The most popular grape variety in the Veneto wine region is white Garganega, which is the predominant grape for Soave and Gambellara wines. This wine is one of the most popular white wines from
Veneto region. It produces fragrant white wines with a fine lemon and almond flavour making it one of the most renowned Italian whites. The Soave must be at least 70% from the Garganega grape pressed and stored for at least eight months if he wants to get the coveted designation
Classico. In Veneto, two different wine areas are clearly distinguishable: an eastern part, close to the
Venetian Lagoon between the hills of
Treviso, the plain of
Piave river and Adriatic coast, where it is typical to produce the famous
Prosecco (Glera), and other varieties are grown like
Merlot,
Carménère,
Verduzzo,
Raboso Piave,
Refosco,
Tocai,
Verdiso,
Marzemino; and the western part, close to
Lake Garda and the city of
Verona, famous for the wines based on the varieties
Corvina,
Rondinella,
Garganega,
Trebbiano of Soave, and
Oseleta. In the central part of Veneto the winemaking transitions between the varieties and styles of the Eastern and Western parts. In that area you can find the Colli Euganei, the hills close to
Padua, that is a special Mediterranean microclimatic zone; it is even famous for the
Moscato fior d'arancio production, a sparkling dessert wine. Another area in the northcenter of Veneto, close to
Asiago, is Breganze, where the dessert wine
Torcolato is produced with the
Vespaiola grape. The traditional vine training system of the eastern part is the Sylvoz system, today replaced by the
Guyot system, while in the western part there is more traditionally the Pergola system. Veneto's growers use modern growing methods and systems in the vineyard and for wine making. While most of the 'classic' wines from this area are based on native grape varieties, like
Glera (formerly known as Prosecco) and
Verduzzo, high demand for Veneto wines in the European and US markets has galvanized the region's producers into experimentation with
Cabernets,
Chardonnay and
Pinot varieties, among others. One of Italy's leading wine schools,
Conegliano, is based here and the nation's most important wine fair,
Vinitaly, takes place each spring in Verona. Veneto is the 8th largest region of Italy in land mass, and a population of 4,371,000 ranks it 6th in that regard. It has over of vineyards, of which 35,400 are acclaimed DOC. Annual production totals 8,500,000 hectolitres, 1,700,000 or 21% of which is DOC, making it the biggest DOC producer in Italy. White wine accounts for 55% of the DOC production in Veneto. ==Gallery==