REFONS Rosso Veneto IGT - Marselan and Merlot blend

From the volcanic soils of Soave to the limestone hills of the Berici, a journey between Verona and Vicenza to discover two territories that reveal different yet complementary expressions of Veneto wine.

East of Verona, Soave stretches across the hills that rise from the plain towards the Lessini Mountains. Further east, in the province of Vicenza, the Colli Berici emerge as a distinctive hilly landscape with a strong geological and natural identity. Two different territories, united by an ancient winemaking history and a relationship with the land that still shapes the character of their wines today. Here, the vine is not simply a crop. It is part of the landscape, the history of local families and the identity of the villages. Vine rows, dry-stone walls, rural courtyards, villas, castles and small villages tell the story of an agricultural civilisation built over centuries, in which wine has become one of the most authentic ways of interpreting the territory.

Soave: the land of volcanoes and Garganega

Soave is one of Italy's historic wine regions. Its heart lies in the eastern hills of the province of Verona, around the towns of Soave and Monteforte d'Alpone, where vineyards cover slopes and ridges shaped by an extraordinarily complex geological history. The medieval village of Soave, dominated by its castle and still enclosed within its ancient walls, is the best-known image of this territory. But to truly understand its wines, you need to climb into the hills, following roads that wind through vineyards, contrade and small rural settlements as far as Monteforte d'Alpone.

It is here that one of Soave's most fascinating features emerges: its volcanic origin. Millions of years ago, this part of Veneto was shaped by intense volcanic activity. Basalt, lava rock and tuff still emerge today across many of the eastern hills of the appellation, alternating with areas of limestone. This geological diversity is reflected directly in the wines, creating different expressions even within a short distance of one another.

On these soils, Garganega has found its natural habitat over the centuries. An ancient grape variety deeply rooted in the Veronese territory, Garganega has a remarkable ability to interpret the place where it grows. In the finest hillside vineyards of Soave, it combines ripe fruit, freshness, tension and a savoury, mineral character that becomes increasingly evident with time. Alongside Garganega grows Trebbiano di Soave, a historic presence capable of adding freshness and precision to the wines.

Soave Classico identifies the historic heart of the appellation, on the hills of Soave and Monteforte d'Alpone. It is a landscape shaped over time, where vineyards often grow on steep slopes and human cultivation has followed the natural contours of the hills rather than altering them. Here, altitude, exposure, ventilation and soil composition change from one contrada to another. It is precisely this fragmentation that makes Soave such a remarkably diverse territory: not a single wine, but many interpretations of Garganega and the Veronese hills.

In younger wines, freshness, flowers, fruit and immediacy prevail. In Soave from the finest vineyards and allowed to evolve, time reveals a deeper dimension: notes of herbs, ripe citrus, yellow fruit, stone and mineral nuances come together in wines capable of developing complexity even after several years. Perhaps time itself is one of the best ways to understand great Soave: wines that may appear delicate in their youth can reveal surprising depth and longevity as they evolve.

Colli Berici: stone, sunshine and great red wines

Leaving the Verona area and moving towards Vicenza, the landscape changes. The Colli Berici rise from the Vicenza plain like an island of hills. Their contours are gentler, the climate is generally warmer, and Mediterranean vegetation grows alongside woods, olive groves and vineyards. Venetian villas, small villages and ancient rural courtyards bear witness to a history in which agriculture and culture have shaped the landscape together.

Here too, geology plays a fundamental role in defining the identity of the wines. The Colli Berici are predominantly limestone and sedimentary in origin, formed from ancient seabeds, with traces of volcanic activity in certain areas. Limestone rock, clay and stony soils create particularly favourable conditions for vines, while the exposure of the hills and relatively mild climate allow the grapes to ripen fully and evenly.

If Soave finds its most distinctive voice in Garganega, the Colli Berici show a particular vocation for red wines. The symbolic grape variety is Tai Rosso, historically rooted especially in the area around Barbarano and the southern Berici. It is capable of producing fragrant, spicy and highly drinkable wines, where red fruit is often accompanied by Mediterranean herbs and a delicately savoury character.

Alongside Tai Rosso, the Colli Berici have shown a particular affinity over time with varieties such as Carmenère, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The climate, exposures and limestone-clay soils allow these grapes to achieve full ripeness while maintaining balance, producing wines capable of combining structure, elegance and longevity. Carmenère, long mistaken for Cabernet Franc in local vineyards, has also found one of its most interesting Italian expressions in the Colli Berici.

Two territories, two ways of expressing Veneto

Soave and the Colli Berici are separated by just a few kilometres of plain, yet they reveal two profoundly different expressions of Veneto viticulture. In Soave, Garganega, ancient volcanic soils, altitude and the tension of great white wines dominate. In the Colli Berici, the landscape becomes warmer and more Mediterranean, limestone plays a central role, and it is above all the red wines that find depth and character.

On one side are the hills of Monteforte d'Alpone and Soave, with their contrade and vineyards rooted in ancient volcanic rock. On the other are the hills of Vicenza, where limestone, clay, woods and vineyards overlook the surrounding plain. What unites them is an ancient agricultural culture, built on families, vineyards handed down through generations, observation of the seasons and an intimate knowledge of individual plots.

Today, these territories are experiencing a new chapter. More and more producers are bringing vineyards, biodiversity, soil identity and the distinctive character of individual areas back to the centre of their work, seeking not only quality in their wines but an increasingly precise relationship with the place they come from. Because the deepest value of these territories lies not simply in their ability to produce great wines. It lies in the possibility of recognising, in a glass, the very hill from which that wine comes.

The basalt and Garganega of Soave. The limestone, sunshine and red wines of the Colli Berici. Two landscapes, two identities, two different ways of expressing through wine the extraordinary diversity of Veneto.