Pasta with red sauce in Veneto

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold · Elegant

A 100% Corvina IGT aged in French barriques rather than dried: La Poja demonstrates the varietal's structure and ageing potential when treated outside the appassimento framework, producing a powerful, savoury red that rivals Amarone in complexity.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Rustic · Easygoing

A Veronese IGT using partial ripasso over Amarone pomace adding richness to the Corvina-Rondinella blend, while a small Sangiovese component adds acidity. Approachable but complex mid-tier red from Allegrini.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Easygoing · Rustic

Allegrini's estate Classico Superiore reflects the house's high Corvinone proportion (45%) adding floral lift and softer tannin alongside Corvina's cherry-herb character; a bright, food-friendly everyday Valpolicella.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Rustic · Easygoing

Bertani's Ripasso benefits from the estate's traditional Corvina-Rondinella blend and refermentation over dried Amarone skins, producing a mid-weight red with the freshness typical of the traditional house style.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Easygoing · Refreshing

Ca' La Bionda's Classico Superiore reflects the upper Marano valley's mineral character in a lighter-bodied, tart cherry register; crisp, food-friendly and genuinely typical of the traditional Valpolicella style.

Dry · Light-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Easygoing · Rustic

Campagnola's Valpolicella Classico from the estate's hillside vineyards in the historic Classico zone. A traditional expression of the DOC: light in colour and body but with the characteristic Corvina sour cherry and almond character of the Classico hills.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold · Contemplative

Dal Forno's entry into the Valpolicella range already shows the estate's signature intensity: deeply coloured, barrique-aged and concentrated beyond what the DOC classification implies.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Rustic · Savoury

Quintarelli's entry-level Valpolicella is already a lesson in traditional winemaking: high-acid, savoury cherry fruit with dried-herb complexity and three years in large oak adding gentle structure.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · Medium acidity · Easygoing · Rustic

Gorgo's Garda DOC Merlot provides a red wine counterpart to the estate's primary Bianco di Custoza focus. Lake Garda's moderating effect on the climate produces a well-rounded Merlot with soft tannins and ripe fruit.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · Medium acidity · Easygoing · Rustic

The Piave plain Merlot DOC from Italo Cescon is a classic Trevisan everyday red. Merlot on the alluvial Piave soils produces a plum-forward, medium-bodied wine with soft tannins suited to simple food pairings.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Rustic · Easygoing

Begali's Valpolicella Classico Superiore from Ca' Bianca old vines shows the same mineral-iron freshness as the estate's Amarone in a lighter register; a food-friendly expression of traditional San Pietro in Cariano Corvina.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · Medium acidity · Rustic · Easygoing

Campofiorin pioneered the ripasso technique in 1964, passing fresh Valpolicella wine over dried Amarone grape skins to extract colour, richness and complexity. A seminal wine that created an entire style category.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Rustic · Easygoing

The Nicolis estate Classico Superiore offers an honest, traditional Valpolicella from the Villa Girardi hillside; cherry-tobacco character with the freshness typical of a classic-zone Corvina aged gently in large casks.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Easygoing · Rustic

Santa Sofia's Classico Superiore is a reliable, food-friendly, accessible Valpolicella from the historic Pedemonte estate with cherry-tobacco character and good acidity.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Easygoing · Rustic

Phigaia is the accessible second wine from Serafini and Vidotto, allowing the estate to express the Montello terroir at a lower price point. The Cabernet Franc and Merlot blend is lighter, fresher and more immediately enjoyable than Il Rosso dell'Abazia.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Rustic · Easygoing

Speri's La Roverina Classico Superiore with partial ripasso technique; fresh cherry and tobacco character from the traditional large-cask approach, with added concentration from the ripasso step and the estate's characteristic acidity.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Rustic · Easygoing

The Capitel dei Nicalo is Tedeschi's Valpolicella Superiore partially ripassoed over dried skins, offering accessible Corvina cherry fruit with tobacco structure and good food-pairing versatility.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Rustic · Easygoing

Tenuta Sant'Antonio's Ripasso shows the Mezzane valley's characteristic earthiness alongside cherry-tobacco fruit; the small Oseleta addition adds a distinguishing spice note that sets it apart from Classico-zone examples.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Rustic · Easygoing

Tommasi's Ripasso offers the hallmark refermentation complexity over dried Amarone skins in a well-structured, cherry-tobacco dominated medium red that is one of the zone's best-value offerings in the Ripasso DOC.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Rustic · Funky

Valentina Cubi's organic Valpolicella Superiore shows the freshness of high-altitude Fumane fruit with earthy mineral character from organic farming; a genuinely characterful everyday Valpolicella with better-than-average expressiveness.

Dry · Light-bodied · High acidity · Refreshing · Elegant

Opere Trevigiane is Villa Sandi's premium DOCG Brut, positioned between Il Fresco DOC and the Cartizze grand cru. It uses Glera from selected hillside parcels within the Valdobbiadene DOCG zone for a more structured brut expression.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Rustic · Refreshing

Viviani's Classico Superiore from the high Mazzano ridge shows the altitude freshness that characterises all the estate's wines: iron mineral, tart cherry and mountain herbs in a lean, food-loving medium-red.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Rustic · Easygoing

Zenato's Ripassa shows the Oseleta grape's peppery-spice influence even at the mid-tier level: good concentration from refermentation over dried skins with a distinguishing warmth from the native Oseleta component.