Valpolicella

Bertani's Ripasso is a true classic. The grapes come from the hills around Valpantena and from the direct Valpolicella Classico area. The original Ripasso wine would have been an overloaded Valpolicella rather than a mini Amarone, and this example is true to this type and emphasises the fresh and light style of Valpantena, a long, steeply sloping valley with a particularly cool microclimate. Bertani uses the traditional method of production: The young, already fermented Valpolicella wine is blended with the skins that have dried naturally in the meantime, giving it a richer and more concentrated flavour. It then undergoes a second so-called "ripasso" fermentation, which is triggered by the yeasts still present in the skins.

Valpolicella Superiore Case Vecie is made mainly from Corvina and Corvinone grapes. It takes its name from the vineyard of the same name in Grezzana, where the ripening of the grapes is subject to strong temperature fluctuations between day and night: a climatic peculiarity that gives the wine a special spiciness on the nose and a completely unique polyphenol profile. Bright ruby red in colour with notes of cherries, vanilla and spices. Beautiful fruit and acidity on the palate, wonderfully balanced body. Juicy and long. SUPERIORE.DE

At some point in the past, a small metal plate on the roof of the Castagnedi farmstead in the Monti Garbi moved in the wind – like a flag, a "bandina". A landmark for all those who knew these hills. Today, it is the name of the single vineyard that lies at the heart of the Tenuta. Colognola ai Colli, eastern Valpolicella: calcareous sandy soils at around 300 metres. This is the terroir that has belonged to the four Castagnedi brothers since 1995 and which characterises their wines with a characteristic balsamic: liquorice, white mint, graphite, China. Corvina and Corvinone form the backbone with 70%, Rondinella brings freshness, Croatina and Oseleta the flavour. Hand-picked in October, fermentation at a controlled temperature with certified organic yeasts, natural malo. Then aged for 24 months in 25-hectolitre French oak tonneaux – medium roasted, integrated, never dominant.

The world-famous Valpolicella Superiore from Zenato, produced using the Ripasso method, is a rich wine with the best value. It is peppery, with earthy tones and gravel giving way to black cherries and savoury herbs. It reveals deep, silky textures balanced by vibrant acids, while ripe red and black fruits resonate under a hint of lavender. Zenato's Ripassa is concentrated and intense, but at the same time conveys elegance and leaves a fresh note of violet candy on the palate that lingers for a long time. SUPERIORE.DE

Anyone who knows Amarone knows it from the history of Recioto. According to tradition, Italy's most famous red wine was created by chance: a Recioto that was fermented too long in the barrel – until none of the sweetness remained. What began as a mistake became a legend. But the Recioto itself, the older of the two, was almost forgotten. Wrongly so. In Valpolicella Classico, the upper, wide-open wings of the grape panicles are called "Recie" – ears. It is these wings that hang the highest, are most exposed to the sun and ripen the most. They are carefully selected for the Recioto and harvested by hand – at the end of September, when the season has reached its peak in the hills of Marano di Valpolicella on calcareous Eocene soils between 200 and 350 metres.

"Classico" is not just a marketing term in Valpolicella – it is a geographical designation. The Classico zone refers to the historic heart of the wine-growing region: those hills between Verona and Lake Garda, where Corvina Veronese has been at home for centuries and where the Allegrini family has been making wine since the 16th century. It was Giovanni Allegrini who, in the 1970s, initiated a leap in quality with the Guyot system and higher planting density, transforming the entire Valpolicella region. The Superiore differs from the standard Valpolicella due to a decision made in the cellar: whilst the Classico remains in steel, the Superiore spends six months in large oak barrels, followed by a further two months in concrete tanks – a sequence that harmonises structure, depth and fresh precision. Hand-harvested in the second half of September, 9 days’ maceration in steel.

The name means "motherland" – and the Tedeschi family has indeed found a special spot of land with the 84-hectare vineyard between Tregnago and Mezzane di Sotto, which they acquired in 2006. Extensive soil mapping identified real crus here, including the Impervio vineyard – named after its impassable steep slope at an altitude of 400 metres. White and yellow limestone marl of moraine origin characterise the terroir and give the wine its characteristic freshness. Corvina (40%), Corvinone (30%) and Rondinella (30%) are harvested overripe in mid to late October and fermented as whole bunches – a conscious decision for structure and depth of flavour. After 20 days of maceration, the wine matures for 18 months in Slavonian oak and a further six months in the bottle.

The grapes for this graceful Valpolicella Classico come from the Miniere vineyard on the Bertani Villa Novare estate, a south-west-facing site covering just 4 hectares and consisting of two terraces. Bright ruby red in colour, with a very clear nose of fresh fruit, cherry and wild berries, with elegant notes of white pepper. Spicy, juicy and flavoursome on the palate, with remarkable persistence, straightforwardness and great length! SUPERIORE.DE

La Grola is the eponymous, historic vineyard where Corvina, the indigenous grape of Valpolicella, is believed to have originated. The replanting of the vineyard by Giovanni Allegrini triggered an agronomic revolution and laid the foundations for the success of this wine-growing region, which today stands for convincing, great red wines from north-east Italy. With the 2022 vintage, La Grola returns to its origins: declared Valpolicella Classico Superiore DOC for the first time, it marks a new phase for this iconic wine from Allegrini. The cuvée of Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella comes from the limestone terraces of the La Grola hill, exposed to the south-east and consistently selectively harvested. After fermentation in stainless steel, the wine is matured in barriques, some new, some used.

The grapes for this high-calibre Valpolicella Classico Superiore come from the rather barren, calcareous and terraced vineyards of Tenuta Novare above the Ognisanti church. Wines of greater complexity, perfect structure and higher concentration are produced here than in most other vineyards in Valpolicella. Sparkling ruby-garnet colour. Fragrant nose with wonderful overtones of sour cherry, dried flowers and white pepper. Perfectly balanced on the palate with firm tannins and wonderful spice and depth of fruit thanks to the ageing in wood. A superior, winning wine from the heart of the Valpolicella region. SUPERIORE.DE

La Fabriseria comes across as an elegant, medium-bodied Amarone. Its intensity, tannin structure and density are hard to beat in this price range. Very juicy on the palate, full-bodied and soft, with notes of cherries, cardamom and cloves. And always with the elegant seriousness of the Tedeschi family's great flagship of the same name. SUPERIORE.DE

In the 6th century AD, Cassiodorus, minister to the Ostrogoth king Theodoric, wrote to the treasurer of Veneto requesting supplies of a special wine for the royal table: Acinaticum. He described it as "of such a royal colour that one could believe that the purple itself had its origin in it" – a wine "so dense that it would rather be eaten than drunk". This ancestor of today's Recioto was already the result of the Appassimento technique that still characterises Valpolicella today. The Tedeschi family, rooted in Valpolicella since 1630, preserves this heritage in the Fontana chapter.

Dark ruby red in colour. The bouquet is a furious indication of what this opulent long-distance runner is capable of: full-flavoured heart cherry fruit, blue flowers, damp forest soil, elegant spice and a well-dosed use of wood alternate impressively. The attack is just as complex and multi-layered, followed by beguiling wild berries, precisely polished tannins and an extraordinarily elegant long final. Wow, this is pure fruit! SUPERIORE.DE

Between stone and altitude. The name already reveals where this wine gets its soul from: from the highest parcels of the Tenuta Costalunga in Sant'Ambrogio di Valpolicella, where the ground gives way to bare rock at 300 to 350 metres. Cresasso – a word that describes precisely this encounter in the local dialect: where earth meets stone, where the Corvina must put down its deepest roots in the barren, calcareous moraine soil with its high proportion of skeleton and chalky white inclusions. Sergio Zenato's vision was to create a wine that celebrates Corvina Veronese in its purest form – without the accompaniment of Rondinella or Corvinone, without the appassimento technique of Amarone. Instead, a slight over-ripening on the vine, hand-picked in the second half of October, when the grapes have reached their maximum concentration. Vinification follows the rhythm of the fruit: 15 days of maceration at 25-26°C, then 24 months of ageing in French tonneaux, followed by at least a further year of bottle ageing. Time as an ally, not an adversary.

The world-famous Valpolicella Superiore from Zenato, produced using the Ripasso method, is a rich wine with the best value. It is peppery, with earthy tones and gravel giving way to black cherries and savoury herbs. It reveals deep, silky textures balanced by vibrant acids, while ripe red and black fruits resonate under a hint of lavender. Zenato's Ripassa is concentrated and intense, but at the same time conveys elegance and leaves a fresh note of violet candy on the palate that lingers for a long time. SUPERIORE.DE

Giovanni Allegrini had a way of assessing the skills of Oenologist: he had them make Recioto. No other wine from Valpolicella demands so much patience, sensitivity and intuition – and no other reveals so relentlessly whether someone truly understands what this landscape is capable of. Since 1990, his children have dedicated this very wine to their father, the man who shaped Valpolicella like no other. Recioto is one of the oldest wines in the world, known since Roman times. It shares the appassimento technique with Amarone – but differs in one crucial decision: fermentation is naturally halted before all the sugar has been converted into alcohol. Sweetness remains. What was stopped too late in Recioto became Amarone – bitter, dry, great. Recioto is the father. The best grapes from the highest slopes, hand-harvested, then dried for five months on wooden racks in the Fruttaio. After gentle pressing, fermentation in steel, then 14 months’ ageing in new barriques, a further two months in large casks, and approximately two years’ bottle ageing.

Giovanni Allegrini was a modest man who woke Valpolicella from its slumber in the 1960s and became the architect of its rebirth. His benchmark for the art of winemaking? The Recioto. According to Giovanni, those who mastered Recioto mastered everything. He died in 1983 without experiencing the full bloom of his life's work. Seven years later, in 1990, his children Franco, Walter and Marilisa dedicated this wine to him – the oldest in Valpolicella, whose origins date back to Roman times. Cassiodorus described the Appassimento as early as the 5th century.

"My personal challenge is to bring Amarone back to the table. A wonderful food companion that combines power and complexity with a crisp, soft sip." Graziano Prà

Cresasso - an exquisite, pure Corvina. Intense aromas of dark fruit, rose petals and spices. Rich, concentrated fruit on the palate, silky, with a remarkable inner sweetness. Distinctive and sensual. SUPERIORE.DE

Between stone and altitude. The name already reveals where this wine gets its soul from: from the highest parcels of the Tenuta Costalunga in Sant'Ambrogio di Valpolicella, where the ground gives way to bare rock at 300 to 350 metres. Cresasso – a word that describes precisely this encounter in the local dialect: where earth meets stone, where the Corvina must put down its deepest roots in the barren, calcareous moraine soil with its high proportion of skeleton and chalky white inclusions. Sergio Zenato's vision was to create a wine that celebrates Corvina Veronese in its purest form – without the accompaniment of Rondinella or Corvinone, without the appassimento technique of Amarone. Instead, a slight over-ripening on the vine, hand-picked in the second half of October, when the grapes have reached their maximum concentration. Vinification follows the rhythm of the fruit: 15 days of maceration at 25-26°C, then 24 months of ageing in French tonneaux, followed by at least a further year of bottle ageing. Time as an ally, not an adversary.

Romano Dal Forno started out in 1983 with a proposition that he has proven every vintage since: a Valpolicella can compete with the greatest wines in the world. He learnt this from Giuseppe Quintarelli. He internalised it in the Val d'Illasi, where his vines grow on alluvial gravel and clay, at up to 450 metres, with a planting density that makes every yield a rarity. Valpolicella Superiore does not begin fermentation – it begins with six weeks of appassimento. Corvina, Corvinone, Croatina, Oseleta and Rondinella dry slowly in the air of the lodoletta, losing water and gaining soul. Then: controlled fermentation in steel tanks, 36 months in new French and American oak barriques, years of ageing in the bottle.

"This is probably not ONE Valpolicella, but THE Valpolicella", wrote one critic about this wine – and hit the nail on the head. Giuseppe Quintarelli has created a monument from a DOC that was often dismissed as a light everyday wine. His method is radical: half of the grapes – corvina, Rondinella and Corvinone grapes from the vineyards in Negrar – in wooden crates for two months, as with Amarone. The other half is processed fresh. After the harvest, a three-day maceration with wild yeasts takes place, then the wine rests on the fine lees and undergoes a second fermentation. What follows is a patience that seems almost forgotten today: six years of ageing in large Slavonian oak barrels. Quintarelli only releases his wines when they are truly ready – never before.

Before there was Amarone, there was Recioto. For centuries, it was the great wine of Valpolicella – from the fourth century AD, when Cassiodoro, minister to the Goth king Theodoric, wrote to the landowners of the region requesting a very specific appassimento product: "Mostico invernale, freddo sangue delle uve" – winter must, cold blood of the grapes. At some point in the middle of the 20th century, the fermentation was allowed to run longer, the residual sugar dwindled, and the Recioto became – almost by mistake – the dry Amarone. Since then, the two have lived side by side. The Recioto has not lost ground – it has only become rarer.