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Northern Italy
Italy's largest wine region by volume, where Prosecco hills, Valpolicella ridges, and Soave's volcanic plain shape three different Italian classics.
Veneto sits between the Dolomites and the Adriatic, with vineyards spilling from Lake Garda to the lagoon of Venice. It is Italy's largest wine region by volume, releasing roughly twelve million hectolitres a year across fourteen DOCG zones and almost thirty DOC titles. Three names carry the region's identity. Prosecco DOC and the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG turn Glera into the world's most-poured Italian sparkling. Valpolicella, north of Verona, gives Corvina its full ladder, from light Classico through Ripasso to the dried-grape weight of Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG and the sweet Recioto. Soave, on the volcanic hills east of Verona, is Garganega's clearest expression of citrus, almond, and stony tension. Around them, Bardolino on Lake Garda, Lugana on the southern shore, the volcanic Colli Euganei, and the Piave plain fill out a region where almost every bottle still tastes of where it grew.
The named places that explain the region's grapes, styles, and labels, plotted across the map.
Corvina country, four wines from the same hill.
Valpolicella stretches north of Verona into limestone-and-clay foothills running toward Lake Garda. Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella give the region its full red ladder: light, fruit-driven Valpolicella Classico DOC, the re-fermented Ripasso, the dried-grape Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG, and the sweet Recioto. Classico marks the historic core villages of Fumane, Marano, Sant'Ambrogio and Negrar.
Garganega on volcanic hills east of Verona.
Soave sits on a band of weathered basalt and limestone east of Verona, with the medieval castle hill at its centre. Garganega, blended with up to thirty per cent Trebbiano di Soave or Chardonnay, gives a citrus, almond and chalky-stone profile that sharpens on the volcanic Soave Classico hills. Recioto di Soave DOCG is the region's historic sweet wine.
Prosecco's historic core, 15 hill villages between Treviso and the Dolomites.
The Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG sits on steep moraine ridges between the towns of its name, north of Treviso. Glera dominates, and the steepest sites at Cartizze and the Rive cru hills show why hand-picking still defines the zone. The result is the floral, citrus and pear profile that defines premium Italian sparkling, charmat-method, fresh and seldom oaked.
Light Corvina reds and chiaretto rosés on Lake Garda.
Bardolino runs along the south-eastern shore of Lake Garda. The lake softens the climate and the moraine slopes are gentler than Valpolicella's. Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara give a lighter, fresher red than across the river: Bardolino DOC and Bardolino Superiore DOCG, plus the Chiaretto, one of Italy's earliest commercial rosés.
Volcanic hills south of Padua, sweet Moscato Fior d'Arancio.
The Colli Euganei rise as conical, vine-clad volcanic hills south of Padua. The Fior d'Arancio Colli Euganei DOCG, made from yellow Moscato, is a regional specialty in still, sparkling and Passito form. The DOC also bottles Cabernet, Merlot, and aromatic Serprino.
Turbiana on the southern shore of Lake Garda.
Lugana DOC straddles Veneto and Lombardy on the clay flatland at the southern tip of Lake Garda. Turbiana, the local strain of Trebbiano di Soave, gives a saline, lightly bitter white that ages better than its price suggests. The lake gives the area its mild climate and long autumns.
Raboso and Pinot Grigio on the Treviso plain.
The Piave DOC follows the river of the same name across the plain north-east of Venice. Raboso del Piave, the local high-acid red, is the historic wine and now sits in Piave Malanotte DOCG. Pinot Grigio, Glera and Manzoni Bianco fill out the rest of the production.
White blend west of Verona, between Garda and Soave.
Custoza DOC sits on moraine hills between Lake Garda and the Soave plain. The wine is a blend of Garganega, Trebbiano Toscano, Friulano and Cortese, fresh, lightly aromatic, made for pasta with lake fish.
Layered notes on terroir, history, label rules, taste, drinking window and where to start.
Lake, volcanic hill, alpine moraine: Veneto's three terroirs explain its three signature wines.
Veneto's wine map is built on three distinct landscapes. Lake Garda's moraine slopes give the light Corvina-based reds and chiaretto rosés of Bardolino, plus the Turbiana whites of Lugana on the lake's southern flatland. The volcanic spine east and south of Verona, basalt at Soave and trachyte in the Colli Euganei, sharpens whites with citrus and stony tension. The third terroir sits between Treviso and the Dolomites: steep moraine and clay-marl ridges where Glera makes the sparkling wines of Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG and Asolo Prosecco DOCG. The Adriatic plain near Venice fills out the rest, with the gravelly Piave riverbed and the alluvial flats around the lagoon.
Wine has crossed the Veneto for two thousand years, but the Prosecco boom is recent.
Roman writers already noted the wines of the Po plain. Through the Middle Ages, the Most Serene Republic of Venice traded Veneto wine across the Adriatic and dictated grape-growing rules in its hinterland. Glera, the grape behind Prosecco, was documented around the village of Prosecco near Trieste as early as the 1700s, but the modern Prosecco boom begins after the founding of Italy's first oenology school at Conegliano in 1876 and the spread of the Charmat method in the twentieth century. Amarone della Valpolicella, by contrast, is a recent classic: the wine is documented in the 1930s, when a botched Recioto fermented dry, and went DOC only in 1968.
Prosecco, Valpolicella and Soave all use specific words to mark the historic core.
Three terms decode most Veneto labels. Classico signals the historic core of an appellation: Soave Classico means the volcanic hills around Soave village, and Valpolicella Classico means Fumane, Marano, Sant'Ambrogio, San Pietro in Cariano and Negrar. Superiore on a Soave or Valpolicella label means longer ageing and higher minimum alcohol. On a Prosecco bottle, Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG ranks above Prosecco DOC, and Cartizze is the small grand-cru hill within Valdobbiadene. Rive on a Prosecco label means a single hillside cru. Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG must come from grapes dried for at least one hundred days before fermentation; Recioto is the sweet version of the same dried-grape wine.
From cool sparkling apple to dried-fruit Amarone, Veneto covers a wider style range than any other Italian region.
Soave Classico tastes of lemon, ripe pear, and chalk; the volcanic Recioto di Soave DOCG turns those flavours into honey and orange peel. Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG opens with white flowers, green apple and a sour-cream lift. Bardolino is the lightest red of the region, with strawberry and Mediterranean herb. Valpolicella moves through cherry-led Classico, denser Superiore, raisin-and-clove Ripasso, and finally Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG, with its dried fig, leather, cocoa and 15 to 16 per cent alcohol. Lugana and Custoza split the white middle ground, lake-fresh and lightly bitter. The Colli Euganei add aromatic Moscato Fior d'Arancio in still, sparkling, and sweet styles.
Most Veneto whites and Prosecco drink young; Amarone holds for fifteen years and beyond.
Drink Prosecco DOCG within two years of the vintage on the back label, while the apple and white-flower aromas are still bright. Soave Classico and Lugana are at their best in the year after release, though top single-vineyard Soaves age five to ten years on lees. Valpolicella Classico drinks young; Ripasso shows in three to seven; Amarone holds for fifteen to twenty-five years from a strong vintage. Recent benchmark vintages for Valpolicella are 2015, 2016, 2019, and 2021. Bardolino and Custoza are summer wines, best in their first year.
Three day-trip bases cover almost every wine area: Verona, Treviso, and Lake Garda.
Verona is the natural base for Valpolicella, Soave, Bardolino, Custoza and Lugana, all within forty-five minutes of the city. Treviso opens the Prosecco DOCG hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, with the famous Strada del Prosecco running between the two towns. The Colli Euganei and Asolo Prosecco hills sit between Padua and Bassano del Grappa. Most consortia run cellar-door visits Monday to Saturday in season, often by appointment outside the busy April to October window.
A short shortlist that maps the region: benchmark reds, signature whites and the labels worth a step-up.
Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella dried for at least 100 days, then fermented dry. Powerful, with raisin, cocoa, leather, and 15 to 16 per cent alcohol. Pair with Pastissada de caval or aged Monte Veronese.
The historic core of Italian sparkling, all on hand-picked Glera. Charmat method gives green apple, white flowers and a fine, soft mousse. Drink fresh, ideally within two years.
Single-vineyard Soaves from the Classico volcanic hills. Lemon, ripe pear, almond, and a chalky lees-fed weight. Drinks well in the year after release and ages five to ten years from top sites.
Valpolicella Classico re-passed over the spent Amarone marc. Cherry, clove and a darker, riper weight than Classico, without the dried-grape intensity of Amarone. Pair with risotto all'Amarone or grilled meats.
Dried Corvina, Rondinella and Corvinone fermented to sweetness. Cherry preserve, fig, dark chocolate. Drink with bitter chocolate, aged Asiago, or Tiramisu.
Light pink Corvina-Rondinella from the Garda moraine. Strawberry, peach, mineral lift. Drink chilled, with sarde in saor, prosciutto and lake fish.
Our curated guide. Not the full list, the bottle that opens the door.
Curated guide · DOCG
Amarone della Valpolicella is Veneto's flagship DOCG red, made from dried Corvina, Corvinone, and Rondinella grapes. After 100 to 120 days of appassimento in fruttai lofts, the berries lose nearly half their weight.
3 more active guides with editorial content. Curated coverage, not the complete regional denomination list.
11 curated guides with editorial content. Pronunciations, traits and the regional footprint of each variety.
Glera is the white grape behind Prosecco, Italy's most celebrated sparkling wine.
Pinot grigio [pee-no-gree-jo] is a white grape varietal from Northern Italy.
Ribolla Gialla is the ancient white grape of Friuli Venezia Giulia, native to the Collio and Colli Orientali hills around Gorizia and Udine.
Chardonnay is a white grape with a clear Italian role: Franciacorta DOCG and Alta Langa DOCG include it in metodo classico sparkling wines, while Sicilia DOC gives it a warmer still-wine voice.
Corvina is the principal red grape of Verona's wine country, forming the backbone of Valpolicella DOC, Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG, and Recioto della Valpolicella DOCG.
Garganega is the ancient white grape behind Soave, grown across the volcanic hills east of Verona in the Veneto.
Merlot is a red grape with a serious Italian footprint: Bolgheri DOC, Bolgheri Rosso, Cortona DOC, Suvereto DOCG, Rubicone IGT and Montello Rosso DOCG form its Italian map.
Moscato is the white aromatic grape behind Moscato d'Asti DOCG and Asti Spumante DOCG in southern Piedmont.
Pinot Bianco is northern Italy's quiet benchmark white, a Burgundian mutation of Pinot Nero that Alto Adige and Friuli's Collio have turned into precise, age-worthy bottles.
Turbiana is the white grape of Lugana DOC, grown on the clay-rich morainic shores south of Lake Garda across Lombardy and Veneto.
Verdicchio is the pale straw-gold white grape behind Marche's two benchmark whites, Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi and Verdicchio di Matelica.
A starter selection from the catalogue. Pour them as a regional flight.
3 retailers
Valpolicella
3 retailers
£13.61
3 retailers
Soave
3 retailers
£16.90
£18.78
3 retailers
Verona/Veronese
3 retailers
£17.97
£19.59
3 retailers
Valpolicella Ripasso
3 retailers
£18.10
£25.86
3 retailers
Soave
3 retailers
£27.02
3 retailers
Amarone della Valpolicella
3 retailers
£33.23
3 retailers
Amarone della Valpolicella
3 retailers
£27.98
£33.35
3 retailers
Veneto
3 retailers
£95.88
Mountain, pasture and coast on one plate. Pour the regional wine alongside.
Veneto cooks with rice, polenta, salt-cod, and lake fish, and the wine list answers every plate. Risotto all'Amarone reaches for a glass of the same Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG. Bigoli in salsa, the dark anchovy pasta of Venice, asks for a chilled Soave Classico from Garganega. Sarde in saor and cicchetti at a Venetian bacaro pair with crisp Prosecco DOCG from the Conegliano Valdobbiadene hills. Pastissada de caval, Verona's slow-braised horse meat, drinks Valpolicella Ripasso DOC. For radicchio di Treviso grilled with speck, pour a young Raboso from Piave DOC. Tiramisù, claimed by both Treviso and Friuli, finishes with Recioto della Valpolicella DOCG.
Baccala Mantecato is Venetian comfort food, salt cod pounded with olive oil until it goes pale and creamy, served on a slab of soft white polenta. Ca' Foscari and the bacari of the Rialto still offer it as cicchetti. Soave Classico DOC from Garganega or a Lugana DOC from Turbiana has the acid to cut the oil-whipped cod; a brut Lessini Durello DOC adds the sparkling option.
Polenta e Schie are tiny grey lagoon shrimps served on a wedge of soft white polenta, the Venetian back-canal classic. The shrimps come from the Chioggia side of the lagoon; the polenta is always white, never yellow. Soave Classico DOC from Garganega or a Prosecco Superiore di Valdobbiadene DOCG answer the sweet-crustacean shrimp without getting in the way.
Risotto al Radicchio, known for its slightly bitter and nutty flavor from the radicchio, can be paired effectively with a red wine that has little or no tannins. A suggested wine is Valpolicella from the Veneto region in Italy. Valpolicella is typically a light, fruity wine with low tannins, which can complement the unique flavors of the radicchio in the risotto without overpowering it. The DOC (Denominazione de Origine Controllata) Valpolicella is a classic style, known for being a simple, dry red wine that's best consumed within 5 years of production.
Risi e Bisi is less a risotto than an all'onda rice soup, Veneto's offering of spring peas to the season's first risotto. The Venetians cooked it for the Doge on Saint Mark's Day. Soave Classico DOC or a dry Prosecco from Valdobbiadene answers the peas and the butter with green acidity.
Squid Ink Risotto (or Risotto al Nero di Seppia), known for its striking black color and rich, briny flavor from squid ink, often includes squid or cuttlefish. The dish's intensity calls for a wine like Etna Bianco from Sicily, made primarily from the Carricante grape. This wine is celebrated for its bright minerality and citrus notes, which offer a refreshing counterpoint to the dish's briny, umami flavors.Its moderate alcohol content (10-13%) and pronounced acidity help to cut through the risotto's richness without overshadowing the dish's unique flavors. Etna Bianco's light body and minimal tannin content ensure a harmonious match with the creamy texture and savory depth of the Squid Ink Risotto.
Wine routes, towns and wineries to follow when you go.
Italy's first signposted wine road, between Conegliano and Valdobbiadene.
Five-village circuit through the historic Valpolicella Classico zone.
Half-day loop through the volcanic core of Soave Classico.
Roman amphitheatre and the gateway to four wine areas.
Best base for Valpolicella, Soave, Bardolino, Lugana and Custoza, all within an hour. Vinitaly, the country's largest wine fair, runs here every April.
Hill town at the western end of the Prosecco DOCG.
Centre of the steepest Prosecco DOCG hills, including Cartizze. Hand-picking is the rule here, and most cellars receive by appointment.
Home of Italy's first oenology school, founded 1876.
Eastern anchor of the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG, with a teaching estate and a long wine-school tradition.
Hill village under a tenth-century Scaligeri castle.
Heart of the Soave Classico zone. The walled village sits below the volcanic vineyards of the DOCG.
Lake Garda port and home of Italy's first wine-route signpost in 1971.
Centre of the Bardolino DOC, with cellar doors along the lake-shore moraine slopes.
Walled hilltop town between Bassano and Treviso.
Home of the Asolo Prosecco DOCG, a smaller, hill-only Prosecco zone with stronger structure than the plain.
Quick answers about Veneto. Numbers, denominations, food and what to start with.
Veneto is best known for Prosecco, Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG, and Soave. Prosecco DOC and Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG sit on hills north of Treviso. Amarone is the dried-grape red of Valpolicella, north of Verona. Soave is the volcanic-soil white made from Garganega east of Verona.
Prosecco DOC covers a vast plain across Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia, mostly mechanised. Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG is the small, steep, hand-picked historic core between Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, with stricter rules and smaller yields. The DOCG hill wines are usually fresher and more structured than the plain DOC.
Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG is made from Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella grapes dried on racks for at least 100 days, then fermented dry. The drying concentrates sugar and flavour, giving 15 to 16 per cent alcohol and dried-fruit, leather and cocoa notes. Recioto della Valpolicella DOCG is the sweet version of the same wine, fermented only partway.
Soave is made mostly from Garganega, blended with up to thirty per cent Trebbiano di Soave or Chardonnay. The historic core is Soave Classico DOC on volcanic basalt hills east of Verona; Soave Superiore DOCG sits on the same hills with longer ageing rules. Garganega gives lemon, ripe pear, almond and a chalky-stone lift.
Risotto all'Amarone with Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG. Bigoli in salsa with Soave Classico. Sarde in saor with Prosecco DOCG. Pastissada de caval with Valpolicella Ripasso. Tiramisu with Recioto della Valpolicella DOCG. Veneto cooks with rice, polenta, salt-cod and lake fish, and the local wines are built to pair with all of them.
April to October, with September around harvest the most active month. Verona's Vinitaly fair runs in early April. Avoid August in Lake Garda and Verona, both very busy with general tourism. Most cellars take appointments outside the April to October window, and in the Prosecco DOCG hills hand-picking runs from late August to mid-September.
We currently list 548 wines from Veneto, starting from £1.76. Browse them all on our wines page.
We currently curate 4 active Veneto denomination guides, including Amarone della Valpolicella, Prosecco, Soave, Valpolicella. This is an editorial selection, not the complete regional denomination list.
We currently curate 11 active Veneto grape guides, including Glera, Pinot Grigio, Ribolla Gialla, Chardonnay, Corvina, and more. This is an editorial selection, not the complete regional grape list.
Veneto is renowned for dishes including Baccala Mantecato, Polenta e schie, Radicchio risotto, Risi e bisi.
More of Northern Italy, with similar terroir and table.
Wine styles made in Veneto
Italy's boldest expression, structured, complex, built for food
Crisp and versatile, from alpine freshness to Mediterranean warmth
From Prosecco to Franciacorta, bubbles for every occasion
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