The excellence of the Valpantena
A wholesome way of life and a community capable of creating culinary and artisanal masterpieces of immeasurable value.
To brighten up your visit, you will find the finest wine, olive oil and top-class cuisine of this valley.
Wine
Part of the Valpolicella production area, one of Italy's most prized regions for its vineyards, Valpantena is a long-standing land of oenological tradition. A land with unique characteristics, with a Mediterranean microclimate tempered by the cool breezes that descend from the Lessini Mountains and a marly, calcareous soil that produces a large number of DOC and DOCG wines: bold "reds" such as Amarone, Valpolicella Superiore, Ripasso and Recioto, but also fresh, delicate "whites" such as Garganega and Lugana.
Oil
Cherry trees, vineyards, cypresses and large wooded areas intersperse the hilly area with olive trees, mainly of the Grignano, Favarol, Frantoio and Leccino varieties, which have been grown in Valpantena since Roman times.
The chalky soil, prone to alkaline, rich in potassium, and the Mediterranean microclimate produce olives, the stars of the extra virgin olive oil, grown in the traditional way, harvested by hand at the right level of ripeness and processed by mechanical pressing.
This yields "Veneto Valpolicella PDO" organic and extra virgin olive oils of the highest quality, with very low acidity, a yellow colour with a light green hue, a slightly fruity aroma with distinct notes of freshness and intensity, and a harmonious flavour.
Cheese
As in neighbouring Lessinia, milk has always been processed in Valpantena, and the Baito di Bellori is testimony to this ancient tradition.
A PDO area of the famous "Monte Veronese" made from whole or farmed milk, the valley's dairy heritage also produces other cheeses, excellent fresh and seasoned caciotta, fresh and smoked ricotta, butter and white yoghurt, or with fruit from the valley's famous cherry or blackberry crops, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and hazelnuts.
