Wines from the Veneto have been in fashion for a number of years. Be it Prosecco, Amarone, Valpolicella, Ripasso, Recioto di Soave or the most recent success in the United States – Soave – any number of people can list at least five wines from this area in a heartbeat. One of my first wine based vacations in Northern Italy was to Valdobbiadene to taste Prosecco and Cartizze. During the trip we visited beautiful cities in the Veneto among them Vicenza, Asolo, Bassano del Grappa and Treviso. We also followed the wine trails near the town of Oderzo, not too distant from Treviso. When I think about wines from the Veneto, I also think about the wines that are from this area and are made with the indigenous variety Raboso. I don’t think Raboso is imported into the United States yet. It is a more rustic wine, highly tannic and acidic which may not be a perfect match with the current American palate. I suspect we will see it in the not too distant future though.

I am optimistic that much is changing in terms of taste and wine styles in the United States. Ever more attention is being paid to food and the locavore movement has taken hold. I think a corollary of this will be that people will begin associating wine with food and drinking it on a daily basis. As this becomes more of a familiar ritual, people will begin drinking more acidic wines because they generally work better with food.

I haven’t had too many wines from the Colli Berici, a DOC that rises from the plains near the city of Vicenza. When I visited Vicenza, I don’t have any recollections of a memorable food or wine experience because I don’t eat their local delicacies ….Vicentini mangiagatti is a typical comment about their predilections. What I do remember is the splendid Teatro Olimpico by Andrea Palladio. This was his final work. It is was built in 1580 and is apparently the oldest surviving indoor theater in Europe.

The grape varieties in the Colli Berici are a blend of international grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot and Sauvignon as well as indigenous varieties Tocai, Garganega and the rare Tocai Rosso. This wine by Inama Bradisismo 2003 Veneto Rosso IGT was given to me by a “friend” who thinks Americans only drink big, full, round wines with low acidity. He means well and I just wanted a nice glass of wine so I declined to set the record straight about my own personal preferences for wines with enough acidity to balance food. I was pleasantly surprised.

This was indeed a big, juicy, full bodied red wine with dried fruit, meat, oak and spice notes on both the nose and the palate. It is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Carmenere. Carmenere, initially a grape from Bordeaux, has found its true home in Chile where it is used to make some wonderful wines. Carmenere, apparently, also does well on the soils in the Colli Berici. The soil is a clay-lime mix with a layer of red earth, the vines have a southern exposure and a 3500-4000 planting density per hectare. The 14% alcohol made itself felt rather quickly. This was a very easy wine to drink and enjoy and I can see why it would do very well in this market. Inama also makes a single variety Carmenere. I would like to try a bottle of that. I bet it will be noteworthy.