Custoza — still often called Bianco di Custoza — comes from the morainic hills south-west of Verona, between Lake Garda and the city. It has been a DOC since 1971 and borders Bardolino, with which it shares both soils and a good many producers.
Unlike most Italian whites it is not a single-variety wine, and that is its identity. The rules are built on a blend of Garganega, Trebbiano Toscano, Trebbianello — a local biotype of Tocai Friulano — and Bianca Fernanda, the name given here to Cortese. Malvasia, Riesling Italico, Pinot Bianco and Chardonnay may be added.
The result is a soft, perfumed white of white flowers, peach and almond, with more body than the area suggests and a gentler acidity than Soave's. A Superiore version with a year of aging exists, as does a sparkling one.
Custoza lives in the shadow of its more famous neighbours, which makes it one of the best value-for-money whites in the Verona area. It is a table wine in the best sense: built for lake fish, risotto and vegetables rather than for analysis.
