Italy | Valpolicella

Valpolicella is one of the most prestigious wine-making regions in Italy and has been dedicated to wine-making since ancient times. It is located in the eastern part of Veneto, between Verona and Lake Garda, with its boundary demarcated to the north by the Lessini mountains.

The area referred to as ‘Valpolicella Classico’, which is most suited to the production of high-quality, prestigious wines due to its altitude, lies within the boundaries of just 5 towns: Sant’Ambrogio, San Pietro in Cariano, Fumane, Marano and Negrar.

The area is characterised by a series of valleys crossed by ‘progni’ - small, torrential water courses - and is steeped in history and culture with ancient parish churches, Renaissance villas and important examples of rural architecture dotted throughout the region.

The red wine known as Valpolicella is typically made from three grape varieties: Corvina Veronese, Rondinella, and Molinara. A variety of wine styles are produced in the area, including the 'Appassimento' style Amarone della Valpolicella and its sweet counterpart Recioto. Appassimento is a process of making wine which involves drying the grapes after harvest in the winery - which concentrates the sugars, flavour compounds, and acidity - before pressing. The time of pressing is dictated by the Valpolicella consortium so that a desired minimum level of concentration is achieved. Wines made by this process have an increase in alcohol and/or sweetness due to the loss of water.

Most basic Valpolicellas' are light, fragrant table wines produced in a novello style and released only a few weeks after harvest.

Valpolicella Classico is made from grapes grown in the original Valpolicella production zone, whilst Valpolicella Superiore is aged for at least one year and has an alcohol content of at least 12 percent.

Valpolicella 'Ripasso' is a form of Valpolicella Superiore made using the 'Ripasso' winemaking technique. This involves a secondary fermentation whereby the pomace from Amarone, still rich in fermentable sugar, is introduced to the new Valpolicella wine. This increases the alcohol of the wine and at the sametime enriches the flavours. The 'Ripasso' process is often confused with 'Appassimento', which is an entirely separate process, but is a prerequisite for Ripasso, as the rich pomace is required for the re-fermentation to occur.