Another trip to Italy – and another chance to explore the wines I can’t find back in the US. There are several regions in the Veneto that have been on my list to check out, and I was able to hit two today. The Corti Benedettine del Padovano DOC lies in both the provinces of Padua and Venezia, south of Padua. Established in 2004, this DOC recognizes the role the Benedictine monks played in the social and economic development of this area.

This territory lies between the rivers Brenta and Adige and the Adriatic, an alluvial plain subject to  periods of severe flooding over the years. From the 12th century, the Benedictine monks have made their home in this plain, putting huge amounts of effort into reclaiming these wetlands. While also battling wars, malaria outbreaks, and famine, they managed to build canals and drainage systems to create Corti. A Corte was the heart of their reclamation effort, and would contain the quarters where the friars lived, as well as houses for the farm laborers.  These Corti became the social, economic and administrative centers for these large estates for almost 1000 years. The monks were the leaders of the efforts to prepare the land here for cultivation. The wines produced on the lands reclaimed in this area became a major commodity, exchanged with the nearby towns of Padua and Venice, and through the Venetian port, cities across the Adriatic.

Cultivation of wines in this fairly damp region requires a great deal of local expertise. But local winegrowers have had success with both indigenous grapes as well as (relatively) newly introduced international varietals. Historically, varietals such as Raboso, Refosco, Tocai and Moscato Giallo have been cultivated here (on my list of top undiscovered wines in Northeastern Italy), and today wine-growers also produce what international varietals that thrive in the excellent local climate and soil conditions: Merlot, Cabernet, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Pinot Grigio and Pinot Bianco. Most wines in this DOC are best served young, when then exhibit fresh floral notes; others are better left to develop greater complexity with a bit of aging.

I visited what is listed at the contact address for this DOC – the Sansovino Vigneti & Cantina in Conselve today. The small store had a nice mix of local wines; along with the Corti Benedettine, there were a few from the Bagnoli di Sopra DOC, and a nice variety of IGT wines from the Veneto and Colli Treviso. I purchased a Sansovino Raboso and a Pinot Grigio from Corti Benedettine, as well as a Bagnoli di Sopra Frulano. Definitely worth a stop back to try some other local wines. We’ll taste these with our guests on our Italiaoutdoors Chefs on Bikes trip that starts on Sunday. We’ll be riding through these vineyards during the first days of our trip.