A Valpolicella For All

I had never heard of Valpolicella until I embarked on my WSET (that’s Wine and Spirit Education Trust) classes. My teacher cited it early on as an easy drinking light red, but once in level three, we hit the northeast Italy chapter and learned of the Valpolicella iterations. There is the rich Amarone , the dessert-y Recioto , and the Goldilocks-reused-grape goddess Ripasso . And still, a lot of people think of Valpolicella as the light red. Which, btw I was tested on in one of my WSET blind tastings (and nailed), and it has been in my heart and my mind ever since—not sure if it’s Stockholm Syndrome or enlightenment, but gosh… I maintain that there is a Valpolicella for all, for people who proclaim, “I only drink such-and-such wine." Let us learn, drink, and vibe (and not be tested on it). But in case you are a nerd like me who arms oneself with information like its ammo, some fact-y facts: Valpolicella hails from the Veneto, in northeastern Italy where cooler climes and sea influence all play their parts. There are varied soils—the grapes from northern limestone and clay or volcanic soils yield higher acid and concentrated wines. In the south, sand and gravel create lighter wines. Corvina and Corvinone are the most used (and oft required) grapes—yet they are not related, which is confusing given that Corvinone basically means “big Corvina.” But whatevs, Italy, you do you! Corvina boasts fresh red fruit, violet, and herbs, bringing low levels of tannins and juicy acidity. Plus, its thick skins make it a shoo-in for the region's appassamento (dried grape) wines. Corvinone brings in more red fruit and has a touch more in the tannin department. As for the non-Corvi grapes, Rondinella brings in more simple red fruit. Its ability to rack up the sugar level makes it popular for the Recioto style. Molinara is, I’m told, basically fake news at this point. It’s not required and scarcely used anymore, yet somehow, the textbooks still love to cite it, so I guess I will, too. Apparently, it creates light-colored and light-flavored wines, so… Okay, facty facts done. Let’s explore the four main Valpolicella iterations (all with potential subcategories): Valpolicella, Amarone, Recioto, and Ripasso. FOR COOL PEOPLE LOOKING FOR THE NEXT GREAT CHILLED RED: VALPOLICELLA DOC Valpolicella DOC can have several different designations—there’s the basic Valpolicella. Valpolicella Classico denotes it being from a handful of valleys on the west side of the region, closer to the influence of Lake Garda. The Valpolicella Valpantena (you can guess) comes from the Valpantena and is lauded as being on par with Classico. Superiore means there is extra alcohol, and it can be tagged onto any of the other iterations. People tend to think of basic Valpolicella as a light and uncomplicated wine, but it can be more complex, especially in some of the more serious iterations (see the Classico Superiore below). It reminds me of Beaujolais in its ability to have range. The lighter variations definitely can do a chill; the more serious ones can or cannot. It’s up to you! 2022 Allegrini Valpolicella This is light in color but not in aromas or flavors—ripe cherries veering into cherry cordial is its calling card, with an herbal undertow, a kiss of tea and woods keeping the ripeness from over-displaying. The tannins are super ripe and a little more than light, again countering the ripeness of the fruit. It's super fun, good quality, and excellent price. Also, the more air it gets, the juicier it gets. Put it in something like a Burgundy glass and get your swirl on. 2013 Sartori Montegradella Valpolicella Classico Superiore Gosh, did you know Valpolicella can age? This one is still rife with fresh-ousity—plenty of red fruit, violet and cedar vibing on the nose. The palate brings in more anise, even licorice, and a little strawberry fruit leather the age has ushered in. FOR HEDONISTS IN NEED OF A BUZZ: AMARONE DELLA VALPOLICELLA DOCG This singular wine is made via the appassamento process—i.e., the grapes are dried, in this case on mats known as fruittai, condensing the sugars. While they can be a tootsie pop of a wine, ideally in good ways (occasionally not), some of the more recent bottlings I’ve tried still come off as dry and savory, though at the same time rich. It, too, comes in Classico and Valpantena, and any of the iterations may get the tag of ‘Riserva,’ meaning it is aged longer. The minimum abv is 14%. There is no minimal sugar, but the baseline maximum is 9g/L, although more is allowed incrementally: for every .10 alcohol exceeding 14%, one more g/L is allowed, and over 16%, an extra .15 g/L sugar is allowed. Lordess knows if you are going to get crunk, you need sugar energy to get you going. Hey, it’s healthier than cocaine! I jest (ish). Please, kids, do Amarone, not drugs. 2018 Tenuta Sant’Antonio Antonio Castagnedi Amarone della Valpolicella DOC The nose gives chocolate, lard, purple plums and dried cherries coated in chocolate. And maybe a touch of VA? The palate dives deeper into the fruit, going into the blackberry and raspberry spectrum, which is more stewy and garnished with herbs and purple geode vibes. I am sorry, I have never licked a geode, but I imagine I would see this wine if I did. It finishes with dried black cherry and white chocolate, lightly spiced (white pepper and allspice) and herbed (lemon balm). So good. 2012 Bertani Amarone della Valpolicella Classico What a process for this princess! After being dried naturally (aka not under controlled temperature and humidity), it spent seven years in Slavonian cask and three years in bottle before making its way to market. It’s also the first release of Bertani Amarone under the guidance of Andrea Lonardi MW. And if you can’t trust an MW, then…well, trust me, this wine is very fine. Very youthful still, showing plenty of sappy red fruit, herbs and incense on the nose. It is a wine to put hair on your chest (or more hair if you have it already) at a heady 15% abv, but it manages this gracefully. It finishes with a brush of cocoa. Truly a treat. 2013 Pasqua Mai Dire Mai Amarone della Valpolicella Holy 16.5 abv batman! This selection is dry and delightful. Four months of drying. Aged in all French oak, 30% new wowww. It is remarkably savory, somehow chocolatey, but also bitter greens with saline and even a touch of rubber on the nose. On the palate, she’s a bossy b@#ch; the tannins are fine-grained but assertive. It manages to be ripe but not overtly dried or stewed, just rich, but then there’s acid and tannins that make the savory nature shine through. Gosh, it is good. I actually paired it with some hot Indian food. Despite the high abv, the refreshing acid and ripeness of fruit balanced well with the peppers—the earth and VA twirled with the food’s cumin and asafoetida (a pinch of the latter goes a long way), but WOW, it is fun to pair with savory-ripe wines). FOR THE SWEET TOOTH WITH GOOD TASTE: Recioto della Valpolicella DOCG This brings us to the truly sweet wine (although it can be made semi-sweet). Recioto-bound grapes dry in fruttai longer than Amarone and are not fermented to dryness. It can come in Classico, Valpantena and (surprise!) Spumante and Valpantena Spumante, but I have never encountered the latter two. This was my first Recioto della Valpolicella, and it’s a new favorite sweet treat. 2018 Bussola Recioto della Valpolicella Wow, wow, wow (oh, I said that above, but literally like, wow), it’s so just rightly rich. It is the correct in-between of stewed fruits and branches and a little barrel. Gorgeous. Sweet, but there is so much complexity of flavor and elegance there that it is actually a wine I struggle to describe. What a surprise, what a discovery. Life as a wine writer never gets old. FOR GOLDILOCKS: VALPOLICELLA RIPASSO DOC If forced to pick a favorite Valpolicella, I’d fall in the Ripasso camp. Fortunately, none of us are forced to make that decision. But. If I had to…Ripasso marries basic Valpolicella with Amarone. Is one too light? Is the other too heady? This is the middle child, and gosh, it is attuned to pleasing everyone. How, though, how? OMG, you guys. For all of you interested in reuse, this wine is for you. To make Ripasso, the used skins from pressed Amarone and/or are added to basic Valpolicella, adding a goodly dose of that dried skin complexity to the freshness. It’s such a grand thing. There are rules to ensure winemakers don’t skimp on the Amarone/Recioto essence—the Ripasso cannot be more than double the Amarone/Recioto made from skins. So if, say, 200 liters of Amarone were made from a batch of must, the leftover skins would be added to a max of 400 liters of base wine. It also comes in Classico, Valpantena and Superiore. 2020 Tenuta Sant’Antonio Monti Garbi Valpolicella Ripasso Superiore Supes fresh, red-fruited, spicy, and cedar on the nose. The body brings fine-grained tannins and that alluring combo of dried fruits: cranberry, strawberry, and raspberry marinating in the fresh tart juice of said fruits. All is overlayed with black tea and just a hint of bell pepper. Ugh, that is precisely what I love about Ripasso: richness lurks, but freshness prevails. 2020 La Ragose Valpolicella Ripasso Classico So talkative in the dried fruit realm—prunes, figs, dried cranberry and figs. The palate has a super texture, slightly grabby tannins but in the way you want to be grabbed, like at the end of a hug on a really good first date. GRAB ME, tannins! These do, but politely, and you want them to because they are fine-grained if assertive. The dried fruit plays nicely with cocoa powder and freeze-dried espresso granules (smell them, you’ll see). REALLY good. It grows more herbal with time, too. SHOWER VAL-OR What of these would accompany me into the spray? While I tend to veer towards refreshing in the hot spray, it is the seduction of EMOTIONALLY refreshing Recioto I’m taking this time. A shower and sweet wine ideally lead to sweet dreams. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Want to read more from Ellen? Check out her recent articles: Ellen in Lalaland: Atwater Village Voyage! The New Garagistes All the Cutwaters, All Lined Up BIANCO: An Italian Love Story Ode to Txakoli Bolt These for Beltane Lifting: a Rosé Story A Brief Tour of Armenia in Four Wines You can also listen to Ellen's podcast, The Wine Situation here . 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