Displaying items by tag: Amarone

The wines of Valpolicella dance across the tongue with the same lift and loveliness as the name itself. Ideal with humble pastas as well as lighter red meats and game birds, it is well-suited to the table. As the  more modest bottling of the Valpolicella region, it is largely (and unfairly) overlooked among Italian reds these days.

Valpolicella is the so-called “everyday” red wine of the eponymous production zone that is situated just north of the city of Verona, and extends west and east of the city. Other reds here include the iconic Amarone della Valpolicella as well as Ripasso, a wine made via a method of refermentation and remaceration, in which a Valpolicella is “repassed” over the skins of grapes used for Amarone.

Summary: 

Amarone relies on one of the world’s oldest winemaking techniques which results in some of the world’s most delicious wine. Through a combination of natural factors and human intervention the indigenous Corvina grape and cast of supporting varieties gives us several different styles of Amarone. 

Join Valpolicella wine specialist Deborah Parker Wong for a webinar that reveals some of the secrets of Valpolicella’s Amarone DOCG.

Presenter: Deborah Parker Wong

Deborah Parker Wong, DWSET is Global Wine Editor for SOMM Journal, The Tasting and Clever Root magazines and was recently appointed California Editor for the Slow Food Slow Wine Guide.

She teaches as an adjunct professor in the Wine Studies departments at Santa Rosa Junior College, Napa Valley College and Cabrillo College and owns a Wine & Spirit Education Trust school offering Level 2 and Level 3 certifications.

In addition to writing and speaking about wine, Deborah consults to producer groups, judges wine competitions and scores wine for Planet Grape Wine Review. Her motto is: To learn, read. To know, write. To master, teach.

Summary: 

The technique of allowing grapes to dry out and shrivel up after harvest and before vinification is an ancient one that dates back to the early stages of serious wine-making in places like Mesopotamia, Greece and Italy via the Ancient Romans. And nowhere else in the world is this practice as alive and well today as it is in Italy.

In this session we’ll investigate the early origins of this practice and the reasons behind it.

Then, pausing for a quick look at the wine called Commandaria from Cyprus that is a very early and still extant example, we’ll flash forward to a survey of wines that continue to be produced by this technique today, both dry and sweet, including Recioto della Valpolicella and Amarone, Sfursat/Sforzato (nebbiolo from the Valtellina, Lombardy), Erbaluce di Caluso, Malanotte del Piave (Raboso), Sciacchetrà (Cinque Terre, Liguria), and/or Vin Santo (Tuscany).

We’ll take a look at the various grape varieties, the origins of the local traditions, the terroir, a representative producer or two, and food pairings. Specific examples chosen for discussion will be the ones deemed most interesting and representative.

Presenter: Alan Tardi

The best way to make sense of Italian red wines is to simply start tasting them. Italy offers the perfect red wine for every occasion—from pizza on Monday to roast beef with the in-laws on Sunday.

Many of Italy's best red wines are labeled with the name of the wine appellation, often combined with the grape variety. If you've ever felt wholly overwhelmed while browsing an Italian wine section, knowing just a few key wine names will help keep your shopping trip focused and ensure that you have the perfect wine to drink at a moment's notice.