In Veneto “recia” means “ear”; it identifies the winged part of the bunch, the one that is most exposed to the sun rays because it overpowers all the other grapes. Thanks to the higher sugar content it is often preferred in the production of Passito sweet wines, which here - in the provinces of Verona and Vicenza - are called “recioti”.

The best known - often combined with the “cousin” Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG as produced with the same grapes - is Recioto della Valpolicella DOCG, produced north of Verona with grapes of Corvina (45-95%), Corvinone (0-50 %) and Rondinella (5-40%). It is a sweet red wine that goes very well with dark chocolate.

Also in the province of Verona, near the town Soave, they produce Recioto di Soave DOCG, with Garganega grapes (70-100%), Chardonnay (0-30%), Pinot Bianco (0-30%) and Trebbiano di Soave (0-30%). In this case, it is a yellow color wine with golden hues; a typical pairing is with the Pandoro di Verona accompanied with mascarpone cream, during the Christmas holidays.

Further to the east, in the province of Vicenza, Garganega vine is still widely cultivated. In Gambellara and in some surrounding towns it is used in purity (100%) to produce the Recioto di Gambellara DOCG. You can find this white and sweet wine both in the “classic” and “sparkling” typologies.