Veneto is located in northeastern Italy, at the top of the Adriatic Sea. Its capital and largest city is Venice (Venezia), although Verona is nearly as large. Tourists come to Veneto primarily to visit the fabled city of Venice and Romeo and Juliet’s balcony in Verona, but the region has a wealth of other gems as well, including Padua (Padova), Vicenza, the Dolomite Alps, and Lake Garda. In the wine world, Veneto is best known for red Valpolicella (including Amarone), white Soave, and sparkling Prosecco. It has the second most DOCGs (14), along with 29 DOCs (see map on this page) and 10 IGPs. Veneto is the most prolific Italian wine region, its 97,500 ha (240,800 acres) of vineyards producing 11.9 million hl (132 million cases) of wine in 2022, enough to rank seventh in the world if Veneto were listed separately. Some 81% of Veneto’s production is white wine, thanks mainly to Prosecco and Delle Venezie, with 78% at the DOP level. The region’s primary grape varieties are Glera, Garganega, Merlot, Corvina, and Pinot Grigio.
