Menu
Menu
Bardolino DOC is a light red ruby wine with a medium body and an easy-drinking style. It is made on the eastern shores of Lake Garda, in the Veneto region of north-eastern Italy.
The climate and the morphological features of the region allowed the plantation of vines since the Bronze Age. In fact, numerous findings have been discovered from the Roman period, such as chalices and other vessels that testify to the production of wine in the area.
However, only in the nineteenth century, the local wine was officially registered as “Bardolino”. In 1968 it obtained the DOC label (Controlled Designation of Origin), and the production area was defined. A year later, in 1969, local producers founded the Protection Consortium in order to guarantee compliance with the productive process, the features and specificities of the Bardolino wine. Wines made in the original, traditional vineyard areas are designated as Classico. The slightly more robust, stronger Bardolino Superiore wines were granted independent DOCG status in 2001.
Today the Bardolino is renowned and appreciated worldwide; most of the bottles are exported abroad, particularly to Germany, the UK, Austria, France, Denmark, Switzerland, the USA, Canada and Japan.
The Bardolino wine area is located in the Veneto region on the shores of Italy’s biggest lake: Lake Garda. The Garda basin was shaped by glaciers, making the soil very diversified. The area includes the communes of Garda, Bardolino, Affi, Cavaion Veronese, Pastrengo, Lazise and Castelnuovo del Garda, and part of those of Torri del Benaco, Costermano sul Garda, Caprino Veronese, Rivoli Veronese, Bussolengo, Sona, Peschiera del Garda, Sommacampagna and Valeggio sul Mincio.
The morainic landscape in the central/southern sector of the region is characterized by a dense series of elongated hills, with modest differences in altitude, occasionally separated by small, narrow valleys or gravelly plains. The undulations become more significant in the northern sector, in which one also finds very sizable rocky outcrops, such as the Rocca di Garda and Mount Moscal.
Since the moraine hills originated from glacial erosion, they have different kinds of soil (sandy, rocky, clayey). This unpredictability makes the Bardolino wine unique, together with the use of native grape varieties and the mild climate.
Bardolino DOC wine is made from a blend of Corvina and Rondinella. The Corvina variety constitutes 35–65 percent of any Bardolino or Bardolino Classico wine, contributing structure, weight and a sour cherry aroma. Rondinella, a native variety from Verona, is responsible for the wine’s characteristic and appealingly fresh, herby flavour. A component of up to 20 percent of Corvinara and Molinara is also permitted.
The blend of grapes used to produce the wine includes Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara. Up to 15% of the blend may include Rossignola, Barbera, Sangiovese and/or Garganega.
The Bardolino DOC and Bardolino Classico DOC are easy to drink with their fruity smell and strawberry, raspberry and cherry scents. More intriguing is its rosè (pink) version called Chiaretto di Bardolino, with a pale pink and scents of citrus and strawberries.
The Bardolino DOC has recently recognized 3 sub-regions, Montebaldo, La Rocca and Sommacampagna -, matured for at least a year and coming from vineyards with lower yields per hectare, Bardolino’s typical aromas take on more elegance: the wines’ colours remain pale, but the complexity of their bouquets becomes accentuated, assuming spicy tones of cinnamon, cloves or black pepper and notes of dried flowers and citrus fruits.
The Bardolino is an extremely versatile wine. It matches all kinds of dishes, from Italian dishes to more exotic ones. For example, it pairs well with pasta dishes such as risotto, ravioli and soups. However, local dishes are always the preferred dish; in this case, lake fishes such as tench, sardines, grilled lavaret and fried fish will make your meal a wonderful experience!
© 2024 The Wineandtravelitaly.com Team All rights reserved.
When was the last time you had dinner in an Italian restaurant in Canada and you thought you were dining in Italy? That’s exactly how “Ospitalità Italiana Certified”restaurants want you to feel when you visit their fine dining establishments.
Ospitalità Italiana is an official certification from Unioncamere, Italy’s federation of local Chambers of Commerce and Industry, that tells you that the food you are enjoying is unquestionably Italian: products are authentic, ingredients genuine and recipes true to the thousand year history of Italian cuisine.
Canada is home to some leading Italian Chefs. Passionate and innovative, many have refined their skills and advanced their knowledge directly in Italy. In addition, Montréal boasts a fabulous cooking school ITHQ where young aspiring chefs learn Italian technic and Italian traditional recipes from the masters.
So the next time you make reservations for an Italian dinner in a Montreal restaurant, ask if they’ve received the Ospitalità Italiana seal of approval. You will enjoy the true Italian taste.
