Wine tours of Italy. We will examine each of Italy's twenty wine-producing regions and present specific suggestions for wine touring. We name travel agencies that sell wine tours of that region. Even better, we name wineries that offer tours and sometimes agrotourism, the Italian version of a rural bed and breakfast. Reading these articles may save you piles of money, money that you can invest in Italian vacations, Italian wine vacations.
So you have decided to go tour Veneto and taste its wines. You might be familiar with the famous, sinking city of Venice and perhaps the other great attractions of this beautiful part of northeastern Italy. Interestingly enough, the area surrounding Venice produces little wine. So your wine tours will take you to other parts of this region. You've heard about its cities including the Shakespearean city of Verona, the University city of Padua, and Vicenza, home to some great architecture by Palladio that inspired Thomas Jefferson and can been seen in half the American state capitol buildings. The Vicenza area is home to Maculan, a producer of many fine wines including the dessert wine Torcolato, an Italian word for twisted.
Veneto has traditionally been a high volume wine producer. But Veneto produces a huge amount of fair to middling wine. It's home to the largest Italian wine producer, Gruppo Italiano Vini, but you have to read Italian to access their website. Mass-produced Veneto wines include Soave, Valpollicella, and the sparkling Prosecco. Some of the best versions are available locally.
Veneto produces a lot of wine from international grape varieties such as Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc. Widely known local grapes include the white Gargena the main grape in Soave, the white Prosecco in sparkling wines of that name, and the red Corvina the main grape in Valpolicella and Amarone. Be sure to try wines from the relatively unknown white Vespaiola found often found in the Breganze DOC and the red Raboso grape. Look for Breganze DOC wines whether red or white.
Companies selling Veneto wine tours include Select Italy, Prime Italy, Wine Tours Italia, and Alabaster and Clark Wine Tours Worldwide. Veneto wineries that offer visits include Allegrini in Fumane, Bertani in Negrar, and Pieropan in Soave. A few words of warning are in order. Make sure that you check ahead of time for opening hours and whether English is spoken. Some places may charge admission; others may expect you to buy some of their products.
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Levi Reiss wrote or co-authored ten computer and Internet books, but would rather drink fine French, German, or other wine, accompanied by the right foods. He teaches classes in computers at an Ontario French-language community college. Visit his new wine, diet, health, and nutrition website
www.wineinyourdiet.com and his Italian travel website
www.travelitalytravel.com.
