Valpolicella: there is nothing better than an autumn tour in this beautiful landscape, enjoying a glass of wine paired with the right dish.
The harvest between the rows of Corvina and Rondinella
Before leaving with us to get to know the territory of one of the finest Italian wines, Amarone della Valpolicella, we invite you to look at the geographical map of the area. Starting from a clarification: even if currently the Consortium for the Protection of Valpolicella Wines includes in the production area of the appellation two other areas defined as the DOC Zone and the Valpantena Zone, we wanted to totally dedicate ourselves to the Classic Zone, that is, the one that includes the municipalities of Sant’Ambrogio di Valpolicella, San Pietro in Cariano, Fumane, Marano di Valpolicella and Negrar.
On the map this, which is the oldest land where the denomination was born and some of the most historic wineries are located, has the shape of a large drop that extends from the Lessini Mountains, on the border with Trentino, to its most wide between Sant’Ambrogio and Negrar where the territory of San Pietro in Cariano is wedged. Precisely in this area, in the hamlet of Castelrotto, we spent our stay at Villa Betteloni, also called Villa dei Poeti, guests of Vittorio Betteloni, owner and descendant of this ancient family, who not only offered us his exquisite welcome but he also gave us a very special help in organizing our tour in the wonders of this land, among churches, cellars, delicacies and encounters.
Already looking at the map, you immediately realize how small the Valpolicella Classica area is, a unique place, where the cultivation of the three vines, Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella, is concentrated, from which excellent wines are obtained in four types: Valpolicella, Valpolicella Superiore, Amarone and Recioto, to which Ripasso is added which already in the name suggests the technique with which Valpolicella Superiore undergoes a second short fermentation together with the skins of the grapes used for Amarone.
Our advice? Begin to approach these nectars starting from the “base”, that is from Valpolicella, the simplest and lightest wine, produced with fresh grapes, pressed and fermented immediately after the harvest and bottled shortly after. An ideal companion for our first dinner at Osteria La Cooperativa in Pedemonte, where at Enrico’s suggestion we paired it with a platter of local cold cuts and cheeses with exquisite giardiniera produced by the family, which immediately ended up among our travel souvenirs. The pleasant and fresh taste also held up well in comparison with polenta with rabbit sweetbreads in saor and tortelli and the second with guinea fowl.
We wanted to taste a Valpolicella Superiore on the legendary hand-rolled pasta as in the past by Pierina of the Caprini family’s restaurant in two versions, stuffed and tagliolini, followed by Venetian liver and beef cheek braised in Valpolicella. Do not miss the spectacle of the lady who rolls out the dough, elastic and thin enough to let the light pass through, as if it were a large blanket on a table at the entrance to the restaurant on the first floor overlooking the church of Torbe.
Ripasso, a wine that we liked very much and that is halfway between Valpolicella Superiore and Amarone, of which it shows olfactory characteristics and a soft and round taste in the mouth, was the wine of our meeting with Andrea Gonzato di Improntenelmondo who until now we only knew virtually. It was nice to talk about each other around the well-set table of Cà dei Maghi in Fumane, where we met for dinner, including Otto of course!
Amarone? We have tasted several times this wine, produced only from the best grapes that are dried in crates in the lofts and then aged in wooden barrels for at least two years and we will tell you in detail these sublime experiences.
The most unique? The one in Zeno Zignoli’s Monte dei Ragni cellar, where Amarone was accompanied by aged cheese and many fascinating talks about vineyards, wine, biodynamic agriculture and even the right moon for bottling. We tell you everything in #Incontri: we only anticipate that the bottle of Amarone that Zeno uncorked for us was not his.
He does not have any at the moment and will bottle the wine that now rests in the barrel at the end of this year and then put it on the market in 2023: we have placed ourselves on the waiting list to be able to have the privilege of being among the buyers of his precious bottles, no more than five – six thousand a year, which reach all countries of the world!
A reference also to Recioto, a sweet and refined wine made from grapes that has undergone a drying process, but by means of a shorter fermentation than Amarone. We also have tasty anecdotes about this wine that Vittorino told us during the tasting at Vigneto dei Salumi and of which we will soon share with you. Finally: in Valpolicella there is so much more to do than eat well and drink better and we are ready to tell you about it in the next post.
