Northeast Italy - Veneto, Trentino-Alto Adige, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Emilia-Romagna
Vineyards on the shore of Lake Garda, Veneto
Photo source: Winekeller
Our personal wine travel experiences in northeast Italy (see our wine travel blog):
Northeast Italy wine region - an introduction
The northeast of Italy is the country’s largest wine region, producing and exporting huge volumes of Italian wines, mostly Italian white wine and Italian sparkling wine, including the mass-market favourites Soave, Pinot Grigio and Prosecco. This northern Italy wine region offers a huge range of wine styles, catering to all tastes and preferences.
Northeast Italy is one of the most affluent and visited areas of Italy, including famous northern Italian cities such as the historic cities of Venice, Verona and Bologna. In addition tourists are attracted to visit the Alpine mountain range of the Dolomites, a favourite with skiers in the winter and in the Summer visitors flock to the Adriatic sea coastal resorts of Veneto and Rimini. Then if you add to this Lake Garda, Italy’s largest lake, known for its crystal clear waters, it’s not hard to see why northeast Italy is such a popular wine tourism destination!
Due to its location in the centre of Italy’s famous wine regions, its superb wines, its history and its cultural heritage, Verona is part of the Great Wine Capitals network, which encompasses 12 of the top cities and regions in the world of wine.
Italian wines - the Northeast
Northeast Italy map:
What wines are from the northeast of Italy?
The northeast of Italy covers several different wine regions and produces well over 40% of all Italian wine, with the majority of this (70%) being Italian white wine.
The most significant Italian wine region in the Northeast of Italy is ‘Veneto’, the largest wine-producing region in the country, with volumes coming from the hugely popular Pinot Grigio, a quintessential Italian white wine, crisp and light, making it an ideal choice for seafood dishes or warm summer days, and Prosecco, a versatile sparkling wine, known for its apple and pear notes and refreshing acidity, perfect for celebrations or informal occasions (made in vast tanks not in the bottle as for Champagne).
See a brief description below of the different northeast Italian wine regions
Much of the land planted with vines in the northeast is relatively flat, with the best wines tending to come from vineyards at a higher altitude. The climate in this part of Italy tends to produce mild winters and warm summers, with regular rainfall. The vineyards around beautiful Lake Garda enjoy a more Mediterranean micro-climate.
The principal grape varieties include the following:
White - Glera, Garganega, Friulano/Tai Bianco, Verduzzo, various international varieties;
Red - Lambrusco, Corvina, Sangiovese, Raboso, Merlot, Cabernet Franc.
Prosecco vineyards
Photo source: Italia.IT
Veneto region:
The vast Veneto wine region is known for its diverse wine production and as well as the whites we have mentioned, you can also enjoy wonderful big-bodied red wines here!
Veneto’s fertile vineyards are located on the Adriatic coastal plains and river valleys and wine production is centred around the historic city of Verona and south and east of Lake Garda - hence this region is often referred to as the ‘Verona’ or ‘Lake Garda’ wine region.
The Veneto region is a great wine tourism destination because you can explore and discover lots of different wine appellations in a relatively short space of time and combine this with the attraction of the old city (Verona) and Garda lake (see later).
The most significant appellations include:
Lugana DOC - the western extreme of the Veneto region, at the southern end of Lake Garda - known for its appealing dry white wines;
Custoza DOC - east of Lugana, known for excellent, dry whites;
Bardolino DOC - along the eastern shores of Lake Garda - light, pleasant, red wines and the popular ‘Chiaretto’ rosé wine;
Valpolicella DOC - potentially very high quality red wines grown in four valleys that run down the Lissini mountains towards Verona and on the plains below - most superior Valpolicella wines are from the ‘Valpolicella Classico’ zone - the region is also known for ‘Recioto della Valpolicella’, a historic, rich, sweet wine made from dried grapes from the best vineyards and more popular today, Amarone wine, a less concentrated, drier version, with a slightly bitter taste due to the reduced sugar content;
Soave DOC - located in western Veneto, east of Verona and Veneto’s most important ‘mass-market’ wine zone where 80% of the grapes are sent to the local co-operative - some 70% of all wines produced here are made from the Garganega grape variety - two superior DOCS - Soave Classico DOC and Soave Superiore DOCG distinguish the authentic and higher quality Soave wines - true Soave has a beautiful floral/herby character, rich body and fine acidity - Recioto di Soave is a historic, sweet version, made from dried grapes;
Prosecco DOC - ‘Prosecco’ is the name of the protected geographical area, covering all of Friuli and most of Veneto - the grape is Glera (renamed from Prosecco in 2009) - Prosecco is a tank method sparkling wine that is made in a variety of styles from bone dry zero dosage to demi-sec. Its success lies in its lower price (compared to Champagne) and its inoffensive style, quite bland and a little sweet;
Garda DOC - a catch-all DOC for wines from a wide range of local and international varieties grown across Soave, Valpolicella, Boianco di Custoza , Lugana and on the western shore of the lake.
Oltradige, Lake Caldaro - Alto Aldige
Photo source:: Alto Adige Wine/Benjamin Pfitscher
Trentino - Alto Adige
The Adige Valley forms a dramatic corridor into the Alps, linking Italy with Austria via the beautiful Brenner Pass. This region is known for its refreshing dry white wines and ‘Pinot Grigio’.
The catch-all DOC for the whole Adige Valley is ‘Trentino DOC’ from Lake Garda up to the town of Trento. Trentino is for still wines whilst Trento DOC covers traditional method sparkling wines, which is usually made from Chardonnay and the grapes are grown at higher elevations.
The Alto Adige DOC covers the northern part (viticulturally) of the Adige valley, also known as the ‘Südtirol’ and the most northerly Italian wine region. German is the most commonly spoken language here, having been part of Austria until after the first world war, but French grapes tend to dominate. The Alps protect the valley from cold northern winds and there is much sunshine here and high fluctuations between day and night-time temperatures. Most vineyards are perched on the steep hillsides between 300-1000m, centred around the main city of Bolzano, producing ripe grapes with good acidity.
The majority of production is consumed locally or domestically, but Alto Adige is a high quality wine region.
Beautiful, rural, Friuli-Venzia Giulia
Photo source: Italia.IT
Friuli-Venezia Giulia
The catch-all DOC covering this large region in the far northeast of Italy is Friuli DOC, created in 2016, covering 8 different DOCs.
The wines are refreshing, dry white wines, as well as some good reds, produced less by wine co-operatives and more by family-owned wine producers. In addition to the ubiquitous Pinot Grigio, Pinot Bianco, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, key white grape varieties include Verduzzo and Friulano. For red wines, the main grape varieties include Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.
The Grave del Friuli DOC concentrates more on red wines than white, which grow well on the flat, gravel (hence the name) and sand soils.
There are two significant, higher quality DOCs in Friuli-Venezia Giulia:
Collio DOC - on the Slovenian border, known for its fine Italian white wine.
Colli Orientali del Friuli DOC - a hilly DOC neighbouring Collio, producing very high quality whites and reds from international varieties alongside some interesting indigenous ones.
Emilia-Romagna
Emilia-Romagna is the third biggest region in northeast Italy for production (behind Veneto and Puglia) and although it has not been a focus for wine wines, there are some real signs that this is changing, with some estates producing some really excellent wines.
Co-operatives predominate and the majority of wines produced currently are white Albana and Trebbiano wines and red Sangiovese from the Romagna hills to the east of Bologna. This is the land of Lambrusco, grown on the Emilia plains centred around Modena.
The world famous Verona amphitheatre
Northeast Italy places to visit:
The northeast of Italy is one of the most popular and most visited regions of Italy, a key attraction being the famous Italian northern cities of Venice and Verona in the Veneto wine region and Bologna, in the Emilia-Romagna region.
Is Venice actually worth visiting?
Much is written about the over-crowding in Venice along with how expensive everything is, especially a cup of coffee in St. Mark’s Square! However, despite the negatives, we would always recommend experiencing Venice, one of the most magical and romantic places and a World Heritage Site since 1987.
Venice is the only city in the world built entirely on water and an inspiration over the centuries for poets, writers and artists. Venice lies in the centre of the Venice lagoon in the Adriatic Sea and is spread over a vast territory consisting of 118 islands.
Known as the ‘Jewel of the Adriatic’, it’s worth spending several days exploring the magical, vibrant canals and waterways, alleys and squares of Venice and discovering its many incredible arts and treasures. Part of the Venice experience is also the incredible Venetian hospitality and the many ‘bacari’ (wine bars) provide an opportunity to taste the local wines and ‘cicchetti’ (local snacks).
Read about visiting Venice here.
What is Verona famous for?
Verona is a former Roman settlement, famous for its remarkably well-preserved Roman amphitheatre and for providing the inspiration for Shakespeare, early in his career, to write ‘Romeo and Juliet’, a tragedy about two teenagers from feuding families who fall in love.
Verona, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is known as the city of ‘love, art and culture’. With more than 2000 years of history, Verona boasts a wealth of Roman monuments to discover, not just the spectacular amphitheatre standing proud in the huge central square, Piazza Bra, but it’s also a city oozing elegance and style and makes for a very special place to visit.
Verona is also famous for staging the world’s largest open-air operas since staging Giuseppe Verdi's Aida in 1913 - in the famous amphitheatre of course. Read about visiting Verona here.
Bologna and its reputation for food!
Bologna is the lively, historic capital of the Emilia-Romagna region, in northern Italy. A university city, Bologna is known for its welcoming hospitality and great gastronomy, as much as for its impressive cultural, historic and artistic heritage.
Above all, Bologna is known for its superb traditional food scene and food markets and is rated as one of the capitals of Italian gastronomy.
Majestic Lake Garda
Lake Garda - or ‘Lago di Garda’, as it is known in Italian, is the largest lake in Italy and is one of northern Italy's most popular tourist destinations and there are good reasons for this! It’s a paradise for lovers of water sports and outdoor activities, a top cultural and artistic destination and a haven for food and wine lovers.
Across 44km of coastline you can discover beautiful lakeside towns and villages as well as perfect beaches for relaxing and swimming - and venture inland to enjoy incredible mountain sports and views from Monte Baldo.
Lake Garda is very popular and it can get extremely busy in the summer months, but it really is the most special place to relax and to enjoy that special Italian ‘la dolce vita’!
Another top destination in northeast Italy is the Dolomite Mountains in the Trentino - Alto Adige region.
Why visit the Dolomites?
The spectacular Dolomite mountain range in northeast Italy, a UNESCO World Heritage site, with its rich green Alpine meadows and jagged white limestone and rose-coloured granite peaks, attracts many visitors all year round.
Summer hiking in Trentino and Alto Adige is hugely popular, offering a wonderful lakes and mountain destination, with spectacular scenery, warm hospitality and rustic, traditional food to enjoy. In the winter months, the Dolomite mountains offer a superb ski holiday experience.
For information on visiting the beautiful Dolomites, see here.
Stunning Lake Garda
Lazise on Lake Garda, by night
The Dolomites
Northeast Italy food specialities
In the north of the region, in Trentino, Alto Adige and Friuli-Venezia Giulia’, you can expect to enjoy hearty dishes such as local cured ham (speck), sauerkraut, spinach dumplings (spinatknödl), various types of gnocchi and ‘grösti’, a potato and meat pie.
In Veneto you can enjoy dishes made with polenta and rice as a variation from pasta, served with meats and a sauce. Also popular in this region are fish dishes, such as dried cod, sardines and eels. Tortellini pasta is also a staple of the Verona area - in particular, Tortellini from Valeggio sul Mincio is a traditional first course dish, an egg pasta filled with meat, usually pork, chicken, veal and beef.
Carpaccio originated in Venice, very thin slices of raw beef, covered with oil and served with parmesan cheese.
Tiramisu is a very well known Italian dessert, made with layers of sponge soaked in mascarpone cream with eggs, marsala and sugar, sprinkled with cacao powder. In Trentino you must visit a bakery and try ‘Torta Fregolata’, a simple cake made from flour, sugar and cream.
In Emilia-Romagna it’s all about tortellini pasta and pork meat - with traditional foods including mortadella ham and salami from Bologna, zamponi (pigs trotters) from Modena and of course, Parma ham.
Finally, it’s important to note the amazing olive oil produced in this part of Italy. The Verona and Garda area is known almost as much for its excellent extra virgin olive oil, as it is for its wines! The Verona area boasts two protected olive oil regions: Garda Orientale DOP and Veneto Valpolicella DOP. In addition to enjoying these special oils in and on your food, take the opportunity to visit one of the many excellent olive oil farms in the area.
Visit here for more information and inspiration about visiting Northeast Italy.
The Mercato di Rialto fish market in Venice
Bologna food market
Tortellini from Valeggio
Discover one of the most beautiful Italian lakes, stunning Lake Garda in the northern Italy wine region of Veneto and one of Italy’s most famous wine regions on its shores, Bardolino - famous for its delicious, light, red wines…