Itinerary details

From the freeway A4 Milan - Venice you will come across the hills of Montecchio Maggiore dominated by two fortresses known as the Castles of Romeo and Juliet.

Montecchio Maggiore is also home of the Cantina Colli Vicentini, and overlooks the Berici hills on one side, and the area of the Lessini mauntains on the other.
The perception is clear, we've reached an area of wine production.There are vineyards both in the hilly area and in the nearby plain.

From Montecchio, heading toward Montebello, take the route of Recioto and Gambellara DOC Wines, Gambellara direction.

The surroundings of the route of Recioto and Gambellara DOC wines belongs to the four municipalities of the province of Vicenza, that are Gambellara, Montebello, Montorso and Zermeghedo. This is an area of about 1000 hectares in which vineyards to produce four different wines are grown: Gambellara Classic Doc, Gambellara Recioto Classico, sparkling wine and Vin Santo Gambellara .

In Gambellara you'll find Zonin Winery, known internationally, which offers guided tours and the Wine Museum.

There are also many more smaller wineries, overlooking the route surrounded by vineyards of Garganega grapes, among which it is worth to mention Angiolino Maule, a very well reputated winemaker in the world of the"natural" wines.
Angiolino Maule supports VinNatur, a movement created to expand the culture of the natural wines.
Our trip continues toward Monteforte d'Alpone, one of the towns of Soave Classico DOC, passing through Montecchia Crosara, where we stop at the Azienda Agricola Ca 'Rugate, which belongs to the Winemakers of Soave Association .

The winery is certainly worth a visit, not only for the interesting eco-museum, which shows a hundred years of history in the wine world of the owner, the Tessari family, but also for its wines, a rich range of reds, whites and sparkling wines that is possible to taste after the visit.

The tasting begins with the Soave Classico, produced in three varieties. The "Monte Alto", the most structured of the three, is left to age on its lees for 6-8 months and it is produced from the best grapes coming from the area of Monteforte d'Alpone.

The red wines proposed are Valpolicella DOC, Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso DOC, Valpolicella Superiore DOC Campo Lavei and Amarone Valpolicella Doc.
Given that we are not experts, but simple enthusiasts of wine and food tourism, we particularly appreciated the Valpolicella Superiore DOC Campo Lavei.

According to the owner's own words, all the wines, including Amarone, seek, and, I would say certailnly find, a good balance between quality and structure and being easy to drink.

The tasting continues with the sweet and the sparkling wines.
The two raisin wines are delightful: the Recioto di Soave Docg and Recioto di Valpolicella Doc. Then, the two sparkling wines produced with the classic method are interesting: the white with 100% Garganega grapes, and the rose with100% red grape Molinara.
Althought they were both good, we slightly preferred the Rosé.

Ca' Rugate produces in a a very limited production Brognoligo Vin Santo, a wine with an ancient tradition, closely tied to the territory.

In short, we suggest the visit for the quality of the hospitality and the wines. The price of the bottles are fair, only Amarone and Vin Santo are a bit challenging. You will want to take a few bottles with you to share and taste with friends.

Our tour ends here, but for those who have time to go Monteforte d'Alpone is certainly a good spot to see, same for the spectacular Soave area. Their wineries and wine stores are places of interest to lovers of good wine, not to mention the wide range of taverns and restaurants, and the many wineries along the route.
In less than 30km of roads surrounded by vineyards, you can go all the way from Montecchio Maggiore to Montebello and Gambellara, to continue toward Calderina, Pergola and Ca' Rugate to reach Monteforte d'Alpone Brognoligo-Costalunga, and from there to Soave .

And please, should you decide to visit these places after reading this short story do not forget to let us know and tell it to the wineries you visit!