The Italy Wine Project

Regions / Multi-region

DOCStill huntingModerate

Garda (Veneto / Lombardy) DOC

An umbrella DOC wrapped around the lake, overlapping Bardolino, Custoza, Lugana and Valtènesi, and used mainly for varietal wines that don't fit those tighter rules: Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Sauvignon and, most interestingly, Corvina bottled on its own. The lake moderates the climate, so the whites are fresh and lemony with a light body and the reds are pale, bright and cherry-scented. Cavalchina, Zeni, Monte del Frà and Corte Gardoni bottle Garda DOC alongside their Custoza and Bardolino. Think of it as the local IGT with a nicer name.

Still hunting

I'm still looking for a bottle of this.

If you make Garda (Veneto / Lombardy), import it, or know who does, the form takes two minutes and I reply to every one.

Can you help me get one?

Bottles I'm chasing

ProducerWinePriceBuy
Zeni
Garda Pinot Grigio
Bardolino house with wide US distribution; crisp, pear and lemon, a cut above delle Venezie.
$12 to $15Wine-Searcher
Cavalchina
Garda Corvina
Pure Corvina, unoaked, pale and juicy with sour cherry and pepper; the most distinctive thing in the DOC.
$15 to $20Wine-Searcher
Monte del Frà
Garda Pinot Grigio
From the Custoza specialist, clean and mineral, on Wine.com in some vintages.
$12 to $15Wine-Searcher