy. Cheeses like Asiago, Monte Veronese and Grana Padano go great with the local specialty cured meats like Sopressa Vicentina and Prosciutto Veneto. Olive oil from Garda and pastas, bread and local produce all combine to make any trip a gastronomic highlight, not to mention the Grappa, a liqueur made from pomace, the discarded grape seeds, stalks, and stems that are a by-product of the winemaking process. Grappa was originally made in Bassano del Grappa, a town of around 40,000 residents in the northern Veneto region. It is from this town that Grappa gets its name. Grappa started as a rough drink made with what was available, potent enough to get the farmers through the cold winter months, but has now become much more refined and palatable.

In addition to Venice, other cities within the region worth visiting include Verona – home of an incredible opera house and the world’s most famous romantic couple, Romeo and Juliet. Padua – also known as the “City of the Saint”, is a city of huge importance for its cultural, historical and economic aspects as well as the Orto botanico di Padova (botanical gardens), which is on UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites. Belluno, the capital of the Dolomites, showcases the bell towers by the architect Filippo Juvarra. There are hundreds of lakes, rivers, thermal baths, beaches, parks and more to accent any visit to the region, but one should be sure to stop in at some of the wineries or village wine bars to taste the true treasure of the region.

For additional information on the Veneto wine region, visit the L’Associazione Strada del Vino Valpolicella where you can download a map showing “THE VALPOLICELLA WINE ROAD”.