Collis-Riondo is one of the largest producers in Veneto, and in Italy itself, with around 2,400 growers covering 6,500 hectares. As a result they have the flexibility and scale to produce a wide portfolio of wines, and access to good quality fruit. Their strength is in local varietals and wine styles - including Valpolicella and Amarone.

Valpolicella is one of northern Italy’s most celebrated wine regions, located in the Veneto, just north of Verona. Its name, meaning “valley of many cellars,” reflects a long history of winemaking that dates back to Roman times. Today, Valpolicella is renowned for producing a diverse range of wines, from light and fragrant reds to some of Italy’s most powerful and ageworthy styles.

The climate is generally mild and temperate, influenced by the cooling breezes of nearby Lake Garda and the protective shelter of the Lessini Mountains. These factors help regulate temperatures, extend the ripening season and preserve acidity in the grapes. However, unpredictable rainfall at harvest and occasional hailstorms remain challenges for growers.

Soils across the region vary considerably. In the foothills, limestone, basalt and clay dominate, offering structure and minerality, while the valley floors tend to have more fertile alluvial soils that give lighter, fruitier wines.

The traditional grape varieties are Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella and Molinara, often blended together. Corvina provides the backbone with cherry fruit and fine tannins, while Rondinella contributes colour and freshness.

Wine styles range from the fresh and juicy Valpolicella Classico to the richer, semi-dried grape style of Ripasso, and the iconic Amarone della Valpolicella, famed for its intensity, concentration and longevity. At the opposite end sits Recioto della Valpolicella, a historic sweet red wine.

Key growing areas include the original Classico zone around Fumane, Marano and Negrar, where hillside vineyards produce the region’s most refined and complex expressions.

Corvina is a red grape variety native to Italy’s Veneto region, most famously used in the production of Valpolicella, Amarone, and Recioto wines. It is prized for its bright acidity, moderate tannins, and vibrant red fruit character, often showing notes of sour cherry, plum, herbs, and almond.

Corvina is a late-ripening grape with thick skins, which makes it well-suited to the appassimento process—where grapes are partially dried after harvest to concentrate sugars and flavours. This technique is essential in producing the powerful and age-worthy Amarone and the sweet, luscious Recioto della Valpolicella. In fresh styles like Valpolicella Classico, Corvina contributes brightness, freshness, and aromatic lift.

Corvina is typically blended with other regional varieties such as Rondinella and Molinara, though single-varietal examples are increasingly common. It thrives on well-drained hillside vineyards with calcareous or volcanic soils, particularly around Verona.

Outside Italy, Corvina is rarely planted but has small experimental holdings in countries like Australia and the U.S., where producers are exploring its potential in both dry and appassimento-inspired styles.

Corvinone is a red grape variety native to the Veneto region of northeastern Italy, where it plays an important role in the production of some of the region’s most celebrated wines. Historically mistaken for the more common Corvina, genetic research has confirmed Corvinone as a distinct variety. It is most closely associated with the Valpolicella and Bardolino areas, where it is often blended with Corvina, Rondinella, and other local grapes.

In the vineyard, Corvinone is a late-ripening variety with large, loosely packed bunches and thick-skinned berries, which make it well-suited to the traditional appassimento drying process used in Amarone and Recioto wines. The grape prefers well-drained, hillside sites and benefits from careful yield control, as it can be vigorous.

Plantings are concentrated in Veneto, with small experimental or niche plots found in other Italian regions and in countries such as Australia and the United States, where producers are exploring Italian varietals.

Corvinone wines are known for deep colour, fresh acidity, and aromas of ripe red and black cherries, plums, and subtle floral notes, often with hints of spice and herbs. In blends, it adds richness and structure, producing styles that range from light and fragrant to powerful, full-bodied, and age-worthy.

Rondinella is a red grape variety native to Italy’s Veneto region, best known as a key component in the wines of Valpolicella and Bardolino. Believed to be a natural cross involving Corvina, Rondinella has been cultivated since at least the mid-20th century and is valued more for its reliability than for intense varietal character. The vine is vigorous, resistant to disease, and produces consistently high yields, making it a dependable partner in blends.

Its berries are medium-sized with thick skins, which dry well—an important trait for the appassimento method used in Amarone and Recioto production. While Rondinella is rarely bottled as a single varietal, it contributes colour, body, and herbal nuances to blends. The grape’s flavour profile is typically subtle, with red cherry, wild berry, and gentle floral notes, occasionally accented by hints of dried herbs or almond.

Plantings are concentrated in the Veneto, though small experimental vineyards exist in Switzerland, Australia, and parts of South America. In dry table wines, Rondinella offers light to medium body with fresh acidity, while in Amarone and Recioto it supports richer, more concentrated flavours of dark fruit and spice. Its role is less about dominance and more about balance, stability, and adaptability in Veneto’s celebrated red wine styles.