Verona Wines at Vinitaly: Custoza, Bardolino, and Quality Innovation
Passerella, today at Vinitaly in Verona, showcasing wines from the Veronese shore of Lake Garda. In the morning, it will be the turn of Custoza, and in the afternoon, Bardolino. The event begins at 11 a.m. with «Superiore» and «Passito» — two different ways to enjoy Custoza.
Their production regulations were approved by the National Committee on March 21, meaning these wines will be available starting from the next harvest. This morning’s taste is a preview: the blend includes the traditional white and sparkling wine varieties: Trebbiano Toscano (20% to 40%), Garganega (20% to 40%), Trebbianello (5% to 30%), Fernanda, Malvasia, Riesling Italico, Pinot Bianco, and Chardonnay, either individually or combined in a percentage ranging from 20% to 30%.
Description of the “Superiore”
The «Superiore» represents an additional step forward by producers towards excellence in quality. The regulations specify stricter vineyard selection, with a maximum of 12 tons per hectare—20% less than the allowed amount for standard Custoza white. The maturation period is at least five months.
The “Passito” and traditional methods
The «Passito» revives and enhances a traditional practice. The permitted yield is 5 tons per hectare, which must result from careful selection. The grapes are then dried on racks. The wine is released for consumption no earlier than September 1 of the year following the harvest.
Conference on «Superiore DOCG»
At 3 p.m., a conference organized by the Consorzio di Tutela del Bardolino will address the «Superiore DOCG» (Denomination of Controlled and Guaranteed Origin). Speakers include Marco Zaninelli, extraordinary commissioner of the Lake Tourism Promotion Agency (discussing «Quality of tourism linked to wine quality»), Claudio Valente (Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Agriculture), Fabio Poggi (president of Associazione Strade del Vino e dell’Olio), Giuseppe Degli Albertini (president of Consorzio), and Dominique Delteil, a French expert (responsible for scientific matters at Institut Cooperative du Vin in Montpellier).
Bardolino, with 220,000 hectoliters produced, has become one of Italy’s most important DOC wines. Three years ago, several producers (Cavalchina and Gorgo di Custoza, Colle dei Cipressi of Calmasino, Giorgio Poggi of Affi, Le Fraghe of Cavaion, Villa Medici of Sommacampagna, GIV of Pastrengo, Costadoro, Guerrieri Rizzardi, Valleselle, and Fratelli Zeni of Bardolino) agreed to implement a pilot project: in collaboration with ICV of Montpellier, under the guidance of engineer Jacques Rousseau and Delteil, they chose “Corvina” and “Rondinella” varieties that are less productive but capable of higher sugar concentration.
