The Italy Wine Project

Regions / Veneto

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Bardolino DOC

Valpolicella's lighter neighbor on the lake, made from the same grapes on glacial gravel and drunk young and cool. Pale ruby, low tannin, with sour cherry, raspberry, white pepper and a snap of acidity; it's closer to a cru Beaujolais than to anything else in the Veneto. Chiaretto, the pale pink version, is the zone's biggest success and one of Italy's best rosati: strawberry, citrus and a saline finish. Since 2018 three subzones (Montebaldo, La Rocca, Sommacampagna) can appear on labels.

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Bottles I'm chasing

ProducerWinePriceBuy
Guerrieri Rizzardi
Bardolino Classico Tacchetto
The estate's basic Bardolino from a single site, sour cherry and pepper, serve slightly chilled.
$14 to $18Wine-Searcher
Le Fraghe
Bardolino Chiaretto Ròdon
Matilde Poggi's organic rosato, pale, dry and saline with strawberry and grapefruit; a critics' favorite.
$16 to $20Wine-Searcher
Zeni
Bardolino Classico
Reliable, widely distributed and cheap; cranberry and cherry with soft tannin.
$12 to $15Wine-Searcher