Italian Vineyards & Wineries

Thursday we left for the vineyards and wineries around Vincenza and Verona. The vineyards are at least 3 weeks ahead of Missouri vines and they have begun their spray schedule in Italy. We visited two wineries -- the first was Contina Di Soave located in the Provence of Verona. The winery was sleek with a beautiful tasting room. The tasting bar was in a round. We snapped pictures to remember for future reference! The tasting room staff were chic young women who were gracious and helpful. Did I mention that the wine was good too?

600 years ago, Dante's family bought an estate where they made wine. For 20 generations, Dante's winery has existed and been in operation -- called Serego Alighieri. The present Count is a direct descendant of Dante, and lives in a beautiful villa next to the winery surrounded by formal gardens. We tasted some luscious dry red wines, one used by the ancient Romans. This wine was aged for 18 months in oak and then the last 4 months in cherry wood.

On our way back to Vincenza we took a side trip to Lake Garda. This lake is beautiful and bigger than Lake Como. We had a late lunch at a small trattitora with wonderful house wines. We finished the day by visiting the house where Galileo was exiled. Then on to Qui Zamboni restaurant for a 2.5 hour meal.