Veneto: from aperitif Prosecco to aged Amarone
Forty-five vintages, from €9.90 to €1072No other Italian region covers such a wide range. The same territory yields a Glera sparkling wine at €9.90, a salty Garganega white, a Lake Garda rosé, a Corvina red served chilled, and a dry wine made from dried grapes that exceeds fifteen degrees alcohol. This isn't a range; these are different vineyards grouped under the same administrative name.
This page is the crossroads. It shows the breadth, explains what each name on the label truly entails, and links to the five sections that cover the details: prosecco, soave, valpolicella, amarone, and Corvina. What remains here are the wines not covered by these five pages.
Buglioni - Il Lussurioso - Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2020
A high-class Amarone with intense and persistent notes of ripe black fruits, dried fruits and spices.
Santa Margherita - Sparkling Rosé
Des bulles fines, du fruit rouge et une pointe de pain grillé pour l'apéritif.
Giuseppe Quintarelli - Valpolicella Classico Superiore 2017
A deep and refined Valpolicella Classico Superiore, combining aromatic intensity, freshness, and length on the palate.
Giuseppe Quintarelli - Rosso Ca del Merlo 2017
A big Valpolicella red, ample and deep, where aromatic finesse meets a velvety and persistent palate.
Gini Scajari - Scajari Riserva 2011
A Venetian red wine of terroir, ample and structured, where the depth of the fruit meets the elegance of the volcanic hills of Soave.
Giuseppe Quintarelli - Alzero Cabernet 2015
A great Venetian red in the Amarone style, remarkably deep and built for long cellaring.
Gini - Contrada Salvarenza Soave 2021
A great Soave from old vines, combining mineral intensity, aromatic precision and saline length.
Bertani - Soave Classico Sereole 2023
Un Soave floral et vif, pêche et abricot, la Garganega jouée sans maquillage.
Gini - Col Foscarin Recioto di Soave 2016
A high-altitude Recioto di Soave, where the luscious richness meets the volcanic freshness of the Col Foscarin terroir.
Bertani - Valpolicella Valpantena 2023
Cerise et framboise, tanins souples : un rouge léger à servir frais.
Giuseppe Quintarelli - Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Riserva 2015
An Amarone of great depth, where the richness of the fruit combines with a rare elegance and an impressive length.
Gini - La Frosca Soave 2023
A Soave Classico from volcanic terroir, precise, saline and intensely expressive.
Giuseppe Quintarelli - Amarone della Valpo Classico 2018
An Amarone della Valpolicella Classica of remarkable depth, combining richness, aromatic complexity, and balance on the palate.
Giuseppe Quintarelli - Primofiore 2023
A vibrant and precise Valpolicella red, which marries the Quintarelli tradition with a gourmet and digestible freshness.
Gini - Garganega Soave 2024
A precise and crystalline Soave, carried by the purity of the Garganega and the energy of the volcanic soils.
Bertani - Soave Classico Original Vintage 2022
Garganega des sols volcaniques, pomme verte et amande, avec une vraie tension.
Giuseppe Quintarelli - Amarone della Valpo Tre Terre 2013
An Amarone of great depth, combining power, aromatic complexity, and elegant texture.
Gini - Renobilis 2013
A sweet Soave wine with a strong terroir, combining aromatic richness, freshness and a long finish.
Bertani - Amarone Valpantena 2021
L'appassimento dans sa version veloutée, fruits noirs confits et épices douces.
Bertani - Amarone Classico 2015
The intensity of a great wine, heir to a centuries-old tradition.
Where does each name read on the label lead
Lines are sorted by entry price, from most accessible to rarest. The five specialized sections take over when it comes to detailing an appellation; other lines only exist on this page.
| The appellation | What she gives | Admission fee | To dig |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prosecco DOC and DOCG Treviso, Asolo, Valdobbiadene | Glera effervescent, refermentation in closed tanks. Large bubbles, immediate fruit, from driest to sweetest. | €9.90 | The prosecco aisle |
| Pinot Grigio delle Venezie an AOC spanning three regions | Dry and light white wine, pear and citrus, unoaked. The everyday wine of the Northeast. | €12.90 | Zeni 2024 |
| Bardolino Chiaretto eastern shores of Lake Garda | Valpolicella grape varieties vinified as rosé. Strawberry, raspberry, mouth-watering acidity, drink within the year. | €13.50 | Zeni Vigne Alte 2025 |
| Soave and Soave Classico volcanic hills east of Verona | White Garganega from basalt and tuff. Tense, saline, with a bitter almond finish. | €14 | The gentle ray |
| Valpolicella Classico, Superiore, Ripasso | Corvina and Rondinella red, cherry and crisp acidity. The ripasso adds body and dried fruit. | €14.90 | The Valpolicella section |
| IGT Veneto and Rosso Veronese outside the scope of work | Free blends, Cabernet with dried grapes, aged cuvées that their estate has chosen to release outside the appellation. | €27.90 | Montecrocetta Roncaiolo 2017 |
| Amarone della Valpolicella rack-dried grapes | Dry and dense red wine, over fifteen percent alcohol, with a bitter finish. The region's top award-winning wine. | €55 | The Amarone section |
| Recioto della Valpolicella same drying, fermentation stopped | The sweet version of the Veronese vineyard. Red, with candied cherry, served with dessert. | €55 | Zeni Vigne Alte 2022 |
| Recioto di Soave Dried Garganega grapes | The white counterpart of the previous one, sweet, with dried apricot and honey notes. | €171.20 for both | Gini Col Foscarin 2016 |
Bianco di Custoza and Lugana, also produced around Lake Garda, are not represented here today. Corvina appears in several of these lines without ever being featured on the label: it has its own page.
From aperitif to dessert, without leaving the region
This is the most compelling argument in favor of Veneto: an entire meal, from aperitif to dessert, can be sourced there without looking elsewhere. The previous table categorized by appellation; this one categorizes by dish.
| The dish | What we're opening | Why | A bottle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aperitif and Spritz | Prosecco DOC | The large bubble and the fruit stand up to the syrup of a cocktail, which a finer wine would lose. | Sutto Extra Dry, €9.90 |
| Shellfish, white fish, fried foods | Soave Classico | The salinity and a final bitterness of the Garganega replace the lemon note. | Zeni Vigne Alte 2023, €14 |
| Summer salad, oily fish, cured meats | Bardolino Chiaretto | A Corvina rosé, served chilled, acidic enough to cut through the fat without overpowering the dish. | Zeni Vigne Alte 2025, €13.50 |
| Pizza, grilled vegetables, vegetarian dish | Valpolicella Classico | Fine tannins, contained alcohol, prominent acidity: this is the kind of red you can chill without spoiling it. | Zeni Classico 2024, €14.90 |
| Braised beef, winter stews | Valpolicella Ripasso | Amarone pomace provides the alcohol and dried fruit notes that a slow-cooked dish requires. | Villa Girardi Bure Alto 2020, €24.90 |
| Game, lamb, blue cheeses | Amarone della Valpolicella | Fifteen degrees and a bitter taste of a final match: it calls for a dish that has just as much character. | Zeni Vigne Alte 2019, €55 |
| Dark chocolate, dry pastry | Recioto, red or white | The sweetness comes from dried grapes, not an addition. There's still acidity underneath, so the dessert doesn't fall flat. | Zeni Recioto 2022, €55 |
Serving temperature is as important as the choice of wine: around 8 °C for sparkling and dry white wines, 14 °C for Chiaretto and young Valpolicella, and 17 °C for Ripasso and Amarone.
Four bottles and five shelves
The first four tiles are wines that specialized pages do not cover. The next five open these pages. All bottles mentioned are available for shipping today.
Weekly white
A Pinot Grigio from limestone soils, hand-harvested, fermented in tank. Pear, citrus, nothing cloying. Also available in three-bottle packs.
Zeni Pinot Grigio 2024 · €12.90The rosé from Lake Garda
High hills on the eastern bank, hand-harvested. Strawberry, vine peach, violet, and a thirst-quenching acidity.
Zeni Bardolino Chiaretto 2025 · €13.50A pink bubble outside of prosecco
A rosé sparkling wine from the house of Santa Margherita, for those who find Prosecco too gentle as an aperitif.
Santa Margherita Sparkling Rosé · €17.40The passerillage of Cabernet
Between Gambellara and Soave, on basaltic tuff: Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon grapes passed over the pomace of a dried-grape wine. Blackberry, violet, plum.
Montecrocetta Roncaiolo 2017 · €27.90All the bubbles in the region
DOC for the plains as well as DOCG for the hills, in Brut, Extra Brut and Extra Dry. This section explains what the dosage changes.
Our proseccos, from €9.90Verona white
Garganega on basalt, from dry hillside to late-harvest sweet wine from old vines. Details on the Classico and Recioto mentions are available there.
Our Soave, from €14Everyday reds
Classico, Superiore, Ripasso: three words that don't imply the same thing. This shelf displays all four levels side by side.
Our Valpolicella wines, from €14.90The vineyard's peak
Three to four months on racks before pressing, then a minimum of two years in the cellar. This section follows the cluster step by step.
Our Amarone, up to €1,072Follow the grape rather than the appellation
Corvina grapes produce rosé from the lake, red from the valley, ripasso, and amarone. The four versions are compared there.
Corvina fillet, from €13.50
One region can offer a complete meal
Veneto almost always comes to us through Prosecco, and many wineries stop there. That's a shame, because it's the only place in Italy where you can put together a complete meal without leaving the province: bubbles as an aperitif, a saline white with fish, a light red served chilled with vegetables, a Ripasso with a stew, an Amarone with cheese, a Recioto for dessert. Seven wines, one province.
The pitfall of this breadth is buying by name. Prosecco, Soave, and Valpolicella have all been produced in volume and sold at the lowest prices, and the label alone no longer guarantees anything. What's informative is the mention that follows, the slope on which the grape grew, and what was done to it after the harvest. Our five specialized sections exist for this reason: the word Veneto is not enough to choose.
How do you choose
On acidity, from the first wine to the last. This is the thread that connects a €9.90 Prosecco and a €1072 Amarone, and it's what's missing from the industrial versions of both.
And on price consistency. A bottle of hand-harvested hillside wine costs more than a flatland wine: the difference should be felt in the glass, not just on the back label.
The Wine Wanderer Team
What we're being asked about Veneto
What are the appellations found in Veneto?
The main ones are Prosecco around Treviso, Soave and Valpolicella on either side of Verona, Amarone and Recioto made from dried grapes, and Bardolino on the shores of Lake Garda. In addition, there are broader DOCs such as Pinot Grigio delle Venezie, and IGTs that give winemakers more freedom. The table at the top of the page classifies them by entry price.
Do Prosecco, Soave, and Valpolicella come from the same vineyard?
No, and that's the first thing to understand. Prosecco comes from the hills of Treviso and Asolo, in the east of the region. Soave grows on volcanic hills east of Verona. Valpolicella and Amarone occupy the hills north of the same city. Bardolino, for its part, overlooks Lake Garda. These areas share neither soil, nor grape varieties, nor winemaking traditions.
Bardolino or Valpolicella, what's the difference?
The grape varieties are similar, Corvina and Rondinella in both cases, but the location and intention differ. Bardolino is made on the hills bordering Lake Garda, in a climate softened by the water, and aims for lightness: a low-tannin red or a rosé, Chiaretto, to be drunk within the year. Valpolicella comes from the hills north of Verona and covers a much broader range, up to ripasso. Our only Bardolino cuvée is Zeni's Chiaretto Vigne Alte.
Why are some great wines from the region simple IGPs?
Because their estate has chosen to deviate from the specifications, often by using an unauthorized grape variety or a maturation method that doesn't fit the mold. These bottles are then labeled IGT Veneto or Rosso Veronese, without that saying anything about their quality level: in our shop, Quintarelli's Alzero, a passito Cabernet, sells for €562, and the Rosso del Bepi for €234. Montecrocetta's Roncaiolo, at €27.90, follows the same logic for a lot less.
Who is Giuseppe Quintarelli?
A Negrar estate, in the heart of Valpolicella Classica, that has become the benchmark for Veronese drying. Manual harvesting in pergolas, long "passerillage", endless aging, no concessions to the commercial calendar. Ten of its wines are in the cellar, from the Primofiore at €100.60 to the Amarone Tre Terre 2013 at €1072. It is by far the top of our Veneto section.
Recioto della Valpolicella or Recioto di Soave: which to choose?
Both are born from the same gesture, a drying of the grapes on racks followed by a fermentation stopped before all the sugar is consumed. The first is red, made from Corvina, and goes with candied cherry and dark chocolate. The second is white, made from Garganega, and leans towards dried apricot and honey. Expect to pay €55 for Zeni Recioto, and €171.20 for 2 Gini Col Foscarin.
Is Pinot Grigio delle Venezie really a Venetian wine?
Only in part. This DOC covers three areas of northeastern Italy: Veneto, Friuli, and Trentino, which the plural "delle Venezie" indicates. Our vintage, the Zeni 2024 at €12.90, is indeed produced in Veneto, on limestone soils, in a climate held between the Alps and the Adriatic.
How to make up a case that epitomizes the region?
Six bottles are enough and cost under €100: a prosecco at €9.90 for the aperitif, a pinot grigio at €12.90, a chiaretto at €13.50, a Soave Classico at €14, a Valpolicella Classico at €14.90 and a Ripasso at €24.90. Only the Amarone is missing, which starts at €55 and can be saved for another occasion.