![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Veneto_2.jpg\")
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(December 2019) …<\/strong> <\/em>When most people think of Veneto you’re probably thinking of Valpolicella, Ripasso or Amarone all red wines – but would it surprise you that Veneto is about three-quarter white wine? And mostly sparkling at that?<\/p>\n Within the region there are 14 DOCG, 29 DOC and 10 IGP designations. Glera (the grape of Prosecco and formerly called Prosecco) makes up 24% of the grapes planted, while Garganega (also white) comes in second at 14% and Corvina (a red variety) at only 10% … and if you find (and \/ or buy) a bottle with the word “Rive” on it, that wine is from a single vineyard, or Cru, and these wines can be quite simply mind-blowing … I had a chance to taste a number of them while in the region a few years back and I can tell you that Rive Prosecco can stun the palate with its complexity – and still offer up great value.<\/p>\n Higher end Prosecco, or those from the DOCG have the “Valdobbiadene” moniker attached, while Prosecco and Treviso are simply the lower DOC designated wines. <\/p>\n On this day seven wines were tasted: 5 whites (including three bubbles) plus two reds (a simple Rosso and an Amarone) – here are the notes for the wines that impressed.<\/p>\n Andreola NV “Col del Forno” Rive di Refrontolo DOCG Bianca Vigna Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG<\/strong><\/span> Val D’Oca 2018 Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Brut<\/strong><\/span> Cantina di Negrar 2016 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico<\/strong><\/span> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" (December 2019) … When most people think of Veneto you’re probably thinking of Valpolicella, Ripasso or Amarone all red wines – but would it surprise you that Veneto is about three-quarter white wine? And mostly sparkling at that? Within the region there are 14 DOCG, 29 DOC and 10 IGP designations. Glera (the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4863","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-on-the-road-with-the-grape-guy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4863","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4863"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4863\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4863"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4863"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4863"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Val](\"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Veneto_12.jpg\")
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This bubbly made from 100% Glera is a single vineyard Valdobbiadene … lovely notes of pineapple and lime, but I found that this bottle lacked the acidity I was really looking for and instead had a certain creaminess that was also appealing; the long finish also aids in its enjoyment. (*** ½)<\/strong><\/p>\n
Creamy lemon and mac apple with a subtle bitterness on the finish that also contains a bit of floral … it’s a drinkable wine, but far from exciting. (***)<\/strong><\/p>\n
While not the most exciting bubble I’ve ever had, there were some definite high points here – enough to make me want to add a few bottles to my cellar to enjoy on a Friday night: nice lemon, lime, mac apple and subtle floral notes – it’s pretty and quite drinkable with jangly acidity on the finish bringing out lime and lime zest notes. (*** ½+)<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"Massotina\"](\"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Veneto_9.jpg\")
Massotina 2000 Colli di Conegliano Rosso<\/strong><\/span>
A blend of three international varieties: Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with some Marzemino thrown in for good measure – this 19 year old wine was definitely the wine of the day showing great signs of life with earthy and oaky notes plus plum \/ prune, smoke and cedar … the more I read my description the more I realized it does not seem to do this bottle justice – it was just one of those wines you sit and ponder, especially knowing its age and think “that’s beautiful”. (no score, just enjoy)<\/p>\n
The usual red suspects: Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella; it’s fresh and fruit driven with plum and black cherry – hints of vanilla and mocha plus a sweet fruit finish that lingers on with a coffee\/mocha\/latte finish. (****)<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Veneto_11.jpg\")
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