REMEMBER Soave, the name that sounds like a bitter sigh? And Valpolicella, which always seems to suggest a perfunctory sort of jollity? No matter what age you are you'll know that for years these two - one watery and white, the other thin and red - have propped up student parties and cheapo Italian restaurants. But, now we're learning to love north Italian food, wine shops more often stock good examples of the wines from Italy's right armpit - the region of the Veneto, up in the north east. They're as different from the grim ones as fresh Parmesan is from that dusty stuff that comes in little cardboard drums.
Let's first look briefly at this region's food, so that the wines you try make a natural alliance with whatever is planned for dinner. The Veneto, stretching from Lake Garda and Verona across the valley of the river Po to Venice, and north to the foothills of the Dolomites, is the source of polenta and many salamis and prosciuttos; the homeland of carpaccio and chargrilled radicchio and gorgeous seafood antipasti. Above all, it is the fertile producer of the rice used in risotto. If you think the French go overboard with their arguments about terroir - the way in which a particular bit of land imparts flavours to a wine - you should hear Italians from around Verona passionately describing the impact of terroir not just on local wines but on varieties of rice as well. Together, they will tell you, these two products of like soil create a blissful marriage.
So to the wines, beginning with a blanket warning and a bit of general advice. The Italian Trade Board won't thank me for saying so, but the Veneto still seems to be producing dire wine in depressing quantities: enough, for all I know, to make a second Lake Garda. That means it's more vital than ever to remember the names of reliable producers.
It's also a good idea (although not necessarily foolproof) to look for wines labelled "Classico Superiore". "Classico" wines are those produced within the original, central zone, rather than the large surrounding area - usually less suitable for grape growing and planted purely for commercial gain. "Superiore" wines have a bit more body and depth of flavour than the basic ones. It is decreed they must be at least 12 per cent alcohol and aged for at least 12 months before bottling. That may not sound long, but it is way above the norm in a region where most wines are rushed out in their infancy, to be drunk before adolescence. Wines which come from a good producer and which are not just "Classico Superiore" but from a single vineyard will tend to be even better, and generally worth the extra pound or two.
Although the white wines of the Veneto include Pinot Origio and Bianco di Custoza, I've concentrated on Soave, the source of unexpected treasure after so many years of tasteless dross. I also urge you to try Lugana, a quite substantial and delicious wine from the shores of Lake Garda - actually in Lombardy, but so close to the Veneto's western border that it deserves to be slipped in. Both of these wines taste splendid with seafood, but they're also perfect with the lighter, vegetable based risottos.
On the red front, I've avoided Bardolino, which always seems thinner and less appealing than Valpolicella at its best. Don't go looking for much body, however. Valpolicella is always light. In colour, perfume and flavour, it strongly evokes cherries - cherries that leave in their wake a little surprise twist of bitter almonds. It tastes terrific with a plate of mixed antipasti which includes plenty of salami and air cured Italian ham. Like Soave, it's designed to be drunk young.
These light, fresh wines are one half of the Veneto's story - the more obvious half, perhaps. But it's important to remember that Valpolicella also provides some much more substantial, serious wines. The best known and most powerful (both in terms of alcohol and rich flavour) is Amarone, properly called Recioto Amarone della Valpolicella. Pioneered by the Romans, who hit on the idea of half drying the grapes for concentration, it's a glorious drink, definitely to be sipped rather than slurped In tidy it is often referred to as a vino de meditazione - a wine to enjoy ruminatively after a meal, rather like port - but I haven't noticed that diminishing the ardour with which it is also drunk with Amarone flavoured risotto or a joint of beef marinated in the same wine.
There is also a half way house between standard, light Valpol and blockbuster Amarone which is well worth trying. This is ripasso, a full bodied red made by refermenting Valpolicella on the skins of shrivelled, sweet grapes already used in making Amarone. The best known example on the Irish market is Campofiorin (see below).
What are the names to memorise from this region of new temptation, apart from those listed below? The wines of the Serego Alighieri estate are fairly widely available in Ireland and certainly worth seeking out. Boscaini and Allegrini are other good producers, seen occasionally on Irish shelves. But where are Anselmi, and Tedeschi and Bertani, let alone the legendary Quintarelli? If you find them anywhere, I'd love to know.