Typical wines in Verona and Valpolicella

Not the splendour of the landscape, nor the historic events, nor the art monuments. What has made this valley famous is its typical product: wine.

The word Valpolicella most evokes the "Fruity aromas", those which typify the great wines produced in this zone: Valpolicella Classico and Superiore, Recioto and Amarone. At first sight, the association is confirmed by the landscape, but it would be belittling not to be aware of the historical and cultural richness that surmounts these vines. It is the richness which, in the past, attracted word artists such as Ippolito Nievo and Dante Alighieri, and painting artists such as Andrea Mantegna. Therefore, Valpolicella is not only an opportunity to taste wines of a great tradition, but also to immerse one's imagination in a voyage into history, which can open windows overlooking a past that is very faraway, but also extraordinarily present.

Valpolicella wine

Valpolicella is a red wine with Controlled Denomination of Origin (Italian acronym: DOC), produced in the province of Verona, and is one of the feathers in the cap of vine and wine production of the Veneto Region. The area of Valpolicella DOC wine covers nineteen municipalities in the northern part of the Verona province. The Classico specification can be added if the wine is produced in the oldest zone of origin, which, according to the production regulations, consists of the municipalities of Negrar, Marano, Fumane, Sant'Ambrogio and San Pietro in Cariano. Another geographical specification is permitted: Valpantena, exclusively for wines produced in that valley. The other municipalities, all Veronese, are: Dolcè, Verona, San Martino, Lavagno, Mezzane, Tregnago, Illasi, Colognola ai Colli, Cazzano, Grezzana, Pescantina, Cerro, San Mauro and Montecchio.

In his novel "Beyond the river and among the trees", Hemingway affectionately defines Valpolicella as "dry, red and cordial, like the home of a brother one gets on with".

The age of the vines in production is 25 years. Pressing is done when the grapes are stemmed. Fermentation temperature is controlled and occurs between 25 and 28°C. This is followed by twelve days of maceration with manual pressing operations. Preservation is in steel, when malolactic fermentation is completed, whereas refining is in the bottle for two months. If the wine is well preserved, it will maintain its taste and aroma (nose) characteristics for three years. Valpolicella has a ruby red colour with purplish highlights turning to garnet with age. Its nose is winy, intense and all enveloping, with hints of bitter almonds, marasca cherries and spices, and sometimes of undergrowth too. The full, rich and long-lasting aroma, with a marked return of perfumes, begins at minimum of 11°. On the palate, it is dry and fairly sapid, and delicate overall. This is a wine to be drunk throughout a meal, and is a very good companion of red meat and white meat dishes, as well as fresh water fish. It should be served at a temperature of 14 to 16°C. A normal Valpolicella wine should be drunk at the table within two or three years of the harvest date. The Classico and Superiore versions age longer, but not more than 4 or 5 years.

Characteristic grapes: Corvina 40-70 per cent, Rondinella 20-40 per cent, Molinara 5-20 per cent. The addition of other local grapes is permitted up to a maximum of 15 percent. At 12° proof and one year's compulsory ageing, the wine acquires the Superiore qualification. The Controlled Origin Denomination was authorised by the Italian Presidential Decree of 21 August 1968, subsequently modified by the Italian Ministerial Decree of 12 March 2003.

As regards its composition, Valpolicella is a wine created from a mixture of different vines, the most important being Veronese Corvina, of which 40 to 70 % is present in the wine. In the local dialect, it is called Cruina or simply Corvina. The Rondinella grapes (20 to 40 per cent) and the Molinara grapes (5 to 25 per cent) are also essential. Not essential to acquire the denomination, but which can be present up to a maximum total of 15 per cent, are grapes from vines in the zone, such as: Rossignola, Trentina, Negrara, Barbera and Sangiovese. The other vines authorised by the province of Verona may be included up to a maximum of 5 per cent.

The improvement of grape-growing and the decisions of some producers, have brought Valpolicella wines on the market which - although possessing the typical freshness and drinkability - have a greater body and can take advantage of a certain refining period of one or two years.

Valpolicella Superiore

With respect to simple Valpolicella, Valpolicella Superiore is more alcoholic, less acid, is more rounded, and boasts a higher value of extracts and phenolic substances, which make it a wine with body and structure. According to the regulations, it must be refined for at least one year.

Producers interpret Valpolicella Superiore in different ways, especially as regards the choice of the production technique: selection of grapes and vineyards, slight drying of the grapes, use of repassing and 'governing' techniques. These elements, together with the different refining methods (large barrels or barriques) put on the market Valpolicella Superiore wines with characteristics that can be very different: from wines with fruity, fresh and intense tones, to wines highly redolent of Recioto-Amarone, through to wines with tertiary evolutions, with mineral perfumes and goudron (tar).

Valpolicella Superiore originates from the zone north east of Verona, but mainly from the Illasi Valley. The grapes are 70% Corvina, 15 per cent Rondinella, and 15 % Corvina. The alcoholic strength is 12.5%. The characteristics of Valpolicella Superiore are a ruby red colour, tending to garnet, with an intense nose of marasca cherry as well as undergrowth, spices, and vanilla. Well bodied, sapid, smooth and with a well balanced structure, Valpolicella Superiore combines well with flavoured pasta and risotto dishes, mutton cutlets, ripe cheeses and mixed meat cuts. It should be served at a temperature of 16 to 18°C. The grapes are first of all lightly crushed, with a reaction if skins are present. Fermentation occurs at controlled temperature and lasts from 10 to 12 days, during which must is pumped over grape dregs to encourage the extraction of polyhydric phenols and colouring substances. After fermentation and partial cleaning, Valpolicella Superiore is put into steel tanks for malolactic fermentation. The wine is then put into barriques for about 12 months, before it is assembled and bottled. This is followed by in-bottle refining for 6 or 7 months.

Recioto

Recioto is a wine from a very ancient tradition. It is produced in the hills of the Verona province, from Garganega and Trebbiano di Soave grapes. The hills of origin are those of the municipalities of Soave, Monteforte d'Alpone, San Martino Buon Albergo, Mezzane di Sotto, Roncà, Montecchia di Corsara, S. Giovanni Ilarione, Cazzano di Tramigna, Colognola ai Colli, Illasi and Lavagno.

Recioto is a word originating from the local dialect and derives from "recia", the high part of the Garganega bunch, the best nourished part and best exposed to the sun. Before picking, the best bunches are selected, and are then placed to dry on wickerwork shelves. While the grapes are resting, they are constantly observed and cleaned from four to six months until mashing begins. During this period, a fine mould forms, which gives Recioto its typical aroma. Recioto was the first wine to boast the much sought after DOCG mark, and Italian acronym meaning Controlled and Guaranteed Denomination of Origin.

Recioto Classico is strictly Recioto di Soave, the most highly considered wine, with a brilliant golden yellow colour, also much admired as a sparkling wine. The Recioto di Soave DOCG refers to about 1,500 hectares of hilly vineyards, expected to produce about 2,500 hectolitres, equal to about 330 thousand bottles. If we consider that - due to the type of weather - not all harvests are suitable to obtain an excellent Recioto, this wine can be considered a prestigious rarity of Italian wine production. Recioto combines very well with the traditional Verona pandoro and, in general, with all dry confectionery. Recioto is excellent also for accompanying ripe Monte Veronese type cheeses.

Recioto di Gambellara is instead a sparkling wine obtained from grapes with a total minimum alcoholic strength of 10.5° and if put on sale at an alcoholic strength of 11.5°, it can qualify as a Recioto Superiore. Gambellara DOC can be assigned to Recioto and Vin Santo wines obtained from grapes left to dry, in order to take the wines up to an overall natural alcoholic strength of 12° for Recioto and of 14° for Vin Santo. The maximum yield of grapes in wine must not exceed 40%.

White Recioto from Gambellara comes from the same Gambellara grapes. Its delicate dry taste is obtained from the vinification method: selected bunches are cut before harvest and left to dry in a ventilated room, combined with groups supported by string called "picai", hung on beams of attics, in the cellar or wherever there is free well-ventilated space. The grapes are then pressed in mid-winter and fermentation is slow, also due to the low temperatures, all of which enables Recioto to keep its very special perfume. Recioto di Gambellara is an excellent companion of raw shell fish and desserts, especially oysters with lemon, raw mussels, cheeses and cakes. It is served at a temperature from 6 to 10 degrees and keeps for a long time.

Amarone

Amarone is a relatively recent wine, officially on the market for only fifty years ago, but it is already high on the list of national production, because it boasts a specificity that cannot be imitated. Amarone is derived from the adjective amaro (bitter), to distinguish it from Recioto, from which it originated, albeit involuntarily.

Legend has it that a producer, in an attempt to obtain Recioto from Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara dried grapes, forgot the wine in a barrel, which continued to ferment until it lost its sweetness, as the sugars had transformed into alcohol. A wine called Amarone was created by this method. When discovered, Amarone was not immediately perfect but, for a long time, it was rather a chance production. Amarone was often still sweet, but had a final almond taste, which was often the result of a Recioto lot whose fermentation had gone beyond the control of the producer. The first Amarone label dates back to 1938, whereas official commercialisation began in 1953.

The grapes to be used for Amarone are selected at harvesting time in early October. To produce Amarone, only the spurry bunches are chosen, i.e. with the grape berries not too close to each other, to allow the air to circulate well. These small dark nuggets are distributed on plateaux, which are large wooden cases, nowadays almost always replaced by perforated plastic, for ventilation and to guarantee quicker washing after use. Drying in the fruit-stores (ventilated rooms usually above the dwellings and cellars) lasts about 120 days, sometimes more, according to the water content of the grapes. In fact, the water disappears from the grape berries during drying, leaving the sugars almost intact. At this stage, the bunches lose a considerable part of their weight: Corvina grapes from 35 to 45 per cent, Molinara from 30 to 40 per cent, Rondinella from 27 to 40 per cent. At the end of January, the skins are mashed (pressed) and slowly macerated. Fermentation at low temperatures lasts from 40 to 50 days.
At the end of this process, if less than 4 grams of sugar are present in a litre of wine, the wine can be defined Amarone; if the quantity exceeds 4 grams, the wine thus obtained is a Recioto. The minimum alcoholic strength of an Amarone must reach 14°proof. At least two years must elapse from vinification to bottling, starting from 1st December of the harvest year; four years from 1st November of the grape production year, for the Amarone Riserva variety. The current production regulations specify that the mixture of grapes should mainly be composed of Corvina (from 40 to 70 per cent), Rondinella (from 20 to 40 per cent) and Molinara (from 5 to 25 per cent).

Amarone is an excellent companion of autumn and winter foods: braised meat, stews, casseroles and roasts. Amarone is a red wine which can also accompany important dishes such as game an roast meats, but also salami, ripe cheeses and dishes typical of the Verona tradition, e.g. "pasta e fasoi" (pasta and beans). And of course, we should not forget the famous risotto all'Amarone.

Amarone of Valpolicella is one of the leading wines of Italy's production, because of its inimitable specificity, great quality and a well ramified links with its area.

Verona Apartments, Farm Holidays, Bed and Breakfast, Country House Hotels, Residencies in Verona, Valpolicella, and Lake Garda,

advise all those wishing to enjoy the wines of Valpolicella to find accommodation in the following structures:

San Ciriaco Relais Country House Hotel and Bed and Breakfast for Farm Holidays in Verona Valpolicella (Italy): the ideal place for those wishing to stay in a completely relaxed and reserved manner, in a hilly zone immersed in greenery.

Residenza San Tomaso furnished apartments for rent B&B in central Verona for those looking to go to the opera or cinema, or to go shopping on the streets of central Verona, walking around in comfort.