11.2 Veneto

11.2 Veneto

Quick Answer: Veneto delivers volume whites (Pinot Grigio delle Venezie, much Soave) and a structured red ladder in Valpolicella: everyday Corvina blends → Classico hillsides → Ripasso → dried-grape Amarone (dry) and Recioto (sweet). Garganega (Soave) and Corvina (Valpolicella) are the grapes to lock in. Explain price with site, yield, and the cost/risk of appassimento.

Veneto sits between the Alps/Dolomites and the Adriatic. The climate is broadly moderate, with Alpine coolness inland and warmer plains toward the lagoon. That geography supports both huge commercial white production and some of Italy’s most distinctive reds.

Pinot Grigio delle Venezie DOC

Pinot Grigio delle Venezie is a large DOC spanning Veneto and neighbouring northeast areas. It exists to brand the region’s mass-market Pinot Grigio: typically light body, pale lemon, pear/citrus, crisp acid, fermented cool in inert tanks, bottled early. Quality is sound and consistent rather than complex; price is low to mid because yields on fertile plains can be high and production is efficient.

For the exam, contrast this category with Alpine Alto Adige or hillside Friuli Pinot Grigio: same variety, different LO1 package (plain fertility and volume vs altitude/hills and lower yield). “delle Venezie” on the label signals the commercial northeast style, not automatically a premium wine.

Soave and Soave Classico

Soave DOC is centred east of Verona and is based on Garganega (Trebbiano di Soave may play a supporting role). Basic Soave from flatter, more fertile land is light-to-medium, apple/pear/white flower, dry, early drinking, and affordable.

Soave Classico covers the historic hillside zone on volcanic and limestone soils. Better drainage, poorer fertility, and altitude/aspect favour lower yields and fuller flavour: almond, citrus, chamomile, sometimes honeyed notes with age. Premium producers may use lees ageing or a portion of oak for texture, but many top wines remain stainless-focused with concentration from the vineyard. Classico here is your quality cue: expect higher price and more ageing potential than generic Soave.

Valpolicella: Grapes and Geography

West of Verona, Valpolicella reds are built on Corvina (and often Corvinone), with Rondinella and sometimes Molinara. Corvina brings cherry fruit, moderate colour, and structure when yields are controlled; Rondinella is reliable and adds colour; Corvinone can deepen body.

Valpolicella DOC from the wider zone (including plains) is typically light-to-medium body, high acid, low-to-medium tannin, bright red cherry—served slightly cool, early drinking, modest price.

Valpolicella Classico denotes the historic hillside heartland (higher altitude, better drainage, more sun exposure on slopes). Expect more concentration, riper cherry, and firmer structure than basic Valpolicella—Classico = site advantage, not a different grape recipe.

Valpolicella Superiore indicates higher minimum alcohol and longer ageing than basic DOC—another quality/price step before Ripasso/Amarone.

Appassimento Family: Amarone, Recioto, Ripasso

Veneto’s signature human factor is drying grapes after harvest (appassimento), traditionally on mats or in lofts. Water loss concentrates sugar, acid, flavour, and tannin precursors. Cost and risk are high (space, labour, rot/botrytis management, longer cellar time) → high price for the top wines.

Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG

Grapes are dried then fermented dry (residual sugar fermented out or nearly so). Result: full body, high alcohol (often 15%+), concentrated sour cherry, dried fruit, chocolate/spice with oak ageing, firm tannin, long finish. Quality leaders from Classico hillsides with careful drying sit at premium to super-premium prices. Amarone is dry; do not confuse it with Recioto.

Recioto della Valpolicella DOCG

Same drying logic, but fermentation is stopped (or naturally incomplete) to leave residual sugar. Sweet, full, cherry/raisin, balanced by acid and tannin. Smaller volumes and dessert positioning → high price. Recioto is the historic sweet ancestor; Amarone evolved as a dry style from similar fruit.

Ripasso

Valpolicella Ripasso (“re-passed”) is made by refermenting young Valpolicella on the pomace (skins/lees) left from Amarone or Recioto. Extra extraction and a small alcohol/body lift give medium-to-full cherry fruit, more dried-fruit nuance, and mid-tier pricing—between basic Valpolicella and Amarone on the style/price ladder. It is not dried-grape wine itself; it borrows concentration from the appassimento by-product.

Style, Quality, Price via LO1

• Site: Classico hillsides → better exposure/drainage → higher quality Soave and Valpolicella before any drying.
• Yield: High plains yields → light Pinot Grigio delle Venezie and basic Soave/Valpolicella; low yields → concentration.
• Human factors: Appassimento cost, sorting, and oak régime separate Amarone/Recioto from everyday reds; Ripasso offers a cheaper “step-up” using pomace.
• Law: DOC vs DOCG (Amarone/Recioto), Classico, and Superiore signal rules and positioning—but always justify with vineyard and winery factors in SAQs.

Worked Exam Scenario

A customer likes cherry fruit but finds basic Valpolicella thin and Amarone too expensive/heavy. Recommend Ripasso: same grape family, more body and dried-fruit complexity from pomace refermentation, mid price. If they want sweet cherry dessert wine, choose Recioto, not Amarone (Amarone is dry).