Veneto

Veneto: the home of Glera and Corvina

The Veneto pours more wine you already know than almost anywhere: Prosecco the sparkling, Soave the white, Valpolicella the easy red, and Amarone the rich one made from dried grapes. It is also the most produced wine region in Italy, and the gateway to Verona and Venice, which makes it an easy first wine trip.

The wines

Prosecco, made from the Glera grape, is fresh and frothy and best young. Valpolicella reds are built on Corvina: light and cherryish at the basic level, deep and port-like as Amarone when the grapes are dried before pressing. Soave is the local crisp white.

Where to go

Verona is the base, an easy and beautiful city in its own right. The Valpolicella hills sit just north for Amarone cellars, the Prosecco hills around Conegliano lie to the east, and Venice is an hour away by train when you want a day off the vines.

Eat

Risotto, polenta and slow-braised beef in Amarone are the Veneto classics. The dried-grape sweetness in the wine mirrors the richness on the plate.

Getting there

Verona has its own airport and sits on the fast train line between Milan and Venice. A car helps for the Valpolicella and Prosecco hills, but the cities link easily by rail.