The Veneto wine region is located in the north-eastern part of Italy between Milan and Venice. Its geography includes the foothills of the Alps to the north, Lake Garda to the immediate west and the Adriatic Sea to the east. While it is smaller than the wine-producing regions of Piedmont, Tuscany, Lombardy, Puglia and Sicily, it produces more wine than any of them.

The region of Veneto is known for Pinot Grigio and Prosecco. But other wines from the region include Valpolicella, Amarone, Soave and Bardolino. Geographically, Veneto is split into three primary areas — Bardolino, Valpolicella and Soave.

Bardolino is a cooler climate that is influenced by the Alps. It produces fresh, crisp white wines under the Bianco di Custoza and Garda titles. Bardolino is best known for its light red wines that are a blend of Corvina, Rondinella and up to 20 percent Molinara.

Just east of Lake Garda and north of Verona is Valpolicella. It is second only to Chianti in its wine production. There are four key styles of wine produced here - Valpolicella, Valpolicella Ripasso, Amarone della Valpolicella and Recioto della Valpolicella. All are made with Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella and Molinara grapes with each using its own unique wine-making technique.

To the east of Valpolicella is Soave, home to the dry white ‘Soave’ wines that are among Italy's most famous.

Next time we’ll dive a bit deeper into the various styles of Valpolicella. Until then, Salute!