Veneto

Back in the Spring of 2010, I bought a bottle of wine at a wine tasting. It was an expensive bottle of wine for me and was really expensive then since I was unemployed at the time. I was saving it for a special event, although I didn’t know what that was. One day I came home to find my Dad drinking it! (I was living at home between jobs.) The wine was fantastic. Unfortunately, they don’t make too many bottles, and I couldn’t ever find the same brand for sale. The winery is Tenuta Sant’Antonio, which is located about 30 minutes outside of Verona.

Once I decided I was going to Venice and that I was going to drive from Rome, I knew I had to stop at the winery. The wine I had loved is their Scaia Corvina and really wanted to have another bottle. Visiting the winery was my next chance! Their website didn’t indicate whether or not they gave tastings, so I emailed them. They wrote back right away and said they did from 8-12 and 1-5 every day, but Sundays. I told them I would be there around 10 on the day I planned to arrive.

Driving from Verona to the winery was a little difficult as the GPS was unable to find the winery at first, and Google maps did not operate too well in Verona. At one point, the GPS wanted me to drive through someone’s yard on a gravel road. Eventually, I made it. I wasn’t disappointed either. They seemed surprised to see me even though I had emailed in advance, but I didn’t follow-up a few days before and maybe I should have. Once we got it sorted that I wanted a tasting, they were happy to oblige.

I decided to do reds only as that is what I had come for, and I was glad. Tenuta Sant’Antonio has 8 or 9 red wines! Plus a dessert red wine. I had never heard of that! The Corvina was still one of my favorites. The Corvina grape is partially dried before pressing, and I think it is what gives the wine such a smooth flavor. My other favorites from the tasting were the TelosValpolicella and Amarone della Valpolicella Selezione Antonio Castagnedi. The Telos line is sulphate free and was the best sulphate free wine I have had. I bought one Corvina and one Telos Valpolicella. If I remember right the Amarone della Valpolicella was €35, so a bit pricier than I wanted. The Corvina was €8, and the Telos was €11. Both were great over the next few days in Venice. I wish I could have brought them back to Doha.

As I said getting there was tricky. You might print a physical map to take with you. I saw a sign on the side of the road for the winery and followed it. It took me through the village of San Briccio, and there were more signs there, so you could go that way. However, on Google maps it looks like there might be a more direct way. The other thing to note is that after the village of San Briccio, there were no more signs, but the road only goes one way. I basically followed the road until it ran out, and that is where the winery was. Here it is on Google Maps. It is also on top of a hill, but my Fiat 500 made it just fine. If you have more time than I did, make a day of it and visit more wineries in the area as I passed many on my way.

Is there a winery in the Veneto region you would recommend?