DOC Valpolicella Superiore wines awarded at the Gilbert & Gaillard International Challenge

The Valpolicella Superiore appellation covers nineteen communes in the province of Verona, in the Veneto region, across the belt of hills and valleys that runs down from the Lessini foothills toward the Po plain, close to Lake Garda. The soils come from the breakdown of calcareous-dolomitic formations, basalts, and morainic and fluvial deposits of volcanic origin, giving varied terroirs from one valley to another. The climate is generally mild and moderately rainy, tempered by Lake Garda and sheltered from cold winds by the Lessini hills, taking on a near-Mediterranean character on south-facing slopes. Vineyards are planted up to 500 metres above sea level. The blend is built around Corvina Veronese, which may be partly replaced by Corvinone, alongside Rondinella and, in smaller proportions, other native red grape varieties from the province of Verona. Superiore is distinguished from basic Valpolicella by a longer period of ageing before release, which gives it greater structure.