The Bardolino wine and its variants, Rosso and Chiaretto, represent one of the excellence of Veronese enology that is recognized worldwide. Follow us on a journey to discover this excellent wine and the events dedicated to the typical food and wine of the area.
Food and wine tours
If you are looking for an itinerary full of flavors, tradition and nature, the Bardolino DOC wine production area is perfect for you! Find out more!
The Bardolino wine route: the itinerary
The Bardolino Wine Road stretches for about 80 kilometers between the shores of Lake Garda and the morainic hills, an itinerary to be experienced in any season to savor the rich food and wine productions among landscape views, castles, and ancient parish churches.
The Bardolino Wine Route has been active since 1984 and represents an itinerary of inestimable artistic and cultural value that crosses a series of historical locations dating back to the Risorgimento, Romanesque churches, castles, and sixteenth-century villas.
From Bardolino, the road reaches the hills of Costermano and then descends to Garda and Torri del Benaco. Returning to Bardolino, move to Cavaion Veronese, Affi, Caprino Veronese and Rivoli Veronese towards the Mount Baldo.
The itinerary to the south leads to Pastrengo, Castelnuovo del Garda and Lazise, from where it continues to Peschiera del Garda and Valeggio sul Mincio, reaching Sommacampagna, Sona and Bussolengo.
Along the way, you can visit the wineries of the Bardolino Doc and enjoy excellent tastings in the numerous cellars that are open to the public.
The characteristics of the Bardolino DOC wine
Bardolino wine is mainly obtained from Corvina Veronese grapes, with additions of Rondinella and possibly other minor vines. It has a bright ruby red color, which tends to garnet with age. It is delicately fruity, with notes of cherry, morello cherry, strawberry, raspberry, black currant, and spices.
The vinous but delicate perfume and the harmonious, subtle and dry flavor, make this wine easily combined with first and second courses of different types.
Of the sixteen municipalities where the production obtains the denomination of controlled origin (DOC), only six boast that of Bardolino Classico DOC, and are those whose traditional wine production is more ancient and rooted: Bardolino, Garda, Lazise, Affi, Costermano and Cavaion Veronese.
Curiosity: Already in 1900 Giovanni Battista Perez described the wines of the districts of Caprino and Bardolino “with a light-red tint; grateful on the palate, not heavy on the stomach. The Experimental Station of Viticulture and Oenology of Conegliano, on the other hand, defines the wine of the “Sona-Custoza” area as “a little more full of color”
Detailed information is available on the official website of the Wine Route: www.bardolino-stradadelvino.it
The wine museum
For wine lovers, an essential stop is the wine museum set up inside the F.lli Zeni winery in the Costabella area of Bardolino.
Built in 1991 by the owner, Gaetano Zeni , the museum offers a fascinating journey to discover the wine culture that goes through all the stages of the supply chain: from the grape harvest to the bottling.
Inside the museum, you can admire a vast private collection of ancient machinery and equipment that testify to the local wine culture.
The exhibition includes ancient plows, grafting systems, wagons used for the transport of grapes, and old trading tools. Noteworthy is the sector dedicated to cooper tools, a once widespread kind of trade.
The Wine Museum can be visited for free, without reservation for both individual visitors and small groups of up to 10 people. Groups of more than 10 people are welcomed only by reservation and accompanied by a guided tour, by contacting the Wine Museum at the official website.
Bardolino grape and wine festival
One of the unmissable events in the area is the traditional and popular Bardolino wine festival which takes place each year the first week of October along the eastern shore of Lake Garda.
5 days of tastings, music and shows to pay homage to one of the symbolic wines of the territory which, on the occasion of the harvest that opens the autumn season, welcomes thousands of tourists, enthusiasts and experts.
The festival offers ample space for local crafts and numerous tastings, with more than 100 different labels attending. In addition to the excellent wine, in Bardolino you can enjoy the best of the region’s traditional cuisine, including fish specialties, risotto, and pasta. All is accompanied by music and entertainment events for all ages.
If you love Lake Garda and you are looking for a food and wine trip full of fun and good food, don’t miss the Grape and Wine Festival in Bardolino.
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