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Wines
Few provinces have as many DOC wines as the province of Vicenza. From the area of the Berici Hills to the pre-alpine piedmont area, the knowing work of farmers, wine cellars and consortiums have
succeeded in selecting six DOC wines of great value, worthy of the best tables in the world. The offer is
extremely wide: whites, reds, raisin wine and spumanti, by labels like Arcole, Breganze, Gambellara, Lessini Durello, Vicenza DOC and Colli Berici. But good drinking is not only a question of wine. The province also has a great tradition in the production of liquors, digestive liquors and mountain aquavit, including the most widely known grappa which is well inserted on the market.
Arcole DOC
Itself Controlled Denomination of Origin (DOC) “Arcole” wines, with reference to the name of the vine, have the characteristic of being produced in a small strip of land on the plains between the provinces of Verona and Vicenza on terrain that tends to be sandy. The “Arcole” Controlled Denomination of Origin is reserved for wines that correspond to the conditions and prerequisites established by rigid production regulations; this includes only Arcole white (even in the spumanti version), Arcole red (even in the new wine version), Arcole Garganega, Pinot Bianco and Grigio, Chardonnay (even in the sparkling version), Merlot, Cabernet and Cabernet Sauvignon. The characteristic of this area is that a good part of the soil has a high percentage of sand, which makes the terrain more suitable to obtain quality wine. The “Arcole” Controlled Denomination of Origin, which was established in September of 2000, established a vast area with a high winemaking tradition between the provinces of Verona and Vicenza, capable of further qualifying the production in these areas. The area involved is completely in the plains. In fact, the area of production involves the administrative territory of sixteen municipalities in the province of Verona, including Arcole and five municipalities in the province of Vicenza including Lonigo, Sarego, Monte, Orgiano and Sossano. The area cultivated in vineyards amounts to approximately 2,500 hectares in the province of Verona and a little more than a thousand hectares in the province of Vicenza. In order to protect the production of this area, the Consortium for the protection of Arcole DOC Wine was founded on February 2001. The producers who are members of this organisation represent by themselves 80% of the productive potential of the entire area. Nine wines are produced in the area. Arcole Red has an unmistakeable ruby red colour, a winey, intense and delicate bouquet and a dry with average body and harmony. Arcole Cabernet has a darker ruby red colour that tends towards garnet red, a pleasant and intense bouquet. Arcole Cabernet Sauvignon differs because of its more intense perfume, which comes to the fore if it is aged and for the dry, harmonious and austere taste. Arcole Merlot on the other hand has a ruby red colour when it is young which tends towards garnet red when it is aged. It has a winey and rather intense bouquet, a characteristic dry and slightly bitter taste. The family of whites is introduced with Arcole White, a straw-yellow coloured wine that tends towards green with a winey bouquet, a characteristic intense and delicate bouquet and a dry taste with average body. It is harmonious and slightly bitter. Arcole Chardonnay on the other hand has a less intense straw-yellow colour and a characteristic and elegant bouquet. It conserves a dryer and smoother taste. Arcole Garganega also has a straw yellow colour that tends to green with a characteristic intense winey bouquet and a dry taste which is slightly acid and bitter. Of the two Pinot wines, the Pinot Bianco has a slightly fruitier bouquet and a dryer and more harmonious taste. The Pinot Grigio instead has a more amber colour which sometimes has copperish tones, the perfume is delicate and fruited and the taste is characteristically dry.
USEFUL ADDRESSES
Consorzio Tutela vino di Arcole doc
(Consortium for the Protection of Arcole DOC wine)
Vicolo Mattielli, 11 - 37038 Soave (Verona)
Ph. +39 045 7681578
Fax +39 045 6190306
E-mail: consorzio@arcoledoc.com
Website: www.arcoledoc.it
Breganze DOC
The Vicentine Piedmont area has always been a land with a great wine-growing tradition and since 1969 it has been recognised with the first DOC area in the province of Vicenza: the “Breganze” Controlled Denomination of Origin. The area includes the hills and immediately underlying plains, including the three valleys of the rivers Astico and. The town of Breganze is almost the geographical centre of this area while the other cornerstones are Thiene to the west and Bassano del Grappa to the East. “Breganze” is a DOC wine that may be defined “small” if compared to the overall panorama in the Veneto region with an overall production of about 45 thousand hectolitres. Nevertheless, its roots are sunk deep in a millenary tradition and in a terrain that exalts the qualities of both autochthonous and recently acclimatised vines. The DOC area is managed by a Consortium of Protection to which thirteen winemakers belong as partners. They include twelve private companies and the “Beato Bartolomeo” Wine Cellar of Breganze. This is an authentic institution in the area and produces almost 90 percent DOC from grapes conferred by over 600 members. From the oenological point of view, the DOC marking involves a series of wines that are extremely different from each other whose personality is determined by the hillside territory of the upper Vicentine piedmont area. Here below are listed the 12 Breganze DOC wines.
- Breganze Rosso DOC
Breganze Rosso DOC is substantially a Merlot, with a ruby red colour that has garnet red reflections, a perfume of mature wine, with hints of haymaking and liquorice. It has a dry, robust, slightly tannic and harmonious taste, with body. This wine is suitable for second course dishes of red meat, grilled or baked in the oven.
- Breganze Cabernet DOC
Obtained with Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and/or Carmenère grapes, this wine has a deep ruby red colour an intense and herbaceous bouquet with hints of liquorish and a dry, austere and full-bodied taste which is slightly tannic and sometimes herbaceous. It is combined perfectly with robust second courses of roast meat and wild game.
- Breganze Cabernet Sauvignon DOC
Breganze Cabernet Sauvignon DOC has a bright ruby red colour and an intense and winey bouquet. The taste is round, harmonious and pleasantly tannic. It is ideal in combination with red and white meat dishes, especially with grilled and spitted meat.
- Breganze Marzemin DOC
The colour of this wine is an often vivacious ruby red. It has an intense, characteristic bouquet with hints of red berries and a full and dry taste and good body, reminiscent of fruits such as raspberries and cherries. It combines will with second course dishes with a decisive taste, such as grilled meats and delicate roast.
- Breganze Pinot Nero DOC
This wine has a bright ruby red colour, delicate perfume and dry, pleasantly smooth and sapid taste. It combines perfectly with roast meats, spitted meats and slightly spicy cheeses.
- Breganze Bianco DOC
This wine is substantially a Tocai and has a straw-yellow colour with green reflections, a fruited bouquet of acacia flowers with a smooth and slightly bitter taste. It combines well with soups, first course dishes and delicate fish.
- Breganze Vespaiolo DOC
This wine is produced only with grapes from the vine of the same name, which is cultivated only in this area; it has a straw yellow colour with greenish reflections and a slightly aromatic bouquet, reminiscent of cooked fruit. The taste is dry and pleasantly fresh. It should be combined with dishes based on fish and expresses itself best when accompanied by dishes of Vicentine tradition, such as Baccalà and Bassano asparagus.
- Breganze Pinot Bianco DOC
Breganze Pinot Bianco is light straw yellow in colour with greenish reflections. It has a fine and elegant bouquet with hints of fruit, a dry but round, harmonious and velvety taste. It is a wine to enjoy throughout the meal and is ideal with fish.
- Breganze Chardonnay DOC
This wine is yellow with greenish reflections. It has an intense and pleasantly aromatic bouquet reminiscent of exotic fruit. The taste is pleasantly smooth and fruited. This is a wine of considerable personality which is particularly indicated for light hors d’oeuvres, dishes based on fish and is also a fine aperitif.
- Breganze Sauvignon DOC
Breganze Sauvignon DOC has a light, bright colour with greenish reflections, a decisive and fruited bouquet and a full bodied, velvety and considerably sapid taste. It is ideal in combination with fish, with crustacean hors d’oeuvres and is an excellent aperitif.
- Breganze Pinot Grigio DOC
This wine has a tenuous straw yellow colour and sometimes has copper reflections. The bouquet is fruited with a slightly spicy note and the taste is full bodied with a slightly bitter after taste. It is excellent as an aperitif and great with hors d’oeuvres. It is an excellent accompaniment for dishes with fish and white meats.
Breganze Torcolato Doc
The Breganze Torcolato Doc is the gem of Breganze’s winemaking tradition. It is produced from pressing dried Vespaiola grapes which are hung (“torcolate”, in the local dialect) on strings from the wooden beams of the
well-aired attics of farmhouses. During this period the grapes lose much of their water, resulting in a concentration of sugars and aromas. After a long fermentation period that lasts two or three months and which is never complete, inasmuch as it stops naturally when the wine is still sweet, the wine is stored in small casks for two years before bottling. The Torcolato has a typical, bright and crystal clear, golden yellow colour which is rich in perfumes that are reminiscient of apples, flowers, vanilla and raisins. It has a “sweet-not-sweet” taste, which is full bodied, rich and complex, long lasting fine to the palate. It is a wine for meditation which is good even alone but excellent at the end of a meal with dry sweets; it gives its utmost with cheeses treated with herbs and dishes based on goose liver.
USEFUL ADDRESSES
Consorzio Tutela Vini DOC Breganze
(Consortium for the Protection of Breganze DOC Wines)
Via Roma, 102 - 36042 Breganze (Vicenza)
Ph. and fax: +39 0445 300595
E-mail: consorziodocbreganze@libero.it
Colli Berici DOC
In recent years the Berici Hills have attained a fine specialisation in the field of winemaking. The grape vine has been present in these rolling hills of volcanic origin to the south of Vicenza, which have a mild climate and fertile soil, since extremely ancient times. The remains of dwellings on piles in Lake Fimon where the seeds of Vitis silvestris were found, dating from the Bronze Age, more than 3000 years before Christ are the testimony of this. This area includes the territory of 28 municipalities and is divided into 44 thousand hectares of which about three thousand are planted in vines and offers nine DOC wines, three reds and six whites.
- Tai Rosso or Barbarano DOC
The wine is autochthonous to this area and has been shown to be a member of the Sardinian Cannonau, French Grenache and Garnaccia families. Due to its having the same name as the Hungarian vine, it will have to use a different name
starting from 2007, today the Tai produced in Barbarano Vicentino and the
surrounding towns, area which is considered excellent for the production of this wine is called Barbarano.
It is a wine with a bright ruby red colour and an intense characteristic bouquet reminiscent of cherries and a harmonious taste that tends towards to be slightly tannic and bitter.
- Cabernet DOC
This wine is obtained from Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. It has a deep ruby red colour that tends towards orange with aging, a pleasantly intense bouquet and a dry, robust taste that is properly tannic. If marketed with at least three years of aging, six months of which in wooden casks, this wine may be qualified with the addition of “Reserve”.
- Merlot DOC
This wine has a ruby red colour, an intense winey bouquet and a smooth, harmonious and full-bodied taste. It is a complete wine that can be enjoyed even alone, it takes on the classical traits of the vine in the Berici Hills, where they come from.
- Garganego DOC
It comes from the grapes of the vine that bears the same name which is considered autochthonous to the area that goes from the Berici Hills to the Verona Hills .
An area where a characteristic white wine is produced.
The colour is straw yellow with a winey odour and a characteristic bouquet. The taste is dry, bitter and slightly acid. It is fine in combination with fish, especially baccalà.
- Chardonnay DOC
This is a highly appraised international vine which is cultivated in the Berici Hills with fine results since the proper terrain here to produce quality wines is found in this area. Vinified in purity with a small quantity of Pinot Bianco, it has a straw yellow colour with greenish reflections, a delicate and fine bouquet. It has a dry, harmonious and well-structured taste.
- Tocai Italico DOC
Obtained from grapes of the vine with the same name (with the possibility of utilising a small quantity of Garganega), this wine is straw yellow in colour with a delicately winey perfume and a dry, harmonious and fresh taste. It is fine as an aperitif or to accompany first course dishes.
- Sauvignon DOC
This is an internationally valued vine. This wine is considered a successful and quality wine as few others produced in DOC areas of the Veneto. It has a straw yellow colour, a delicate and characteristic perfume and a full, dray and harmonious taste. It should be combined with fish or first course dishes.
- Pinot bianco DOC
Obtained with grapes from the vine of the same name, with the possibility of utilising a modest percentage of Pinot Grigio as well, this wine has a light straw yellow colour, an intense, characteristic and delicate bouquet. The taste is full bodied and smooth, it is a fine white wine, to be served cold and is best exulted with crustaceans.
- Spumante DOC
The most recent creation of the Colli Berici DOC family. Obtained through spumanti vinification of Garganega grapes (50%), Pinot Bianco, Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay, this wine has fine and persistent bubbles, a pleasantly fruited bouquet and a fresh and dry taste.
USEFUL ADDRESSES
Consorzio Tutela Vini DOC Colli Berici
(Consortium for the Protection of Colli Berici DOC Wines)
Via Cà Dolfina, 40
36020 Barbarano Vicentino (Vicenza)
Ph. +39 0444 896598
Fax +39 0444 797231
E-mail: info@consorziovinicolliberici.it
Website:
www.consorziovinicolliberici.it
Gambellara DOC
Three white wines are produced in the territory of Gambellara, a village located in a splendid panoramic position at the mouth of the Chiampo valley which has an ancient winemaking tradition. The village gives its name to some of the most important DOC wines in the region: Gambellara, Recioto and Vin Santo. The typical area of production borders on the west with the area of Soave and includes the municipalities of Gambellara, Montebello, Montorso and Zermeghedo. The particular basaltic nature of the hillside terrain permits optimum growth of Garganega grapes, the most important autochthonous vine in the area. Garganega comes from a single family of white vines, probably spread by the Etruscans which is considered one of the best vines for the production of raisin wines because of its traits. Gambellara, a harmonious, dry white wine, is further qualified by the word “Classical” when it comes from the historical area with the most ancient tradition and has particular outstanding characteristics. Then there is Gambellara Vin Santo and Gambellara Recioto (white) in the two versions, traditional and spumanti. Recioto is the king of DOC wine production in the area. The unique nature of this wine is conferred by the technique of vinification which calls for careful selection of the grapes in the vineyard, first of all, and successive drying of the bunches in cases or hung in the characteristic “picai” manner, in well-aired environments. After a month and a half of drying (until January) the grapes are again selected and pressed, providing a must flower that ferments until the next spring. The sweetness of the wine makes it particularly suitable for deserts. It is a bright, clear, golden yellow colour and has a winey, intense and fruited bouquet with an amiable and smooth taste and with a characteristic after taste of almonds. Although Gambellara Recioto can be defined as a thoroughbred race horse, these hills also produce Gambellara Vin Santo, a superb wine capable of reaching a century of life without difficulty. The method of production is similar to Recioto, but it has a longer period of drying; the grapes are in fact pressed in February of the following year. The yield of the wine is also further reduced, while the alcohol content is greater. Gambellara Vin Santo is thus one of the rarest oenological jewels of Vicentine wine making. In order to protect the product, the Consortium for the Protection of Gambellara DOC Wines was founded in 1970, uniting the winegrowers, individuals and associations that vinify and bottle the wine in the area that falls within the territory of the Denomination of Origin. In 1983 the Consortium obtained, with a special decree, the responsibility for vigilance over these DOC wines, thereby widening their range of action to protect the quality and enhance Gambellara wines.
- Gambellara DOC and Classico
Vine: Garganega.
Minimum alcohol content: 11% for the DOC and 12% for the Classico.
Characteristics of the wine: tenuous and bright straw yellow colour; fresh, delicate bouquet with a slight fragrance of elderberry; dry, fresh and lively taste with a pleasant bitter after taste of almonds.
- Gambellara Recioto Classico and Spumante DOC
Vine: Garganega.
Minimum alcohol content: 12%. Characteristics of the wine: lively and bright straw yellow almost golden colour; intense, fruited bouquet, reminiscent of elderberries, cherries and vines; delicately amiable, smooth and harmonious taste, at times slightly sparkling with a pleasantly bitter after taste.
- Vin Santo di Gambellara DOC
Vine: Garganega.
Minimum alcohol content: 14%. Characteristics of the wine: amber colour, intense and fragrant bouquet with a net sensation of raisins; sweet, harmonious and smooth, fresh and lively taste with a pleasant and persistent bitterish after taste.
USEFUL ADDRESSES
Consorzio Tutela Vini Doc Gambellara
(Consortium for the Protection of Gambellara DOC Wines)
Via Borgolecco, 1
36053 Gambellara (Vicenza)
Ph. and fax +39 0444 444183
E-mail: consorziovinigambellara@inwind.it
Monti Lessini
The wine from the Lessinian Mountains (Monti Lessini) is as old as the area from which it originates. The Durello vine can boast of almost prehistorical origins, since in Bolca, in the high valley of Alpone, the most ancient ampelographic fossils were found, which are considered ancestors of today’s vines. According to experts, Durello is none other than the ancient “partridge eye” vine, which was renowned in the mid-eighteenth century. Lessinian Durello DOC was born in 1987, while the Consortium for Protection of the wine was created in 1997. The area of production of Lessinian Durello includes the territory in the province of Verona and Vicenza. In the Vicenza area, in particular, all of the municipalities in the Chiampo and Agno valleys fall within the DOC area, in addition to parts of the municipalities of Cornedo, Costabissara, Gambellara, Isola Vicentina, Malo, Marano Vicentino, Montebello, Montecchio Maggiore, Montorseo, Nogarole, San Vito di Leguzzano, Schio and Zermeghedo. We are speaking of a totally hillside area which is developed over an area of about 20 thousand hectares and which reaches an altitude of over 500 m a.s.l. The area currently cultivated amounts to about 430 hectares, for an annual production of 50 thousand quintals of grapes. There are about 500 vineyards involved in the cultivation of Durello while there are scores of companies that bottle the wine. The hillside terrain is of volcanic origin. A peculiar characteristic of the Durello, thanks to the high percentage of malic acid and the lively degree of total acidity, is its noteworthy vocation for vinification in spumanti. About 300 thousand bottles of this wine are produced annually almost all of which is vinified in the spumanti version both with fermentation in the bottle and in autoclaves. The local tradition reserves a small space for Durello raisin wine as well as stable Durello. The wines are therefore fresh, lively, dry, slightly and pleasantly acid and suitable for serving as an aperitif. The current production regulations foresee that the DOC wines may be produced with a minimum percentage of Durello grapes of 85% and a maximum of 15% of Garganega, Trebbiano di Soave or “nostrano”, Pinot Bianco, Pinot Nero and Chardonnay. Three wines are produced: Lessinian Durello DOC, Lessinian Durello DOC Superiore and Lessinian Durello DOC Spumante. The first two are tranquil and have a more or less intense straw yellow colour, a winey odour, delicate and characteristic bouquet, a dry, acid taste and a minimum alcohol content of 10%. The “Superior” denomination is reserved for wines that have an alcohol content of no less than 11%. Lessinian Durello DOC Spumante has the following traits: fine and persistent sparkling, tenuous straw yellow colour with greenish reflections, a characteristic and delicate wine perfume, slightly fruited bouquet, a fresh acidulous taste and a minimum alcohol content of 11%.
USEFUL ADDRESSES
Consorzio Tutela Vino Lessini Durello Doc
(Consortium for the Protection of Lessinian Durello DOC Wines)
Vicolo Mattielli, 11
Casa del Vino
37038 Soave (Verona)
Ph. +39 045 7681578
Fax +39 045 6190306
E-mail: consorzio@montilessini.com
Website: www.montilessini.com
Vicenza DOC
The third family of Vicentine wines, due to the quality of the grapes, is the DOC “Vicenza” family, which is also the group that was most recently constituted. The area protected covers the portion of the territory between the Berici Hills and the pre-alpine slopes. These are the wines produced: Cabernet, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Nero, Raboso, Rosso, Rosato (also in the sparkling version), Novello, Chardonnay (also in the sparkling version), Garganego (also in the sparkling version), Riesling, Sauvignon, Incrocio Manzoni bianco, Pinot Bianco (also in the sparkling version), Pinot Grigio, Moscato (also in the sparkling version), Bianco (also in the sparkling and spumanti versions), Passito. Pinot Grigio and Garganega, which are the prevalent vines in order of quantity. A long series of wines of great quality are thus added to the productive panorama of the Veneto which is already well supplied with DOC and DOCG wines that are famous the world over. More in detail, the vinification of Vicenza DOC Rosso calls for pressing of the grapes and fermentation of the must on the dregs. Thanks to the temperature reached by the mass, a sort of “tumultuous” fermentation is produced which is defined in this manner because the wine seems to boil in the vats, allowing the passage of anthocyanins and polyphenols from the skins to the wine thus producing in a short period of time the classical ruby red colour. Drawing of the wine permits the separation from the skins and dregs. The wine must decant in order to separate the limpid fraction from the faeces, thus eliminating the suspended solid substances. The final phases in the productive process are refinement, aging, stabilisation and bottling. For the production of Vicenza DOC Bianco, following the harvest, the juice is extracted immediately from the grapes so that the fermentation involves only the liquid part and not the skins. In order to do this, pressing of the grapes is performed on the whole grapes, in order to separate the must from the solid parts, reducing laceration of the skins to a minimum. The faeces are removed from the must after pressing which consists of the elimination of suspended particles. Fermentation is thus began, which takes place at about 20° C. Following decanting, which slowly permits the wine to become more limpid, the product is ready for bottling. The vinification of Vicenza DOC Rosato instead, calls for a brief period of maceration of the must with the skins in special fermentation chambers, in order to avoid extraction of high quantities of tannic substances which would make the final colour of the wine excessively deep. When finished, the wine is subjected to the usual decanting process which stabilises it and makes it ready for bottling.
USEFUL ADDRESSES
Consorzio Volontario per la Tutela dei Vini Vicenza a DOC
(Voluntary Consortium for the Protection of Vicenza DOC Wines)
Registered office:
Corso Fogazzaro, 37 - 36100 Vicenza
Headquarters:
Via Cà Dolfina, 40
36020 Barbarano Vicentino VI
Ph. +39 0444 795656
Fax +39 0444 797231
E-mail: vinivicenzadoc@libero.it
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