Bardolino DOC Monte Baldo – Lake Garda's Mountain Red Wine

You probably know Bardolino as a light, easy-drinking summer red. You're not wrong. But this Bardolino from Monte Baldo is a different kind of story.

The Monte Baldo growing area is one of three official Bardolino cru zones, officially recognised since 2021. Its fresh mountain climate gives the wines a distinctive character — strawberry and clove notes that you won't find in standard Bardolino from the lakeside plains. When the vineyards sit on steep, wind-exposed slopes overlooking Lake Garda, the grapes simply taste different.

Heroic Viticulture — The Real Thing

These vines don't grow on flat, easy ground. They cling to the hillsides of Monte Baldo, a mountain that rises sharply above the western shore of Lake Garda. Working them requires fully manual labour — no machines can navigate terrain like this. The grapes grown at the foot of Monte Baldo are harvested exclusively by hand.

Behind every bottle is a small, family-run winery that has been farming this land for generations — not for volume, but for precision. This is not industrial wine. It's craftsmanship, and you can taste the difference.

In the Glass

Bardolino is made primarily from Corvina and Rondinella — Corvina contributing structure and a sour cherry aroma, Rondinella lending its characteristic fresh, herby flavour. Olearia del Garda This Monte Baldo expression takes those classic notes somewhere more interesting:

• Colour: Brilliant, clear ruby red with luminous highlights

• Nose: Fine red fruits — cherry, wild strawberry, redcurrant — with a floral undertone and a whisper of white pepper and cinnamon

• Palate: Fresh and agile, but not simple. Delicate tannins, a clean mineral savoury edge, and a finish that keeps going longer than you'd expect from a wine this light

Don't let its immediacy fool you. This Bardolino has genuine character — a red that surprises without raising its voice.

How to Drink It

Serve at 14–16°C — slightly cool, not fridge-cold, not room temperature. A wine this fresh deserves to be at its best.

It pairs beautifully with:

• Risotto — mushroom, pumpkin, radicchio

• Lake fish in sauce — trout, perch, whitefish

• Cured meats — salami, pancetta, local charcuterie

• White meats — chicken, turkey, rabbit

• Semi-aged cheeses — Asiago, Montasio

• Aperitivo — yes, it works perfectly here too

Limited Production — And We Mean It

The Monte Baldo subzone produces wines with lower yields per hectare — at most 100 quintals, compared to 120 for standard Bardolino — resulting in more concentrated, elegant wines with spicy and citrus notes. Good Wine Italy This is not a wine you'll find on every shelf. It's a Bardolino you have to seek out.

Why We Recommend It

Because it's a mountain Bardolino — with a verticality and freshness that flat-land production simply cannot replicate. Because it comes from a family winery that knows every vine personally. Because it's honest, vibrant and true to its place. And because every bottle is an invitation to slow down and pay attention.

Not just a bottle. A place, a story, a conversation.

This product is intended exclusively for persons aged 18 and over. The sale of alcoholic beverages to minors is prohibited by law.

✨ What makes this wine special

• ✅ Bardolino DOC Monte Baldo — official cru subzone

• ✅ Small family winery, hand-harvested grapes

• ✅ Limited production, artisan process

• ✅ Fresh, elegant, no heavy tannins

• ✅ Ships safely across Europe