The Valpolicella covers 7285 hectares stretching from Sant’Ambrogio to the East of Verona to Cazzano di Tramigna to the West. It covers an area of hilly land to the north of Verona that spans approx. 50km deep and 150km wide. With the easternmost reaches of the area only 10km from the shores of Lake Garda, it’s no surprise that Italy’s largest lake has a great influence on the vines planted here. The area to the east in fact is called the Valpolicella Classica, the area that was known for viticulture historically whilst the west, or Valpolicella “allargata” as it is sometimes known, is the area that more recently started producing wines. The wines produced this region have very different characteristics than those produced in the Valpolicella Classica as they are less subject to the cooling effect of the lake. To the North of the Valpolicella are the Lessinia hills, the foothills of the Dolomites. The cool night-time breezes from these hills decrease the temperature drastically and add to the complexity of the grapes. They dry the grapes during the “appassimento” phase for Amarone and Recioto della Valpolicella.