The Veneto Cellar Route - Global Wine Tourism

A trip to Veneto to go behind the scenes at the Bardolino Grape and Wine Festival, which has been running for nearly a century. On the agenda: wine, Italian winemakers, and winery tours. Sounds like a great plan!

The Bardolino Grape and Wine Festival

The last weekend of September marks the end of the Italian grape harvest! This time of year is celebrated throughout Italy with food festivals (sagre, in Italian) and wine festivals featuring tastings, food stands, and entertainment. Each region celebrates in its own way. In Veneto, the flagship event is the Bardolino Grape and Wine Festival, held on Lake Garda in the province of Verona. Organized for the past 86 years, it is entirely dedicated to the finest wines, which have their roots in the rural culture of the lake region.

After enjoying the 26 food and wine stands, I decided to visit my first winery to learn more about how these sweet Venetian wines are made.

So I head to the Euganean Hills Park—specifically to the town of Vo’. There I meet Leondino, the son and grandson of a winegrower. Even though he’s been working ever since he was old enough to carry his first baskets of grapes, his eyes still light up when he talks about it: “I learned how to make wine in the school of life,” he tells me. After touring his estate—spiced with mutual questions like “When is harvest time in your country?”—he invites me to visit the attic of a building constructed by his ancestors. I was amazed to discover thousands of bunches of grapes drying on nets suspended from the attic ceiling. He explained that these grapes would become his finest wine, modestly named “Noir,” which he had me taste right away.

Wine tasting is at the heart of Venetian culture. But in a region where quantity takes precedence over quality, the wine bar is a must-visit for wine lovers.

“Let’s go have a drink in the shade”

According to legend, traveling wine merchants used to move around based on the shade cast by the bell tower in St. Mark’s Square in Venice to keep the wine at room temperature. Thus, Venetians speak of going to “have a drink in the shade” when they visit a wine bar. The “Enoteca Severino” in Padua is known worldwide for this tradition and is said to be the oldest of its kind. According to its current owner, “a budding love for a wine depends on the connection you can make with the person offering it to you.” While a visit to a winery is an excellent way to discover a wine, a wine bar offers a more objective perspective than a producer raving about their own product.

In my next post: wine from volcanic regions and philosophy. Grappa—did you say Grappa?