Bardolino Wine Fair Celebrates Garda’s Superiore DOCG Growth
At Bardolino, a weekend dedicated to grapes and red wine. From tomorrow until Sunday, the 72nd edition of the Wine Fair will take place, featuring entertainment, games, music, stalls, and awards for the best wineries.
Some buses will operate connections between Bavaria and Lake Garda to allow German tourists to arrive for tastings. Many of them, in a state of euphoria, typically walk along the lakeside with a glass hanging from their necks.
On Saturday at 11 a.m., the harvest by journalists is scheduled, with cartons of bottles for those wearing the most original costumes. This will be followed by a rustic breakfast and an afternoon visit to some wineries.
Wine celebration and conclusion
On Sunday at 10 p.m., the Festival will conclude with a fireworks display. On this occasion, Bardolino will take the opportunity to celebrate the “Controlled and Guaranteed Denomination of Origin” received last month by the Superiore.
This honors the ecological originality of the Garda environment and its viticultural vocation; the agricultural work of selecting local varieties; the professional attention and rigor in the vineyard and winery; and the ongoing research to preserve and highlight the potential inherent in the grapes.
Wine protection and production zones
This effort is mainly led by the Protection Consortium, established in 1969 and presided over by Count Giuseppe degli Albertini (enologist Giulio Liut is the director). The production zone includes all or part of the territories of 16 municipalities on the eastern shore of the lake: Bardolino, Garda, Lazise, Affi, Costermano, Cavaion, Torri del Benaco, Caprino, Rivoli Veronese, Pastrengo, Bussolengo, Sona, Sommacampagna, Castelnuovo del Garda, Peschiera del Garda, and Valeggio sul Mincio.
The Superiore Docg is produced from the following grape varieties: Corvina veronese 35-65% (including up to 10% Corvinone), Rondinella 10-40%, Molinara, Rossignola, Barbera, Sangiovese, Marzemino, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, either alone or combined, with a maximum of 20%.
It has a ruby red color, tending towards garnet with aging; dry, slightly bitter taste, harmonious, sometimes characterized by a slight wood note; with a minimum alcohol content of 12%. The maximum grape yield must not exceed nine tons per hectare of specialized vineyard.
It is necessary, in this regard, to combine the choice of low-fertility soils, sufficient vine density, and pruning of the vines that leaves an appropriate number of buds. The maximum yield of grapes that can be turned into wine must be less than 70%. The aging period should be at least one year. Bottles with the Docg label will only be available in stores starting from November 1, 2002.
Stocks from 2001, 2000, 1999, and 1998, without official recognition but with the same high-quality characteristics, will be sold until exhausted.
