Pork in Veneto

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

The Le Fontane (the springs) red from Corte Gardoni is a Garda DOC Cabernet-based blend aged in oak. The Garda DOC permits Bordeaux varieties and the morainic soils of Valeggio sul Mincio give the Cabernet a mineral freshness that distinguishes it from warmer Veneto reds.

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

Soraigo shows what biodynamic Valpolicella Classico tastes like with minimal intervention: earthy, mineral, tart cherry with clay soil expressiveness and a savoury, food-friendly character that makes it a superb natural-wine discovery.

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 · High acidity · Rustic · Savoury

Pojega is the top expression from Guerrieri Rizzardi's Bardolino range, bottled under the Bardolino Superiore DOCG. Oak ageing adds structure and complexity to the base Classico profile. Named for the Pojega wine museum located on the estate.

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 · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Rustic · Bold

Le Salette's estate Amarone Classico, from the high-altitude Fumane vineyards farmed by Monica Scamperle, shows the distinctive freshness and orange-peel note that characterise the estate's high-elevation fruit; a more approachable entry to the Le Salette style than the Pergole Vece.

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

Le Salette's Classico Superiore benefits from the high-altitude Fumane terroir that gives freshness and floral lift to the Corvina base; an elegant, food-friendly expression of the appellation.

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 · 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

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 · 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.