bianco di custoza
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The ancients believed Venetians were directly descended from the survivors of the Fall of Troy. Like the Trojans, they were tremendous artisans, and their agricultural ability was particularly admired. More likely, the Venetians came from the vast diaspora of peoples out of the Carpathian Mountains around 1500 BC. It was homage to these people that prompted the Romans to name the Tenth Imperial Region after them: the Veneti.
Pliny, Virgil, Suetonius and Martial all refer to Reticum and Acinaticum, the direct ancestors of modern Veronese wine.
Directly west of the city of Verona, on the southeastern shore of Lake Garda are Bardolino and Bianco di Custoza. The poor quality of the soil, composed mainly of gravel, clay sand deposited by melting ice at the end of the last glacial period, is the unique microclimate that is responsible for the fragrance and charm of these wines.
Veneto touches the Adriatic Sea at Venice and runs north through the Dolomites to the Austrian border. Its southern and western limits are the large alluvial plain formed by the Garda basin and the valley north of the Po River.
This tremendous variety of landscape has provided Veneto with an equally varied cuisine: seafood from both Lake Garda and the Adriatic; game, mushrooms and mountain herbs from the Dolomites; the best vegetables of Northeastern Italy – as well as its two staples, corn and rice – come from the Po Valley. Polenta was introduced in the 17th century and was prepared in much the same way as other grain flours that preceded it. It can be plain, grilled or fried and paired with meats, game and fish. Rice, introduced by the Venetian traders as early as 1400, is the inspiration for as many as forty different risottos. Rice is also prepared with fish and vegetables. One of the fonder pairings of rice and vegetables is Risi e Bisi, or rice and fresh young peas.