Veneto

Veneto is located in northeastern Italy, at the top of the Adriatic Sea. Its capital and largest city is Venice (Venezia), although Verona is nearly as large. Tourists come to Veneto primarily to visit the fabled city of Venice and Romeo and Juliet’s balcony in Verona, but the region has a wealth of other gems as well, including Padua (Padova), Vicenza, the Dolomite Alps, and Lake Garda. In the wine world, Veneto is best known for red Valpolicella (including Amarone), white Soave, and sparkling Prosecco. It has the second most DOCGs (14), along with 29 DOCs (see map) and 10 IGPs. Veneto’s output of 8.5 million hl (94.1 million cases) in 2017 was impressive, but not enough to rank tops among the Italian regions (Puglia took that honor). That will probably prove to be an anomaly, with Veneto moving back to the top spot in 2018. More than three quarters of Veneto’s production is white wine—thanks mainly to Prosecco—with 73% at the DOP level. The region’s primary grape varieties are Glera (24%), Garganega (14%), Merlot (12%), Corvina (10%), and Pinot Grigio (9%).