The name Valpolicella is sometimes prominently displayed on a wine bottle label. Other times it may be on the label as a part of a longer phrase, such as Amarone della Valpolicella. In all cases Valpolicella or ‘ Val Polis Cellae’, meaning “the valley of many cellars”, indicates that the wine has come from a designated grape growing area near the city of Verona in Northeast Italy. The three main wines that come from the Valpolicella area are Valpolicella, Amarone and Recioto. All three wines contain a portion or all of the same red grapes from the region, Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara. The winemaking methods are quite different for each of the wines, resulting in a wide variety of flavors and textures.
Valpolicella is vinified using traditional methods, resulting in a lighter style, cherry flavored red wine that can show just the right amount of tartness to make it a great match with lighter tomato sauced foods. When the word Ripasso follows the word Valpolicella on the label then the wine has been enriched by the addition of dried grapes during the wine making process. These dried grapes add more texture, richness and flavors, making it a more suitable match with heavier styles of food.
Amarone della Valpolicella, generally recognized as one of Italy’s great red wines, is a distinctive taste experience that will either become love at first sight or leave you wondering why all the fuss. All of the grapes are dried for several months after the harvest to eliminate most of the water and super concentrate the sugars and flavors. The wine ferments until completely dry (no residual sugar) and the result is a thick, sappy, high alcohol taste experience that is like no other.
Recioto della Valpollicella is a dessert wine and is sometimes described as Italy’s answer to vintage Ports. It is actually the original wine from the area, back to Roman times when wines were made in a sweet style and high in alcohol so they would hold up under less than ideal conditions. The grapes are handled in a similar fashion to Amarone but the winemaker purposely leaves some residual sugar, resulting in a syrupy, velvety mouthful of fruit, alcohol and sweetness.
Bottle King’s wine for October, the Allegrini Plazzo della Torre IGT is a delicious wine that is made in the style of a Valpolicella Ripasso with a slight twist, it contains 30% dried grapes. The blending of the wine from the dried fruit gives Palazzo della Torre a wonderful richness, density and complexity. It tastes of black cherry jam, chocolate, licorice and other spices. This wine has been critically acclaimed for over a decade, earning Wine Spectator’s Top 100 wines ratings in five of the last nine vintages. It is also universally considered a lot of wine for the money.
Here’s an idea, as the cold weather of fall approaches, plan an evening to get to know these wines. Start with a light Valpolicella matched to Bruschetta and other appetizers, the Allegrini Plazzo della Torre with your favorite rustic pasta dish, an Amarone with a hearty meat dish like Veal Osso Bucco and finish with a delicious Recioto with some Gorgonzola and other cheeses. Two other suggestions if I could, don’t try this alone and stay away from the traditional Venetian choice of meat for your main dish.
Francis Mastrangelo
Bottle King Wine Consultant
Filed under: Hot New Wines, Italian Wine, Wine
