Bianco di Custoza is a white DOC wine from the Veneto region of north-eastern Italy. The wine, which is often labeled simply as 'Custoza' might be seen as the white equivalent of red Bardolino, as the two DOCs' production areas overlap significantly.
Nine grape varieties are sanctioned for use in Bianco di Custoza wines, although in practice the majority are based heavily on just three of them. The blend must contain Trebbiano Toscano (between 20% and 45% of the final blend), Garganega (20–40%) and Trebbianello (5–30%). The latter is a little-known variety which has been shown by DNA analysis to be a biotype of Tocai Friulano.
A handful of other varieties may also be included as minor components in the blend, including Bianca Fernanda (a local clone of Cortese), Malvasia Bianca, Riesling Italico, Pinot Bianco, Chardonnay and Manzoni Bianco, as a blend or individually.
To be called Bianco di Custoza Superiore, a wine must reach a final alcohol level of 11% alcohol by volume – a full 1.5% higher than the standard version. This is an unusually stringent DOC law; for almost every other superiore wine in Italy the requirement is just 0.5% and occasionally 1%. The same stringent condition is applied to Bardolino before it can be considered Superiore, in which case it also earns a promotion to full DOCG status. Bianco di Custoza is not offered this promotion.
In addition to the standard, still wines the DOC also covers the sparkling Bianco di Custoza Spumante, and a sweet Bianco di Custoza Passito. These are made from the same grape varieties as the dry table wines, but are clearly very different in style.
