Italy’s largest lake, Garda, enjoys a Mediterranean climate and is caressed by myriad winds. Its vineyards are bathed in light bouncing off the water’s surface. Gently sunkissed bunches of grapes ripen in favourable conditions where balmy temperatures allow olive trees, lemons, and capers to thrive.

Writers and poets through the ages have sung Garda’s praises, with its picturesque villages, castles, winding lanes, and serene atmosphere. Catullus, Goethe, Kafka, Rilke, D’Annunzio… and even Churchill himself was immortalised as he painted a lake scene. This backdrop of history, beauty and culture, in a geographical position that is ideal for winegrowing, is the birthplace of GardaDOC.

Winemaking dates back to at least the 1st Century BC here, but GardaDOC is a young umbrella appellation, created to promote wines from three cities: Verona, with six DOCs; Brescia, with three, and Mantua, with one. Three different cities in close proximity, each of them stunningly beautiful and on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Overlooking them all is Lake Garda, with its charm exuding a sense of happiness, relaxation and serendipity. This is the location for the ten historic appellations that have found a new home in GardaDOC. Wine and food go hand-in-hand here, set against a landscape that succeeds in being beloved by foreigners whilst retaining its typically Italian lifestyle intact.