Valpolicella is a beautiful fruity and tangy red wine from the Veneto region west of Venice. Valpolicella is a complex blend of three regional grape varieties – corvina, molinara and rondinella – which are rarely found outside the region. Each grape brings its unique qualities to the blend, creating a balanced wine with top notes of tart cherry and red berries layered with plums, pomegranate, cocoa and spice. Valpolicella is designed in five styles starting with valpolicella classico, the simplest style. Valpolicella superiore is aged longer, creating a concentrated wine with notes of dark fruit and spice.
There are three other styles, each increasing in complexity, depth of flavor and ripeness of fruit notes. For these styles, winemakers dry a variety of grapes on mats until lightly raisined, which densely concentrates flavors and sugars. These raisins are used to make Amarone della Valpolicella and make a rich, viscous wine with tremendous depth of flavor and notes of pepper, leather, cocoa, and dried and candied fruit. The valpolicella superiore ripasso juice is mixed with the rest of the pressed and dried grapes of the amarone. The final style is a dessert wine called recioto della valpolicella which is flavored with hazelnut molasses, maple sugar, dark chocolate and caramel tones.
Tommasi has been producing award-winning classic Valpolicella, Ripasso, Amarone and Recioto since 1902. Zenato operates some of the oldest vineyards in the region and is known for its prized grapes. Try both with grilled meats, pizzas, pastas, stews and prime ribs.
