Veneto is the most important wine region of north east Italy. It stretches west to Lake Garda and north to the alps. The hills of Valpolicella lie in the foothills of the Lessini Mountains and merge with Soave to the east towards Venice. There is now a strong band of producers who are producing top quality wines in these appellations, far removed from the thin insipid offerings found on the lower reaches of restaurant lists and in the supermarkets. From the shores of Lake Garda there are a few producers making elegant, concentrated Lugana wines.
Tasting notes: The Palazzo is a Ripasso-style wine from Corvina and Rondinella, but enriched with dried grapes, rather than Amarone lees. Densely packed on the nose, with currants, flowers, mineral and oak. Medium- to full-bodied, with spicy dried fruit flavours, firm tannins and a long, minerally finish.
