Red meat in Veneto

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

Bertani's Amarone is the reference for the traditional, extremely long-aged style: minimum eight years in large Slavonian oak produces a garrigue-herb and leather-inflected wine of remarkable freshness and longevity, lighter in colour than modern Amarone but strikingly complex.

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

Bertani's Villa Novare is the prestige Amarone from their historic Novare estate, given six years in Slavonian oak producing a wine of extraordinary complexity and longevity; perhaps the most authentically traditional Amarone Riserva-style bottling in the appellation.

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

Campagnola's Amarone della Valpolicella Classico is produced from appassimento-dried Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella grapes from the Classico hills. Two to three years in large Slavonian oak develop the characteristic dried fruit, dark chocolate and tobacco complexity of the DOCG's flagship wine.

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

Guerrieri Rizzardi's Amarone expresses the Classico zone from an estate with over 350 years of Valpolicella history. The extended appassimento (drying) of Corvina and Corvinone grapes concentrates flavour into a wine of great intensity. Three years in Slavonian botti soften the tannins while preserving the dried-fruit character.

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

Raboso Piave is a long-documented native red grape of the Piave river plains in Treviso province (records from the 16th century). Italo Cescon has championed its rehabilitation since the 1960s. High tannin and acid give the wine austerity in youth but long age-worthiness.

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

Fratta is Maculan's Bordeaux-inspired flagship red, one of northeastern Italy's landmark wines. A Cabernet-Merlot blend aged 18 months in new French oak, it rivals top Veneto reds in complexity and ageing potential. Fausto Maculan was among the first producers in the Veneto to vinify Bordeaux varieties at serious quality levels.

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

The flagship of the Montello DOCG, a structured Bordeaux-blend red. Serafini and Vidotto pioneered Bordeaux-variety production on the Montello hills in the 1980s. Il Rosso dell'Abazia is the cornerstone wine of the designation.

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

The 20% Oseleta in Campo dei Gigli adds a peppery, dark-spice dimension to the Corvina-Corvinone dried fruit base; from the Mezzane valley outside the Classico zone, the wine shows an earthier, more structured style than comparable Classico Amarone.

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

A Cabernet-focused red from the volcanic slopes of the Euganean Hills. The Colli Euganei DOC allows Cabernet varieties and Vignalta's version shows the distinctive mineral thread of volcanic soil combined with the classic Cabernet Franc herbal character.

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

Gemola is the flagship red of Vignalta in the Euganean Hills. The volcanic basalt soils give a distinctive mineral thread to this Merlot-Cabernet Franc blend, contrasting with the softer alluvial reds of the plain.

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

Zenato's Classico Amarone incorporates 20% Oseleta adding firm pepper tannin and dark fruit spice to the Corvina-led blend; aged in a combination of large Slavonian and small French oak that bridges traditional and modern styles.

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

The Riserva Sergio Zenato is the estate's memorial bottling to its founder, made only in selected vintages and aged five years in oak; high Oseleta proportion and extended ageing produce Zenato's most structured wine within the range, built for long cellaring.

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.