Valpolicella Red Wine

In 1968 Italy declared Valpolicella a DOC wine and the government thus created an official zone of origin and in the process specified specific grape varieties that could only be used for the production of the Valpolicella Red Wine. The approved territory became much larger than the wine’s original zone and the resulting production of Red Wines labeled Valpolicella more than doubled. The best examples of Valpolicella Red Wine were, and still are, produced from grapes grown in the original territory which is located North of the city of Verona.

The home of Valpolicella is in northeastern Italy, and has a relatively cool climate, which directly influences the type of red wines produced here. Valpolicella is traditionally a light to medium bodied wine, with high acidity, medium color, a rather low alcohol percentage and aromas and flavors similar to tart cherries. It is naturally low in tannin, and producers tend not to enhance its tannin by aging the wine in French oak barrels; for most Valpolicellas the oak would dominate the wine and mask its fresh fruitiness, Valpolicella's low tannin makes it easy drinking when the wine is young. Valpolicella is at its best in its first five years; with age it becomes tired.

There are two typical types of Valpolicella Red Wine, Classico and Amarone. Valpolicella Classico is made from a blend of three red grape varieties native to the production zone: Corvina, Molinara and Rondinella. The Corvina grape is the dominant grape variety, and most of the better Valpolicellas contain up to 70 percent Corvina grape in their blends. Some producers use left over grape skins from their Amarone Red Wine production to make a variation of Valpolicella called ripasso. By adding the used Amarone skins to an already fermented Valpolicella Red Wine, they induce a second fermentation in the Valpolicella and create a Red Wine with higher alcohol content, and a somewhat richer, more interesting wine.

The other main Red Wine made in the Valpolicella zone, made from the same three grapes as the Classico is the renowned Amarone. In the case of Amarone Red Wine, the grapes are dried before fermentation which concentrates the sugars and makes a richer, more powerful Red Wine than the Classico Valpolicella. Because of its concentrated tannins Amarones Valpolicella can age longer than Classico, sometimes for decades. Amarone Valpolicella is considered a great wine, worthy of connoisseurs, but Valpolicella Classico is easier to drink and more flexible with food at the dinner table.

Valpolicella Red Wine is great with pizza, any pasta dishes that incorporate tomato sauce and most Italian seafood antipasto dishes. The high acidity in the wine complements tomato sauces and pairs well with seafood too. It should be served slightly cool, about 60 to 63 degrees.