Hello guys,
Long time no see. Over the past weeks, I have been traveling Northern Italy, visiting wineries for our honeymoon. And guess what? It was an adventure!
Sometimes, when it comes to honeymoon trips, I see many pictures of couples traveling to the beach, on safaris, going to Asia and Africa, or as far as possible to enjoy a different experience. Nothing wrong with that, but as a wine lover, visiting wineries in Italy was probably the perfect holiday we could have.
So let's begin. We arrived in Verona and stayed over a night; Verona, the capital of Veneto, is the largest wine-producing region in Italy. 25% of the wine produced in the country comes from Veneto, the largest DOC/G producer by volume. 50% of its production comes from a DOC/G, meaning that more than half of its output follows by law the strictest regulations, or at least it's produced in the classical areas.
We rented a car, and we headed to the region of Soave. It was a 40-minute drive because we put the name of the street on the navigator instead of the place's name; the funny fact is that in Italy, some roads have the same name in the same region. Important to double-check!
Our first winery was Pieropan, one of the region's most classical and ancient wineries that has been refurbished into a stunning architectonical structure in the middle of the vineyards with sustainable materials.
Pieropan's history dates back to the 1880s, when Leonildo Pieropan, a talented doctor of the region, started the winery for passion and later inherited it over to his sons.
Nowadays, the fourth generation of the family, Andrea, Dario, and Teresita Pieropan, Leonildo's wife, are still running the business producing over 650,000 bottles a year.
The area of Soave is known for the production of white wines. The grape Garganega plays a significant role in producing these wines. Garganega is one of the oldest grape varieties in Italy. Studies have proved it has the same DNA as a Grecanico Dorato from Sicily.
This grape variety is famous for its thick skin and late-ripening characteristic, adapting incredibly well to the growing environment of the region. At Pieropan, different styles of wines are produced from Garganega, coming from diverse plots of land. In 1971 vineyard of "Calvarino" was planted, followed by the vineyard of La "Rocca" in 1978.
Both vineyards' gave birth to two white wines with unique characteristics and two very different styles of wine; due to the different types of soils and wine-making techniques utilized.
Calvarino is a blend of 70% Garganega and 30% Trebbiano di Soave fermented at low temperatures in glassed-lined cemented tanks, matured for 12 to 15 months. It results in a fresh, elegant, flowery wine with hints of lemon and cherry.
On the other hand, La Rocca, made 100% from Garganega, develops its complexity from the 15 months ageing in tonneaux and the time spent in the bottle before being released. It is resulting an outstanding complex wine, mineral, elegant and persistent with notes of nuts and incredible creaminess.
During this tasting, we were lucky as well to try the sweet Recioto di Soave "Le Colombare" vinified from semi-dried grapes of Garganega.
However, this story doesn't end only with white wines. Efforts are currently made for producing red wines, creating Amarone Vigna Garzon, a classical Amarone della Valpolicella made from Corvina grapes using the appassimento method, generating an intense and powerful wine, very refined and elegant.
After a degustation and a tour around the winery, we finished our first day of visits. Both of us were happy and excited about doing this visit.
It was mind-blowing to witness the winery's efforts in the vineyards and the winery; because it has the most innovative technologies to combine excellence and tradition.
We were impressed by the quality of the tour, the personalized attention, and the connection we had with the winery.
We didn't feel like tourists at all. We felt like explorers discovering the origins of a winery that has brought the region to a higher level.
We realized that wine tastings, as a honeymoon trip, were a great way to create a beautiful experience.
We spotted that senses in a tasting are genuinely awake. So every time we taste those wines ever again, our minds will come back to the memories we created in our little wineymoon.
Cheers to the Veneto and to the wine adventures. I'll keep you updated with more wine stories.
Wine hugs, Eli
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