Veneto wine explained. Soave, Valpolicella and Amarone.

Italy's northeastern powerhouse

The Veneto's vineyards stretch from the foothills of the Dolomites to Lake Garda and beyond the Piave river above Venice. It is one of Italy's biggest producers and home to many DOC and DOCG wines. For years mass production dominated, but most areas have turned back toward quality. Hosts Susie Barrie MW and Andreas Larsson, Best Sommelier of the World 2007, are frank about Pinot Grigio: a few top producers, but oceans of bland wine.

The episode focuses on the still wines around Verona; Prosecco appears in the sparkling wines episode.

Soave and Lugana

East of Verona, Soave is a hilly area known for the native grape Garganega, which gives almond, peach, melon and citrus with fresh acidity and a creamy texture. Look for Soave Classico and Soave Superiore for quality. The oldest style is Recioto di Soave, a sweet wine made from Garganega bunches dried for months, lovely with almond biscuits or blue cheese.

Andreas brings a Soave Classico from Pieropan, made from Garganega with some Trebbiano di Soave and aged on lees in cement. He pairs it with creamy baccalà mantecato, and the saltiness lifts the wine's fruit. Lugana, near Lake Garda, is made from Turbiana, known elsewhere as Verdicchio. Most of its vineyards are actually in Lombardy, and it ranges from basic Lugana to Superiore, Riserva, late-harvest and sparkling versions.

Bardolino and Valpolicella

On the eastern shore of Lake Garda, Bardolino makes light reds and Chiaretto rosé from Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara, with raspberry, sour cherry and spice. Corvina is the superior grape, giving aroma and body. Valpolicella, whose name is often explained as 'valley of many cellars', uses the same grapes plus Corvinone. Its styles are Valpolicella Classico, Superiore, Ripasso, Amarone and Recioto.

Bardolino's vineyards benefit from lake breezes and cool mountain air, and the lake reflects light onto higher slopes. Its wines are light in color and alcohol but not in flavor, and their freshness and salinity make them superb with northern Italian food. Young Valpolicella Classico is known for its sour cherry note, while Superiore must age at least a year.

The hosts compare a Bardolino Superiore and a Valpolicella Classico Superiore side by side to show how more Corvina gives deeper color and darker fruit.

Recioto, Amarone and Ripasso

Recioto della Valpolicella is the father of them all, a sweet red from dried grapes with roots in ancient times. Legend says Amarone was born when a forgotten barrel of Recioto fermented dry, creating a powerful, full-bodied red with dried fruit flavors, firm tannins and high alcohol. Ripasso is made by passing Valpolicella over the leftover skins from Amarone, giving a richer wine that is still lighter than Amarone.

For Recioto, whole bunches are dried in wooden boxes in airy rooms for a few months, then fermented until the desired sweetness is reached and aged at least two years in oak. These wines can be cellared for decades. Amarone follows almost the same process but is fermented dry, which is why it often reaches very high alcohol. Because dried grapes give so little juice, these wines are never cheap, and they are best saved for slow sipping or for the cheese course.

The experiment: appassimento in fast motion

Drying grapes, or appassimento, normally takes three to four months, and grapes lose about 30% of their water. Susie uses a food dehydrator to show the stages in days, and the hosts taste how sugar, acidity and flavor concentrate, which also explains why these wines cost more.

Two blind tastings follow, one white and one red, with a cheese board of Parmigiano and truffle Pecorino. Andreas also shares his ideal Verona dinner. The episode helps you prepare for WSET Level 3, with grapes, appellations and winemaking explained.