his D.O.C. wine is produced in an area known as Riviera del Brenta, extending from the northeast of Padua to the communal territories of Venice. Here lie a number of villages and towns along the banks of Brenta, the river that joins Padua to Venice.
In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, this area reached its maximum splendor, becoming the privileged site where many Venetian and Paduan patricians built their villas. Those ornate villas, many of them dating back to the early 1400s, when Venice extended its dominion over the area, can still be admired along the Brenta.
In the fifteenth century, Venetian trade faced many challenges in the east and in Europe by the nascent American markets. Consequently, Venetian traders started investing their capitals in the Riviera area, turning many farmlands into vineyards that would then supply the wealthy Venetian market with fine wines.
The winemaking tradition that was started in those years has survived to date. The current D.O.C. appellation covers both indigenous grape varieties like Tocai, Raboso, and Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso, and later imports like Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Bianco, Merlot, and Cabernet.
