The area that covers the provinces of Brescia, Verona, Trento and Lake Garda is not only known for its beautiful countryside, but also its famous wines. From Bardolino to Chiaretto, from Valpolicella to Amarone, from Recioto al Lugana to Custoza al Marzemino, these rank among the best Italian wines.

It is impossible to create a ranking list! Our top ten are intended to express our appreciation of these products from the Lake Garda area.

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BARDOLINO 
A ruby red, fruity wine with a cherry, sour cherry, strawberry, rasperry, red currant and spicy flavour that is produced from the grape varieties Corvina Veronese and Rondinella. The labelling “Bardolino Classico” is exclusively reserved for the wines that are made from the grapes of the oldest area of origin. This core area comprises the municipalities of Affi, Bardolino, Cavaion Veronese, Costermano, Garda and Lazise. Bardolino wine is also popular because of its high drinkability and its possible pairing with various dishes.

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CHIARETTO
Chiaretto is a rosé variant of the famous Bardolino wine and made from the same grapes. It has a delicate,  wild berry and vanilla flavour. A fresh wine, it lends itself to being consumed as an aperitif. It can also be paired with light Mediterranean dishes, antipasti, fresh-water and marine fish, pizza and sushi. 

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AMARONE
The red wine Amarone della Valpolicella is certainly one of the most famous Italian wines and can be stored for more than twenty years. Produced from grapes of the Corvina, Corvinone Veronese, Rondinella and Molinara varieties, but also the Forselina, Negrara or Oseleta varieties. Its aroma is due to the fact that its grapes are dried from 100 to 120 days in the so-called ‘straw wine method’. During this time, the sugar fermentation is completed. Amarone has a very intense red colour and its fruity and spicy flavour make it a full-bodied wine which can be paired with meat, mature cheese and game, but can also be drunk as a meditation wine.

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VALPOLICELLA
Valpolicella DOC is mainly cultivated from the grape varieties Corvina, Corvinone Veronese and Rondinella and in an area that comprises the municipalities of Marano, Fumane, Negrar, Sant’Ambrogio, San Pietro in Cariano, Dolcè, Verona, San Martino Buon Albergo, Lavagno, Mezzane, Tregnano, Illasi, Colognola ai Colli, Cazzano di Tramigna, Grezzana, Pescantina, Cerro Veronese, San Mauro di Saline and Montecchia di Crosara. The Valpolicella Superiore variant is characterised by the selected grapes it is made from. It needs to age for at least one year to obtain its ruby red colour and can be paired with meat dishes and mature cheese.

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CUSTOZA
A fresh, aromatic and highly drinkable white wine that can be paired with various dishes. Custoza (Veneto dialect for Cortese) is produced from the grape varieties Garganega, Trebbianello and Bianca Fernanda and these add the typical straw yellow colour to it. The wine-growing area of the Custoza comprises only nine municipalities in the Province of Verona: Sommacampagna, Villafranca di Verona, Valeggio sul Mincio, Peschiera del Garda, Lazise, Castelnuovo del Garda, Pastrengo, Bussolengo and Sona. This wine can be enjoyed with fresh-water and marine fish, deep-fried dishes, vegetables such as broccoli from Custoza, tortellini di Valeggio or the Mantuan pumpkin tortellini.

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LUGANA
This white wine is produced at the southern shores of Lake Garda. The grapes are grown in the special clay soil produced during the last ice age when glaciation formed Lake Garda. Lugana was the first Lombard DOC wine and one of the first wines to be assigned the status in Italy. The wine is extracted from the autochthonous grape variety Turbiana and can be classified as Superiore, Riserva, Spumante and Vendemmia tardiva (late vintage). Ideally drunk as an aperitif, it can also be accompanied by pasta and rice dishes, pizza and cream cheese.

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GARDA CLASSICO GROPPELLO
Groppello is a true wine rarity as it is only grown on the hills of the Valtènesi area near Lake Garda. It is a delicate and spicy red wine with a fruity flavour, that can be paired with seasoned dishes, meat and medium mature cheese.

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VALTENESI DOC
Valtenesi is a new DOC wine of the region that has been registered as such since 2011. It is made from the Groppello grape variety. By law, the ruby red wine can only be sold from the 1st September onwards, when the grape harvest is over. The first ripe grapes are used to produce the Valtenesi Chiaretto.

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RECIOTO DI SOAVE DOCG (website in Italian only)
Recioto di Soave DOCG claims to be the first wine cultivated in the Veneto, being promoted to the DOCG status of top quality. It is extracted from the Garganega grape variety with grapes being dried for months before being pressed.The hand-picked wine is grown in the Soave area and can be enjoyed with dessert or drunk as a meditation wine. The name derives from the dialectical expression recia (from Italian orecchio – ear), coined to describe the upper grapes of the bunch that are exposed to the sunlight. Indeed, the grapes are chosen because of the resulting high sugar content.

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MARZEMINO (website in Italian only)
Marzemino, also called “Mozart’s wine” because of its mention in the opera “Don Giovanni”,  is one of the oldest Italian wines. It came to the Veneto via the Black Sea (referred to as “Merzifon”) and spread via the Adige Valley and the Lake Garda Region to Trentino under the rule of the Republic of Venice. The deeply ruby red wine is ideally suited for mushroom dishes, white and red meat and cold cuts.