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Valpolicella is a wine region in the Italian province of Verona, east of Lake Garda. This hilly region is famous for marble mining and wine production. The wines of Valpolicella are a controlled-of-origin name and come just behind the famous Chianti in the Italian rankings.
a brief description of
Valpolicella is the common name for the region’s wines. Within this category, they are further divided into types. Reds are usually made from Corvina Veronese (Corvina), Rondinella (Rondinella) and Molinara (Molinara). For example, the sweet wine Recioto (Rechoto) and strong Amarone (Amarone) are made from raisined grapes, and most base wines are produced in the style of novello (novello) – an analogue of the French Beaujolais Nouveau, which is bottled within a few weeks after harvest, such drinks are famous for perfumery notes.
Valpolicella classico (classico) is obtained from berries grown in the historical zone (in the territory that was part of the region until 1968), and valpolicella superiore (superiore) has a strength of 12% and an exposure of at least a year. Valpolicella ripasso (ripasso) – a subspecies of superiore, this wine is made from pomace of raisin grapes left after the production of amarone or rechoto.
Among the famous brands of the Valpolicella region: Allegrini, Stefano Accordini, Masi, La Collina dei Cilliegi and others.
Historical information
Judging by archaeological and historical evidence, winemaking in the region originated at least in ancient Greece, and possibly even earlier. This is indirectly confirmed by the fact that the technology for making wine from raisined grapes is still called “Greek”. The first written evidence of the existence of local wine dates back to the XNUMXth century AD, and already in the XNUMXth century the Venetian Republic became an important trading port connecting the Byzantine Empire with Europe. The merchant books indicate that one of the export items was local wine made in the province of Verona.
The term “Valpolicella” first appeared in the chronicles of the XNUMXth century and denoted two united provinces that had previously coexisted independently of each other. The etymology of the word is not entirely clear, but it may be derived from the Latin and Greek words for “valley” and “cellar,” respectively. “The Valley of the Cellars”, also called the “Pearl of Verona”.
In the XV-XVI centuries, due to the wars with the Ottoman Empire, the import of Greek wines was limited, so the Venetians had to concentrate on improving their own technologies. In the 1950th century, misfortunes rained down on Italian winemaking like from a cornucopia: the phylloxera epidemic, powdery mildew, ashtray, political turmoil that did not contribute to the development of any industry. The Valpolicella region was comparatively unaffected. In the 1968s, winemakers rediscovered the Amarone style, and in XNUMX the region received DOC status. At the same time, there was an expansion of territories due to the adjacent valleys, and Molinara and Rondinella were included in the list of grape varieties allowed for use. This, in turn, led to a significant decrease in the quality of wine, prices fell, winemaking became less profitable, many vineyards on the hills and in the classical zone fell into disrepair.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Valpolicella Amarone was at the peak of its popularity, its production more than doubled, and by 2000 reached almost 4 million US gallons per year. The style began to be considered elite, its cost was three times higher than that of ordinary wine from this region. Vineyards began to revive, enterprising investors began to invest in the development of Valpolicella winemaking, the reputation of local wine grew. In 2003, rules were introduced that define the quality requirements for the raw materials used, and in 2009, the amarone and rechoto production areas were identified as a sub-region of increased DOCG quality.
Climate and geographic location
The region has a predominantly mild or cool continental climate. The classic zone (classico zone) is located on the northern slopes of the Monti Lessini hills, it is the coldest sub-region of Valpolicella. Further south, the climate becomes warmer and the soil more fertile. All types of gravel are found here, from moraine to dolomite. Volcanic soils appear closer to the eastern borders of the zone.
Wine Regions
The Valpolicella zone borders on the west with Bardolino DOC (Bardolino), located on the shores of Lake Garda. It produces wines similar to the base valpolicella, and mostly from the same grapes. The heart of the region is in the hills of Monti Lessini (Monti Lessini), northwest of Verona. In 1968, the eastern appellation Soave (Soave) and the plains along the northern bank of the Po River (Po) also entered the zone.
Valpolicella Classico are the original territories, before expansion. More than 40% of wine is produced here, and they are necessarily labeled accordingly. Another well-known sub-region is Valpolicella Valpantena, located on the eastern side of Verona.
Valpolicella is divided into 7 communes:
- Pescantina (Пескантина);
- San Pietro in Cariano (San Pietro in Cariano);
- Negrar (Неграр);
- Marano di Valpolicella (Marano di Valpolicella);
- Fumane (Фумане);
- Sant’Ambrogio di Valpolicella (Sant’Ambrogio di Valpolicella);
- Sant’Anna d’Alfaedo (Sant’Anna d’Alfaedo).
Grape varieties and styles of wine
Most local brands are made from Corvina grapes and are categorized as red wines. It is also allowed to use the varieties Rondinella, Corvinone, Molinara, Rossignola, Negrara, Barbera, Sangiovese, Bigolona. Some producers are trying to restore the autochthonous Oseleta variety. It produces a wide range of wines, ranging from basic table wines in the style of nouveau, and ending with sparkling spumante (spumante).
Also in the region you can find full-bodied red varieties, sweet dessert and even wines based on raisined grapes. The base brands of Valpolicella are light-bodied, served chilled, have hints of sour cherries, and are almost identical in style to French Beaujolais Nouveau. Recioto and Amarone styles are full-bodied, reaching 15-16% alcohol, while base wines rarely exceed 11%. The Superiore category is aged in barrels for at least a year, and the strength of this drink starts from 12%.
The region’s historic wine style is the sweet recioto. The name comes from the local dialect word recie, meaning “ears”, and is due to the peculiar shape of the bunch. The protruding “lobe” usually collects maximum sunlight and ripens first – it is from these berries that the sweetest wines with a rich deep bouquet are made. Today, the whole bunch is used for recioto, but the grapes are dried first to get the maximum concentration of sugar.
Recioto wine is sweet, with a high content of residual sugar. Sometimes manufacturers label it as Amarone, but not necessarily: the bottle may have the usual label Valpolicella DOC or even IGT if grapes grown outside the appellation were used as raw materials.
Рипассо (Review)
The Ripasso (“secondary”) style appeared in 1980. At the stage of maceration, the pomace of grape skins and seeds, left after the production of recioto and amarone, is added to the base wine Valpolicella. On the one hand, this increases the strength and adds body to the wine, on the other hand, it increases the level of tannins, glycerin and phenolic compounds. The wine acquires a deeper color and aroma, the bouquet becomes more complex. The development of the style is directly related to the increase in the production of amarone, since the “secondary wine” ripasso is, in fact, a by-product of the production of raisined wine. Sometimes, instead of cake, a little dried grapes are used, such a drink turns out to be less tannic.
Initially, the style was not marked in any way, some producers even claimed that the wine could not belong to the DOC zone, as it did not meet the quality requirements. Today, the legitimacy of separating ripasso into a separate style is beyond doubt; in 2009, Ripasso della Valpolicella received its own DOC status.
Амароне (Amarone)
The most famous style of the region. Despite the fact that it has existed for hundreds of years, it appeared by chance: sometimes, during the production of recioto, winemakers did not have time to follow the process and the yeast completely processed all the sugar. Since the 1950s, this technology has been used intentionally.
Valpolicella Amarone is a strong, full-bodied wine with a “mature” taste and deep aroma, made only in warm regions. Berries for this style are harvested last so they have time to produce as much sugar as possible. Then the grapes are dried in special rooms for 3-4 months, by the end of this period, about a third of the liquid is evaporated, and the berries turn into raisins. It is very important to harvest before the appearance of botrytis gray and other types of mold – while other raisin wines can be made from affected grapes, this is impossible for amarone.
The finished wine is aged in oak barrels for several years, often at least five. The resulting product is compared with port wine: it is a strong drink with hints of coffee, dark chocolate, raisins, figs, which goes well with hearty hearty dishes such as roast beef or steak. After dinner, amarone can be served with walnuts or hard cheese.