Italy has a very special place in the world of wine.  Wine has been produced here dating back to Egyptian times and viticulture and viniculture has always been a crucial part of the country’s identity.  Long stereotyped as a producer of quantity over quality, Italy is making great strides and winning the hearts of wine lovers around the world.

Still, when the average consumer thinks of buying Italian wine, often it is the wines of Tuscany and specifically Chianti, so popular in the ’70s and ’80s, that they turn to.  Rarely will anyone venture into uncharted wine-territory to try a wine from the Veneto.

Located in the northeast corner of Italy, Veneto is one of Italy’s top wine regions in total wine production and it is one of the top producers of DOC-approved wines, with almost 21 percent of Italy’s total DOC production.

This tiny region is home to Valpolicella, by most accounts “insipid industrial garbage”, according to Robert Parker of the Wine Advocate.  However, Valpolicella is a study in the different contrasts of wine production.  On the one hand, there are light, fruity Valpolicella wines that at their best are well made, enjoyable wines that go great with food and there are those that are mass produced, watered down and bland.  On the other hand, the Valpolicella region produces the world-renowned dry Amarone and sweet Recioto wines that are acclaimed for their robust intensity and complexity.

Different versions of Valpolicella go well with all types of salami and other cured meats, with first courses like pasta, rice dishes and above all, with soups.  It also accompanies second courses like chicken and more traditional dishes like boiled meats and liver with onions although I have an aversion to liver and onions due to a traumatic dining experience as a child (Mom said it was steak).  Even some fish dishes go well with Valpolicella, which are flavourful, fresh and without excessive body.

Valpolicella Superiore is a wine having more structure and should be paired with second courses like grilled steak, roasts and stews.  This style of Valpolicella is usually aged in wood for at least a year, giving it more depth and complexity.  There is a certain amount of controversy regarding this point, because Valpolicella has a distinctive floral-fruity bouquet that is in part overshadowed by the vanilla notes brought about by barrel aging.

Therefore, the more traditional wineries won’t use them choosing instead to add tannin to the wine by mixing the wine with the skins and seeds left over from the fermentation of Recioto.  The tannins gained are light and tend to be well rounded, while the skins yield more aromatics and add intriguing complexities to the wine.  This technique, which is unique to Valpolicella, is called Ripasso and can give wondrous results.

Without a doubt the most celebrated of wines of the Veneto, is Amarone.  One of the most unique wines in the world, it has experienced a major revival over the last decade and is now recognized as one of the super stars of modern-day Italian wines along with Barolo, Brunello di Montalcino and some of the Super-Tuscan’s.

Produced from the same grapes as Valpolicella, Corvina, Molinara and Rondinella, only perfectly healthy, ripe grapes are allowed.  The harvested grapes are dried on mats in attics until January in a process called ‘Appasimento’ which is unique to only a few wines.  The grapes lose about 30% of their weight, which concentrates the sugars, fruit aromas and flavours and develops the characteristic raisiny quality that is the signature of Amarone.  Every so often, the concentration of sugars is so high that the wine will not ferment totally dry.  These wines are deliberately left sweet and these will not carry the Amarone designation but will be called Recioto Della Valpolicella.

For white wines, Veneto produces some of the best Pinot Grigio on the planet.  It has sprinted its way to the top of the charts in recent years overtaking Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.  At wine bars and dining tables the world over, Pinot Grigio is increasingly the white wine of choice.

Pinot Grigio is the Italian name for Pinot Gris, from the French word for “gray” (Gris).  Although Pinot Grigio is a white wine, it is made from a red grape and it is known as the grape that can’t decide what it is.  The skins can range from grayish blue to brownish pink; sometimes they look black, sometimes white.  Widely planted in the northeast, this grape yields crisp, fruity dry white wine.  However, like Valpolicella, a lot of these can be watery, thin and overly acidic due to the addition of the bland Pinot Bianco grape.

Whenever you are looking for something different and you should be, considering how much good wine there is available, do try some of the wines of Veneto.  You might surprise yourself.

Weekend Wine Picks:  Wines of the Veneto

The 2011 Santa Margarhita Pinot Grigio ($24) is a straw-pale gold coloured wine with a green tinge.  An intense aroma of crisp green apple, pear, peach skin and nectarines is followed by hints of lime, citrus, orange rind and buttery lemon.  The flavour on the palate is crisp lemon with tart green apple, peach pit and anise seed, a soft and well balanced texture with crisp acidity and a mouth-watering finish.

The 2007 Masi ‘Costasera’ Amarone ($53) is made in the traditional style with long, cool 45 day fermentation in large Slavonian oak barrels followed by malolactic fermentation (M/L) in smaller barrels. Aging is done in small oak barrels for two years then bottle aged for 4 months prior to release. A Venetian classic, this wine displays rich, raisiny black cherry, strawberry, blackberry jam qualities with aromas and flavours of licorice, leather, chocolate, cinnamon and vanilla. Perfectly balanced between the alcohol (14.8%), the ripe fruit, acidity and tannin, this wine has the ability to age for another 10-15 years. An outstanding bargain for the price.

Produced in the northeast corner of Italy, in Valpolicella, the 2009 Torre del Falasco Ripasso ($20) is a rich, juicy, and delicious wine, considered by some to be a baby Amarone at a fraction of the cost.  Ripasso means that this is a delicious Valpolicella has been mixed with the pressed Amarone grapes, picking up some of its fragrance and in doing so it carries a small premium over genuine good Valpolicella.  What you get is a bottle of wine that has that magical Amarone fragrance but with a lightness of touch only found in younger wines.  Deep ruby red in colour with a complex nose showing some dried fruit.  Excellent body and texture on the palate with a lingering finish.  Great value in a Ripasso.