Wine has been a part of Lake Garda life for centuries. Its ten wine appellations are dotted around the shore and intertwine with regions like Lombardy, Veneto and Trentino.
The Garda DOC is the largest of the 10 areas, running along the western shores and overlapping with Bardolino, Custoza and Lugana DOCs. It includes the fresh, light rose Chiaretto and its sparkling and Novello versions.
Bardolino
Bardolino is a light red wine that pairs well with many types of food. It has a fruity and tart character with hints of Marasca cherry. It is also a good choice for vegetarian dishes and goes well with meat. Bardolino is a great wine for summer holidays on Lake Garda. The wine is a blend of Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara with up to 15% other grape varieties. The wine has a high acidity and is a refreshing drink.
The Bardolino region is located along the eastern shore of Lake Garda. It has a number of restaurants and cellars that offer excellent wines. A trip to the wineries is a wonderful way to experience the local culture and cuisine. The terroir of the region is shaped by its rocky, morainic soils that resulted from glacial movement and erosion. These unique features help the grapes achieve optimal ripeness in summer and winter. The climate is moderated by the nearby Lake Garda, which has a cooling effect in summer and a warming influence in winter.
Valpolicella
This stunning wine region begins northwest of Verona (home of Romeo and Juliet) and extends in two directions: west to Bardolino and east towards Lake Garda. Its wines are renowned throughout Italy for their freshness and summer-berry flavor, complemented by attractive herbal, pepper, or floral notes. It also offers a wide range of food pairings, and many winemakers open their cellars to visitors.
The rocky terrain and calcareous soil of Valpolicella offer ideal conditions for viticulture, while the cool climate of the region is moderated by Lake Garda in the north and the Lessini Mountains to the south. The Classico zone is surrounded by both natural beauty and old hamlets and farms.
The region produces a variety of wines including Amarone, Valpolicella, Ripasso, and Recioto. Visiting vineyards with an experienced local guide will allow you to taste wines and learn about the production process. You can even stay in a farmhouse and cook Amarone risotto with local chefs!
Custoza
Named after the village of Custoza, this white wine is a perfect summer aperitif with light appetizers, bruschetta, raw vegetables and marinated fish. It also pairs well with shellfish dishes, thanks to its typical highly sought saline note.
It is a wine of the land, where grapes grow in the soft and rounded morainic hills southeast of Lake Garda. The vineyards are located on moraines that were formed during the Pleistocene era, when glaciation covered Lake Benaco.
The DOC production specifications adopted in 1971 allow the use of nine vines, including Garganega, Bianca Fernanda (local Cortese clone) and Trebbianello (local Tai biotype). A producer’s sensitivity and skill in combining these early and late-ripening varieties is what defines this unique style.
Roberta Bricolo, the owner of Agricola Gorgo in Custoza village, produces a range of luscious and fruit-forward wines with an emphasis on sustainability and territorial identity. Sign up to Forbes Passport to receive the latest insider information about the finest destinations and experiences around the world.
Lugana
With its lakeside locale, Lugana has long been a tourist destination for those looking to relax by the water with a glass of wine in hand. But the region also boasts a more nuanced side as an important center for Italian white wines. The winery of Corte Sermana, for example, has been in operation since 2006 and combines advanced winemaking techniques with an appreciation for the vineyard’s ancient roots. “The variety Vitis Silvestris in the area has very ancient origins, as proven by seeds found in pile-dwellings dating back to the Bronze Age,” says president of the Consorzio Tutela Lugana DOC Fabio Zenato.
Lugana’s terroir—its soil, climate and microclimate—give the wine its unique personality. The warm breezes funneled across the lake from the Alps moderate temperatures and act as a climatic cradle for the Turbiana grape. The resulting wine is a refreshing, aromatic white with flavors of citrus, green apple and white stone fruit. More mature Lugana Superiore and Riserva bottlings reveal savory herbs, saline and flinty mineral notes.wein gardasee