Chiaretto di Bardolino D.O.C.

Lake Garda belonged to Gallia Cisalpina in Roman times and it was the Gauls who developed viticulture with the use of the press, not including the maceration of skins, therefore the resulting wine was rose. In 1800 Pompeo Molmenti, Venetian senator, lawyer and writer, started promoting this kind of wine which was also produced in the lands he owned in Lake Garda. It is only in the 1806 edition of "Vocabolario della Lingua Italiana" of Accademia della Crusca that we find for the first time the term Chiaretto as a reference to the Veronese territory. Today, the approval of the new production disciplinary has renamed Bardolino Chiaretto DOC as Chiaretto di Bardolino DOC, thus obtaining its own Denomination of Origin, distinct from Bardolino DOC’s one, even though it is a variant of it. Thus, Chiaretto di Bardolino DOC becomes the most important rose wine in Italy with a production of about 10 million bottles per year. The production area of this wine includes 16 municipalities between the Morainic hills and the eastern shore of Lake Garda. We find, therefore, variable soils, gravelly, rich in rocks and deep, and a climatic situation influenced by Lake Garda and Mount Baldo, which ensure a constant air flow and adequate temperatures for its vineyards: Corvina Veronese, Rondinella and Molinara. The harvesting of Chiaretto di Bardolino DOC grapes begins at the end of September and at the beginning of October. After that, maceration on skins is done for about 12 hours. At a controlled temperature the must is fermented and once it becomes wine, it will be aged in steel barrels for about 4 months. From this process we obtain a very fresh and drinkable rose wine, balanced with fruity notes such as grapefruit. We suggest to match it with appetizers, cold cuts, fish and light main courses. Excellent also as aperitif.