Veneto, land of excellence

The sea and Venice, together with the mountains, the Dolomites, Lake Garda, the great rivers from the Piave to the Po, the green, rolling hills and the distant horizons of the plains, the cities of art and the small hamlets, local specialities and a wonder ful food and wine tradition. A treasure trove in the heart of Europe: the Veneto, a rich, fertile land where tradition and modernity live side by side, a region famed well beyond the national boundaries for its expressions in spheres ranging from architecture to wine. For centuries vineyards have covered and embellished the Veneto countryside, producing world-famed quality wines.

A host of successes

Great wines together with countless quality labels that may be lesser known but equal ly praisewor thy. The Veneto wine-making culture is rooted in a two-thousand-year-old tradition. Numerous historic sources confirm that vine cultivation found fertile terrain here back in Roman times, thriving thanks to the range of geomorphologic features characterising the contrasting landscapes of this region.

A diversity expressed in unique microclimates like the one just a few hundred metres from the banks of Lake Garda and in the Valdobbiadene hills, volcanic soils in the Colli Euganei and alluvial soils in the eastern Veneto. The highly varied climatic conditions and landscape are the secret to the surprising variety of wines offered by this Veneto whose long experience of the leading oenological practices has resulted in such unique products as Amarone, Prosecco and Recioto, to mention just a few. Its natural winemaking vocation combined with a consolidated tradition refined over the centuries has earned the Veneto a host of successes and international accolades

On the wine roads

The best way of discovering the vast range of wines offered by the Veneto is to hit the road, travelling off the beaten track and taking your time to enjoy the journey, going from vineyard to vineyard from the foothills to the flat plains. This is because the great Veneto wines reveal all their secrets in their land of origin, which has left traces in their flavour, aroma and personalities. The Wine Roads were created to accompany lovers of fine wines through the countryside and old hamlets, which often gave wines their names, to meet producers, their vineyards and wineries. The Wine Roads of the Veneto include all the main DOC wines, taking visitors into the heart of winemaking estates and providing them with detailed information about local products, food traditions and suggested combinations with local wines. The itinerary also includes tips on places of interest – historical, artistic and natural beauty, on leisure and wellness activities and on just about everything that can make discovering the Veneto even more special.

New charmes and eternal beauty

Colours, delicious smells and flavours: getting to know the Veneto is an experience that will involve all your senses and satisfy a vast array of interests, whether you’re an art-lover or history fan, fond of open-air sports activities in the peace of the countryside or Alpine valleys, seeking the thrill of the big city or the timeless rhythms of certain little hamlets.

Every year the Veneto’s lovely beaches attract millions of tourists keen to discover local specialities and explore the vast variety of outstanding wines and foods on offer. The region’s great cities give visitors the chance to come face to face with world-famed art and architectural treasures, from Venice’s Grand Canal to the Arena of Verona, from the palazzi of Treviso to the churches and basilicas of Padua and Vicenza. An increasing number of tourists are choosing to travel off the beaten track to find out more about a region with a thousand faces that will never stop surprising and fascinating its visitors.

Guardians of quality, lovers of uniqueness

The Veneto’s wine was destined to travel, to spread its fame well beyond the national borders. In the Middle Ages merchant ships weighed down with wine would set sail from Venice for the markets of the Middle East, Asia and Europe. Today fine wines produced in the Veneto travel to winelovers in all five continents and data shows that continuous growth in exports has led to the foreign market accounting for three-quarters of Veneto’s DOC wines. At home in Italy, the Veneto is the leader in the wine production chart, ahead of Apulia and Sicily, accounting for 20 per cent of Italian DOC wines. Its primacy is rooted in tradition and strengthens yearly thanks to a continuous search for quality, from the vineyard to the table. Grapes grow on the vines, age in the cellars in the form of wine until they end their journey in a glass, preferably accompanied by traditional dishes and local products. Winemaking is not just a production process but a journey bound up with a knowledge of the land, the vines, the grapes and their sensory features. The aging process is carefully monitored every step of the way, from the selection of vines and treatments to harvesting. The focus then turns to fermentation techniques, aging or secondary fermentation, followed by bottling. Veneto wines have been an object of trade for at least a thousand years, seeking innovation in response to the constant demands and sudden changes of the markets and to ensure that quality is kept high without losing the ties to the terroir. This ceaseless activity involves farms, cooperatives, wineries, Consorzi di Tutela (the wine protection consortia) and all those who help make wine the starring product of our agri-food system. The outstanding merit of the region’s wine production is its variety, ranging from whites to reds, from spumante wine to “meditation” wines, without forgetting the niche labels sought after by connoisseurs. All our wines evoke the distinctive features, characteristic smells and tastes of their land of origin.

Teamwork with the u.vi.ve. together everything is possible

Ashared strategy for the promotion of the Veneto’s wine heritage, a solid alliance allowing us to approach institutions, consumers and make our name known on all five continents.

Because even people in distant markets now enjoy and appreciate wines from the Veneto. These are the aims of the Unione Consorzi Vini Veneti – U.VI.VE. – set up thirty years ago and involving almost all of the region’s Consorzi di Tutela (wine protection consortia). A far-sighted decision that has produced results over time. The U.VI. VE.’s main role is to represent the Veneto’s DOC wine sector;
through the consortia it coordinates the crucial monitoring and control activities of the production and marketing of Veneto DOC and DOCG wines, also with the aim of combating fraud and abuse affecting designations of origin and consortium brands. This protection ranges from guarantees for traceability to wine-making using traditional methods. Strict controls cover every single step of the entire wine-production chain, from the vineyard to the shop shelf.

U.VI.VE. has, moreover, been appointed to represent all the Veneto’s wine protection consortia in institutional relations with the Region, the Italian Ministry for Agricultural Policy, and EU bodies with regard to the wine-making sector and in particular for the coordination and proposal of amendments and improvements to the complex body of regulations. It keeps member consortia informed about the latest legislative changes and is committed to promoting research in cooperation with other organisations. The U.VI.VE. is also the “ambassador” for Veneto wines in the world and coordinator and organiser, in Italy and abroad, of joint initiatives for the diffusion and promotion of the image of Veneto DOC and D.O.C.G. wines. The Union ensures that the Veneto’s Wine Consortia are present at all the world’s leading wine events. From the leading trade fairs to international promotional campaigns, from themed exhibitions to world-class events, Veneto wines can count upon the U.VI.VE. organisation to reach even the furthest markets. Together everything is possible and teamwork allows even the most ambitious objectives to be reached.