Valley of many cellars

The Valpolicella area (Latin vallis poli cellae, valley of many cellars) lies east of Lake Garda and north of Verona in the Italian region of Veneto. It is geographically divided into three zones: Valpolicella Classico, Valpolicella Valpantena and Valpolicella Orientale. Only red wines are produced, which are often rather light-bodied and are drunk young. However, the top wines have much more potential and can mature gracefully. A selection of wines presented by the Consorzio tutela dei vini della Valpolicella in the run-up to this year's ProWein international wine fair during a lunch at the Rossini restaurant in Düsseldorf emphasised the fact that they also make excellent accompaniments to food.

The 2019 Valpolicella Ripasso Classico Superiore Campedel from the three brothers Giovanni, Giuseppe and Martino Aldrighetti, who founded the Azienda Agricola Gamba in 2003, was served as an aperitif. The family cultivates 15 hectares of terraced vineyards in Valpolicella Classico at an altitude of 300 metres above sea level. The grapes for the Ripasso come partly from double pergolas and partly from Guyot vineyards. Ripasso means repetition or second passage. For this, the finished red wine is added to the pomace of an Amarone and achieves a higher concentration through a second fermentation set in motion by sugar and yeast residues contained in the berry skins of the pomace. Despite its rich cherry and plum flavours, the Ripasso Campedel is anything but ponderous or overloaded. A successful start.

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The first course of the menu, tuna cheeks in a puffed potato coating with smoked oyster and lemon angel, was accompanied by the 2021 Valpolicella Classico from Monte Castelon. The Tommasi family winery is committed to organic viticulture and cultivates vineyards at an altitude of between 400 and 530 metres. The Valpolicella Classico comes from a vineyard planted in the so-called Pergola Veronese system: vertical poles support a slightly sloping roof structure, over which iron wires are passed to help the vines grow. Despite its good concentration, it has a surprisingly moderate alcohol content of only 12 %.

This was followed by Riso Vialone Nano Veronese in three layers of Parmigiano Regginao with Valpolicella jelly and the 2020 “Campo selce” Valpolicello Superiore from Contrada Palui. Hans Karl Pichler, who comes from South Tyrol, works organically both in the vineyard and in the cellar. His vineyards above Verona, which lie between 500 and 540 metres above sea level, are characterised by limestone, basalt and flint. As the name of the wine suggests, the “Campo selce” comes from a vineyard that is particularly rich in flint. Pichler ages the wine in medium-toasted French oak tonneaux and handmade clay amphorae.

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For the next course, cod cooked in olive oil with fermented black garlic, caviar sauce and salicornia seaweed, the wine of choice was the 2021 Valpolicella Superiore from Lavagnoli. It was not until 2015 that the Lavagnolis decided to process the grapes from their vineyards into wine themselves. The family chose the great spotted woodpecker as a symbol, from which the village of Pigozzo (“Pigosso” stands for the woodpecker in the Veronese dialect) takes its name. Only the ripest and healthiest grapes are selected for the Valpolicella Superiore and lightly dried for 10 to 14 days before pressing. The wine is aged for 12 months in third-used French tonneaux. The production is limited to around 2400 bottles.

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The 2019 “Montegradella” Valpolicella Classico Superiore from Santa Sofia was at its best with three-course royal quail, Valpolicella Ripasso reduction sauce with spring truffles, olive oil and chervil emulsion, potato mousse with Asiago. The winery looks back on a tradition dating back to 1811 and, with around 70 hectares of vineyards, is one of the large producers in Valpolicella. Part of the annual production comes from grape purchases. The “Montegradella” is traditionally matured in oak barrels, where it remains for around 18 months until bottling. Despite its full body with aromas of prune and cherry, it cannot deny a certain elegance. Its high-quality tannins suggest that it will mature favourably over several years. The 2019 is now approaching its peak, but should remain at its high level for another five years.

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As a pre-dessert, Asiago cheese in various degrees of ripeness with Amarone and onion marmalade was paired with a 2015 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico from Secondo Marco. For an Amarone, ripe grapes are dried for at least 100 days. During this process, the grapes lose between a third and half of their weight. The alcohol content of the matured red wines is correspondingly high. The drying of the grapes can give an Amarone a slightly sweet flavour. However, it is basically dry. In the past, the volatile acidity of Amarone, which was feared as a wine defect, was still part of good taste, but the style of the wines has changed significantly in recent years. Thanks to the processing of ripe (and no longer overripe) grapes, modern Amarone wines, including Secondo Marco's, are no longer rustic and ponderous, but show complexity.

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Similar to Amarone, the grapes for Recioto are also dried. The production process is the same as for straw wine. The grapes must remain in a special drying facility for at least 120 days. In contrast to Amarone, Recioto is a sweet wine that can be a suitable accompaniment to desserts. The 2016 Recioto della Valpolicella from Rubinelli Vajol went very well with peanut parfait with cocoa crumble and vanilla olive oil.

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