Bardolino

Bardolino is an uncomplicated fresh and fruity dry red wine with a ruby red color that is produced around the same named city. The most important grapes used for this wine are Corvina (35-65%) and Rondinella (10-40%) and it is also allowed to add up to 20% mixed from Molinara, Rossignol, Barbera, Sangiovese, Marzemino, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes but not more then 10% per specific grape. It is also allowed to replace up to 10% of Corvina with the same amount of the Corvinone grape.

This wine is not very well known for its quality since a lot of bad wines are sold on the market (usually for very low prices). A good Bardolino however is a delight and combines very well with light dishes (e.g. pasta, white meat and salads) and anti-pasti. It is advised to serve Bardolino slightly chilled (15-17% or 59 - 63 degrees Fahrenheit).

There is also a Superiore version of Bardolino which is a bit more complex than the normal version. This version needs to age for 12 months in the cellar before it can be sold on the market.

Other Bardolino versions that exist are Chiaretto (Classico) (a very pleasant rosé), Chiaretto Spumante (light sparkling rosé) and Bardolino Novello (Classico). Except for the Chiaretto these are hardly sold outside of Italy. The allowed grapes and aging rules are the same as for the regular Bardolino variant.

Bardolino Superiore has the DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) status, the highest in Italy. The other Bardolino variants have DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) status, the second highest.