Lago di Garda – Lake Garda and its wines the area around Lake Garda was first settled in the bronze age. 200 BC, is the Lake by the Romans conquered and part of the Roman province of Gallia Cisalpina. Numerous villas and baths are built mainly on the southern shore of the Lake and is given the name of Lacus Benacus Lake Garda “.” With the fall of the Roman Empire, the Lombards first accept the supremacy, later the Frankish King Karl the great. Verona will prevail across the Lake to a major city than the Scaliger. Many castles along the coast which attract visitors today, date from this period.
Lake Garda today share the adjacent regions of Lombardy, Veneto and Trentino. He is one of the most beautiful natural regions in Europe with a mild climate, lush Mediterranean vegetation and picturesque villages against an imposing mountain landscape and gentle hills. With 52 km in length, a depth of up to 346 metres and a length of about 370 km, it is the largest lake in Italy. The Northern part of Lake Garda is very different from the South. The North of the Lake is wedged between steep mountain slopes and a constant wind is blowing it. The eastern shore of the Lake is dominated by the 2079 meter high mountain ridge of Monte Baldo. The southern area of Lake Garda boasts its rolling hills with vineyards and olive groves, as well as the wide Lakefront with easily accessible swimming beaches. Here there are stately villas, surrounded by cypress trees, bougainvillea, oleander and palm trees.
Numerous vineyards stretch around Lake Garda. The best known are located in the hinterland of the town of Bardolino. Here, it produced the famous eponymous red wine, the Bardolino, which consists mainly of the corvina grape and shares of Rondinella, Molinara and Negrara. His wine-growing area ranging Mincio from Torri del Benaco in the North and Vallegio sul in the South on the river Adige. The equally famous Valpolicella area starts East of the river Adige. The Valpolicella is made from the same grape varieties as the Bardolino, has more color and Body, but otherwise the same characteristics. The Valpolicella area provides a very rich, heavy, dry wine, which is made from the same grapes as Valpolicella, Amarone. The grapes are cleaned, placed on wooden racks in well-ventilated areas to dry and made after 7 weeks. Through further fermentation, sugar existing in the most is almost completely converted into alcohol and the result is Amarone. Several wines, such as for example the Lugana, a fresh light white wine, which was recognized as one of the first Italian wines as a d.o.c. wine 1967 come from the South shore. He is made from at least 90% Trebbiano grapes originating from the hills between Desenzano and Peschiera. On the Southwest shore of the Lake, the fertile hills of the Valtenesis produce first-class Garda Classico wines: the full-bodied Rosso consists of Groppello -, Marzemino grapes, Sangiovese and Barbera – and is a fruity wine of quality. The traditional Chiaretto is a soft, light Rose wine its fruity Touch gets the short contact of the grape must with the shell. A speciality of the northern region of Lake Garda is the Nosiola, which is made from the same grape variety from the Sacratal and is a dry, spicy and slightly tart white wine. You might discover a wine you drank during your last trip to Lake Garda. Alla salute!