The eternal tragic love story of Romeo and Juliette took place in Verona, the city of magic and enchanting bridges. Did Romeo and Juliette toast Amarone or Recioto when they secretly promised to love each other eternally? Did Juliette prefer a delicate white wine from Soave? Unfortunately, the walls of Juliette's house in Verona are covered with love promises and romantic wishes of thousands of visitors, yet the famous balcony in Juliette's house does not share its secrets and the stones remain silent. Verona is the capital of Valpolicella, the "valley of many cellars" one of the most prestigious and ancient Italian wine-producing regions of Veneto. The green vineyards stretching on the soft hills, the lively villages on the coast of the beautiful Lago di Garda are always so inviting. Welcome to Valpolicella!

 

Location & Weather

Valpolicella is located northwest of the elegant Roman town of Verona (in the western corner of the Veneto region), next to the beautiful Lake Garda, bordering with the Alps climbing upwards more than 1,300 feet above sea level, and with the Adige River in the south.

 

The Alps to the north and sloping valleys to the south, partially sheltering the region against the intensity of the Mediterranean summer and cold northern winds in winter. Together they create the micro-climate critical to the success of Valpolicella wines.

 

The shielding Alps are not the only gifts of nature to Valpolicella. The soils are calcareous, limestone and clay, rich with minerals and all nutrients that nourish the vines and allow them to grow and develop.

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Pergola & Guyot Method

Due to the special topography, the warm sun rays, the moderate winters and hot summers, it is important to shield the grapes from the sun. Traditionally, the vines were trained to grow in the “Pergola” method, with the leaves protecting the grapes from the sun. Later, growers transitioned to the Guyot training approach popular in Europe, and applied a mixed pruning technique, leaving canes and spurs for following years.

 

Recent researches show that the shady Pergola-training system means that grapes can be up to 20 degrees Celsius cooler than the same berries grown using the Guyot approach. As a result, the producers are returning to the traditional “Pergola” system. A temperature difference of 20 degrees Celsius is critical in the warmer hillside Valpolicella vineyards, especially as global warming means warmer and dryer seasons.

 

Grapes & Wines

The 4 grapes, wine styles, commercial vineyard farms, boutique wineries, the wines. mention soave and prosecco. Amarone, which are used to produce bunches for drying on racks to create concentrated Amarone wines.

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Valpolicella is in the western part of the Veneto wine region and mostly red wines. On the white side, Veneto has more wine treasures to offer, like the Soave wines (just south of Valpolicella) and the Prosecco wines closer to the area of Venezia, both fresh, mineral and acidic, a pleasure to drink during spring and summer times.

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