Garda Wine Region

Located on the southeastern shores of Lake Garda, the Garda wine region surrounds the towns of Bardolino, Affi, Cavaion, Costermano, Garda, and Lazise. This wine appellation is Italy's one of most beautiful regions. The regulations for the Garda DOC allow the producers to pick from 18 permitted grape varieties to control the requirements in their vineyard. With its unique wines, beautiful vineyards, and breathtaking views, Garda wine appellation hosts wine lovers from all around the world.

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Garda Wine Region Production Area

The DOC's surface area is roughly equivalent to that of the lake itself. It is divided into several zones, which spread from the lake's edge, where it overlaps with the Bardolino and Bianco di Custoza zones, to the hills 25 kilometers east of Verona, where it meets the vineyards of Soave and Gambellara. The title covers 31 communes between the provinces of Mantua and Brescia in Lombardy and 40 communes in the province of Verona in Veneto.

History of Garda Wine Region

The coast and the inland of Lake Garda have always been an area of wine production with many autochthonous vines, appellations of origin, and wineries that make it an important wine tourism destination.

The presence of vines on the hills of Garda has been demonstrated since the Bronze Age. In the prehistoric sites of Peschiera, Pacengo, Cisano, and Bardolino archaeologists found many grape seeds. Romans produced wine in the rural villas whose remains have been found in many areas of the lake. The production of wine, as well as that olive oil, continued in the Middle Ages, in the monasteries which rose around the lake. Today vineyards and well-kept olive groves characterize the landscape of the hills surrounding the coast.

The Garda DOC was created in 1996, before which time the wines now labeled as Garda were sold under various other local DOC and IGT titles. The better wines from the Lombardy side of the lake were generally sold as Riviera del Garda Bresciano, whereas those from the Veneto side were limited to the Valpolicella, Bardolino, and Soave titles.

Terroir of Grada Wine Appellation

Garda vineyards grow on fertile soil, murrain or marl, with the perfect exposure of the 45th parallel, cooled and dried by the lake breezes. The marl gives depth to the white wines, delivering structure and mineral longevity, maintaining them fresh and enjoyable. One might say it gives the character of the wine and provides a foretaste of the class possible with correct and reasonable aging in the bottle.

There are some places where the murrain soil meets the clear marl, and they give fine, light gravel that produces the best fruits for rosé wines, which are always engaging, luscious, aromatic, and tasty. These are wines with a chronology of centuries on Lake Garda, grapes that are great examples of quality and style, intimately linked to this area, its culture, and its cuisine.

The harmony of such a unique setting also enables it to express the maximum aromatic extension, complex and detailed: the perfect base for exceptional sparkling wines made from local white and red grape varieties. Additional richness comes from the processing of rosé wines according to the sparkling methods. These wines maintain the aroma and identity of the aristocratic terroir of Garda Doc. Garda produces a graceful, and modern wine.

Grape Varieties of Grada Wine Region

The most famous grape variety that is used in the Garda wine region is Chardonnay. Then comes Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet franc, Merlot, Garganega, Corvina, and Pinot Grigio. Generally, the rules of Garda DOC allow the winemakers to pick from 18 legal grape varieties. Possible red grape varieties inlude Groppello, Marzemino, Barbera and Sangiovese. White wines are less common, but they can choose Riesling, Riesling Italico, Pinot Grigio, and Pinot Bianco.

Garda DOC covers 31,100 hectares, 3,340 of which are dedicated to Pinot Grigio (11%). 28 wineries in the region produce this wine, more than half in the Verona area, the rest equally split between Brescia and Mantua. The producers see the potential of this varietal in the DOC area and believe it can be a premium wine.

Food to Pair with Garda DOC

Lesso e Pearà with Garda Wine

Lesso e pearà is a typical Veronese dish that is often prepared for holidays and similar festive events in the region. It consists of boiled meat paired with pearà (lit. peppery) sauce. The sauce is made with broth, beef marrow, butter, bread crumbs, and a hefty amount of pepper.

The choice of meat is selected according to personal preferences, but the dish is most commonly prepared with beef which should be slowly boiled in a traditional terracotta pot for the most authentic experience.

Pastissada de caval (Veronese Horse Meat Stew)

Pastissada de Laval is an ancient horse meat stew that is nowadays a specialty of Veronese cuisine. Due to the long cooking time, this dish is typically served as a second course on important occasions. It consists of horse meat, onions, carrots, cloves, and Valpolicella wine.

The stew is usually flavored with bay leaves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. When served, pastissada de caval is traditionally paired with creamy polenta on the side. It is believed that the invention of this dish can be attributed to Theodoric, king of the Ostrogoths, who fought with Odoacer, king of the Heruli.

After Theodoric’s victory, he let the people use the flesh of killed horses, and since they have been dead on the battlefield for a few days, they started to smell bad, so people started to marinate the meat with generous amounts of wine, vegetables, and onions, and that’s how pastissada de caval was born.

Luccio alla gardesana

This simple fish dish combines cooked pike and an aromatic anchovy-based sauce. The dish hails from Verona and is especially popular in the areas surrounding Lake Garda. The fish is first cooked, typically in a broth flavored with onions, carrots, celery, and herbs.

After they are thoroughly cleaned, pike fillets are served with a dressing that consists of anchovies, garlic, capers, parsley, and olive oil. This traditional dish is usually served with polenta and pairs well with local white wines.

Places to Visit in the Garda Wine Region

Lake Garda

Lake Garda is the largest lake in Italy. It is a famous holiday location in northern Italy, about halfway between Brescia and Verona, and between Venice and Milan on the border of the Dolomites. Glaciers created this alpine territory at the end of the last Ice Age. The lake and its shoreline are divided between the provinces of Verona, Brescia, and Trentino. The name Garda, which the lake has been referred to in records dating to the 8th century, comes from the town of the same name.

Gardaland resort

Gardaland Resort is an entertainment park found in northeastern Italy. Opened on 19 July 1975, the resort contains Gardaland Park, Gardaland Sea-Life, Legoland Waterpark, Gardaland Hotel, Adventure Hotel, and Magic Hotel. It is contiguous to Lake Garda. The entire complex surrounds an area of 445,000 m2, while the music park alone measures 200,000 m2.

In June 2005, Gardaland was ranked fifth in Forbes Magazine's list of the top ten amusement parks in the world, with the best turnover. According to 2011 data is the eighth in Europe by the number of park visitors.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Garda Wine Region