This year's tastings in Veneto have brought great satisfaction, undoubtedly influenced by a series of excellent vintages such as 2021 and 2022, which, although diametrically opposed, have produced wines with refined aromas and great tension and agility in the former case, and intensely fruity, approachable, and immediate wines in the latter.
In the Garda basin, the undeniable quality of the best Bardolino wines is echoed by Chiaretto wines with personality and grit, as well as those from Lessinia, increasingly known for characterful sparkling wines. The UNESCO heritage hills are also not short of showcasing the class of the best Prosecco Superiore wines, increasingly characterized by their salinity rather than residual sugar content. They gain in pleasantness and versatility.
And it is precisely on Bardolino Chiaretto that we focus here, a wine that comes to life on the Veronese shore of Lake Garda, where the climate is rather temperate thanks to the thermal regulation provided by the lake waters. In Bardolino Chiaretto, the main grape variety is corvina veronese, sometimes supported by small percentages of other typical Veronese grapes: corvinone, molinara, and rondinella.
It presents itself with a pale pink colour, with bright reflections, it is a wine focused on freshness and agility, a framework on which the plots given by the different grape varieties and production areas are woven.
The Best Quality-to-Price Ratio Bardolino Chiaretto Wines
Here are the best Bardolino Chiaretto wines among those awarded with Due Bicchieri Rossi, having reached the final during the tastings for the Gambero Rosso Vini d'Italia 2024 guide and which you can purchase for between 10 and 20 euros at wine shops or online.
The 2022 Bardolino Chiaretto from Gorgo is subtle in aromatic expression but has a saline, juicy palate of great pleasantness. The territory that extends south of the Garda basin is made up of soft hills that rise a few tens of meters from the surrounding plain, dotted with vineyards interspersed with wooded areas, orchards, and crops. Here, Roberta Bricolo operates, leading a splendid organic farm with a vineyard platform of 50 hectares, mostly dedicated to the grapes destined for the historic denominations of the area, Custoza for whites and Bardolino for reds.
The 2022 Chiaretto from the Vigne Alte line by Zeni 1879, which we awarded as the rosé wine with the best quality-to-price ratio, is a pale rosé with aromas of small fruits and flowers, characterized by a juicy and pleasant sip. The relationship between viticulture and the Zeni family goes back a long way, but it is with Gaetano "Nino" after World War II that the company made a leap in quality; today, it is his children Elena, Federica, and Fausto who continue the adventure. The vineyard platform covers 25 hectares, but the close collaboration with numerous local growers in the Garda and nearby Valpolicella areas is crucial to ensuring a high-quality standard. In the cellar, a production dedicated to the main Veronese denominations is created.
The 2022 Villa Cordevigo Chiaretto by Vigneti Villabella is very good, a rosé of finesse and succulence. Despite more than half a century having passed, the partnership between the Cristoforetti and Delibori families continues its winemaking journey with the same commitment and enthusiasm that characterized its beginnings in 1971. The beating heart of the company revolves around the Villa Cordevigo estate, a true viticultural and environmental oasis among the morainic folds of Cavaion, where the vineyard platform surrounding the Realis is managed organically and gives life to a wide and refined range of wines.
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