Zenato Bardolino DOC 2025, Veneto

Zenato Bardolino DOC comes from the gentle morainic hills on the eastern shore of Lake Garda, where the lake’s mild climate produces bright, easy-going reds. It is made from the classic local trio of Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara. The grapes are destemmed and pressed, then fermented for around ten days in stainless steel before the wine is drawn off the skins with a soft pressing. The aim is freshness and fruit rather than weight or oak.

The colour is a vivid ruby red. On the nose there are red cherries, violets and a hint of almond, typical of the Garda grapes. The palate is dry, light to medium-bodied, harmonious and savoury, with juicy cherry and plum fruit, soft tannins and a clean, refreshing finish. Think of it as the lighter, more playful cousin of Valpolicella.

Bardolino is wonderfully flexible with food. Enjoy it with pizza, pasta with tomato sauces, cured meats, roast chicken, grilled salmon or tuna, or simply as a lunchtime red. It takes well to a light chill, so serve at around 14 to 16°C. Zenato’s Bardolino is made to be enjoyed young and fresh, ideally within two to three years of the vintage.

Zenato’s story begins in 1960 at San Benedetto di Lugana, on the southern shore of Lake Garda, where Sergio Zenato and his wife Carla Prospero set out to show what this corner of the Veneto could do. Today their children, Nadia and Alberto, run the family estate from Peschiera del Garda, farming nearly a hundred hectares of vineyards across Lugana, Valpolicella and Bolgheri. The range is built on two pillars: crisp, characterful Lugana whites from the lakeside clay soils, and rich, generous Valpolicella reds from the chalky hillsides above Verona, crowned by Ripassa and Amarone. Sustainability matters here too, with the family following the Equalitas programme since 2021 and keeping bees on the Costalunga estate in Valpolicella.