Veneto region in Italy may be smaller than some of its northern neighbors, yet its wine production stands up against them with impressive strength. Its diverse terrain produces highly sought-after vintages that showcase this area of Italy.

Prosecco, made from the Glera grape variety, has become a global phenomenon and features prominently on nearly every restaurant's wine list.

Prosecco

Prosecco is a light and fruity sparkling wine with notes of melons, pear and honey that makes for a delightful wine to toast or sip while sipping champagne or sparkling wines from around the world. Prosecco also plays an integral part in classic cocktails like Bellini and Spritz, perfect for celebrating life and social gatherings alike!

Prosecco, a Denominazione di Origine Controllata) wine produced with Glera grapes grown on the hills between Conegliano and Valdobbiadene in northern Italy - an area designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site featuring idyllic villages, hamlets and farms - is produced as a DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata).

The DOC designation indicates that a wine produced in Veneto meets specific standards and meets Italy's highest level of certification; this will appear on any bottle of prosecco you buy; additionally if it bears the Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita seal - further guaranteeing quality prosecco!

Valpolicella

Valpolicella wines are famed for being light to medium-bodied and fruity. Crafted using local grape varieties such as Corvina and Corvinone, Rondinella and Molinara, their wines pair well with hearty dishes.

Winemakers use various techniques and styles to craft unique wines. Valentina Cubi, an oenologist who looks more like everyone's beloved auntie than an innovative winemaker, creates excellent wines including her experimental "natural" Valpolicella Sin Cero with no added sulphites.

The Tezza family's cantina near Marano is an amalgam of tradition and modernity, featuring large cement cisterns alongside sleek steel tanks. Their vines are grown using both the pergola method as well as higher French Guyot systems; as a result they produce velvety red wines infused with notes of berry and vanilla that serve as an introduction to regional red wines; enjoy them young or cellar them to produce bolder Amarone wines from dried grapes.

Amarone

Amarone is an intense raisiny wine with powerful flavors and high alcohol levels that pairs perfectly with roast or braised meats, rustic stews and aged Parmesan cheeses.

Amarone wines are produced using grapes harvested when very ripe and then partially dried by winter sun in bamboo racks (arele) or wooden crates (recioto). This method, called appassimento, helps concentrate the sugars and fruity aromas from grapes while not completely concealing their terroir.

Amarone is produced using local red grape varieties such as Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara with other varietals allowed. A powerful wine that typically matures for 10-15 years or longer. With an intense, raisiny nose and flavors such as fig, caramel and bittersweet chocolate; Amarone features high natural residual sugar levels to balance out its bold flavors - perfect for pairing with roast or braised meats, stews or cheese gnocchi dishes!

Recioto

Recioto may not be well-known outside of Verona, but its importance for winemakers in Valpolicella cannot be overstated. Recioto serves as an indicator of their true skill and expertise - the wine is produced through drying Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara grapes via appassimento for three months before harvest.

Crushed and fermented in large oak barrels, the result is an intense and full-bodied red wine with flavors such as cherries, raisins, and aromatic herbs. Furthermore, its structure and balance are very complex.

Named for its Veronese dialect word "recie" which translates to ears, this wine takes its name from two small bunches of grapes that sit either side of one larger cluster resembling ears on either side of someone's face - these exposed areas closer to their stem are thus the sweetest components of each cluster and provide ample sunlight exposure, leading to intense sweetness at harvest time.