Veneto

Veneto is the leader in the production of classified wine in Italy, with hundreds of millions of bottles produced each year. The major areas of production are the western hills that enjoy the sunny reflections of lake Garda, the central hills around Padua and the river basins along the Adriatic coast to the north and east of Venice. Its terrain includes mountains and plains with the Alps covering over one-third of the region to the north but rapidly giving way to the flat lands of valleys formed by the Po, Adige and Piave rivers. Mountain and sea contribute to a varied climate: the cooling breezes of the Adriatic and Lake Garda help to mellow the summer heat while the mountains provide a natural barrier to freezing winds in the winter.