Northeast Italy - Tre Venezie

Classic Wines Columnist Dylan York

For the next series of articles I have migrated into the northeast section of Italy, also referred to as the Venezie or Tre Venezie. The area contains three major regions: Veneto, Trentino-Alto Adige, and Friuli-Venezie Giulia. Because of the melting pot of international and indigenous varietals that are cultivated here, Tre Venezie contains a wide variety of red and white wines. Heavily influenced from bordering countries such as Switzerland, Austria and Germany, the region has wines that are unlike any found in the rest of Italy. In my opinion, some of the most interesting white wines in the world are found on Italy's northern borders. For red, the lesser known wines made from Cabernet Franc, Lagrien, and Pignolo have always proved to be a great experience. Let's take a quick look into each of the three regions and see what they have to offer.

The Veneto region is responsible for the largest amount of wine produced in Italy. The title once belonged to Sicily and Puglia but they lost it in the 1990s to the production of only three wines, Soave, Bardolino and Valpolicella. Now don't get it in your head that all Soave and Valpolicella is cheap juice as there are some very fine examples of both made at the Classico and Superiore levels that I will discuss later on. Also, some of the best inexpensive sparkling wine, Prosecco, is also from Veneto. Both DOCs of Valdobbiadene and Conegliano produce great bubbles. And more importantly, Veneto is the home of Amarone della Valpolicella, the powerhouse wine made from sun-dried grapes. This region is perhaps the most diverse in options.

Trentino-Alto Adige is the combination of two district provinces that, despite their ideal climate for white wines, produce mostly red. The list of varietals that can be grown here is overwhelming when you take it all in. Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Muller-Thurgau, Pinot Bianco, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Lagrein and many more by themselves or blended. The variance of wine types is unimaginable in this region. But the truth is most of what you see in the US are the Pinot Grigios. More often the rest are exported to Germany, Switzerland, and Austria so you may never see them if you don't travel.

Friuli-Venezia Giulia is the home of modern Italian white wine. Some of my most favorite white wines all come from this area which borders Austria and Slovenia. Varietals like Ribolla Gialla, Tocai Fruilano and Pinot Bianco make up some of the most unique wines I have ever had. In fact, one of the world's most famous producers of white wines, in my opinion, Silvia Jermann (pronounced Yermann), produces two exceptional wines: Were Dreams..., and Vintage Tunina. This is a section that I cannot wait to write about.

I invite you to follow along as I explore my final region of Italy.