Covering a
large area around the great northern cities of Verona, Vicenza and Venice, the
producers of the Veneto wine regions have been some of the most energetic and
industrious in Italy. Collectively they produce over 7 million hectolitres of
wine annually across thirty different DOC zones, making the area the third
largest producer in Italy today, beaten only by the bulk wine specialists of the
south.
As a region it has been dominated by the central zone around Verona which
produces the vast majority of the area's wine from the production of the
Veneto's two most famous DOC zones, Soave and Valpolicella. While both these
zones still house exceptional producers, sadly the more recent history vast
majority of the wine is made using over-cropped grapes in huge factory wineries.
Besides the Soave and Valpolicella, the region has several other interesting
DOCs offering a plethora of different wines styles made in varying quality. For
example, on the eastern shores of Lake Garda the Bardolino DOC produces large
amounts of light, mildly interesting red, while in the area around Congliano and
Valdobbiadene the world famous sparkling aperitif, Prosecco can be found.