Valentina Cubi (Fumane) ORGANIC
We first tasted (and were wowed by) Valentina Cubi’s Valpolicellas and Amarone in the wonderful Enoteca della Valpolicella in Fumane, just east of Lake Garda, twelve years ago.
Valentina’s father-in-law Federico Vasan was a big name in Negrar in the neighbouring valley until he sold his wine business in World War 2. Valentina and her husband Giancarlo Vasan found and bought an old winery in Fumane which produced and sold wine in bulk. They were trying to restore it but the building fell down when a worker accidentally knocked down a supporting wall. A complete rebuild was necessary.
If you think Valpolicella is simply a crunchy, harsh red to choke down with a pizza, you may be surprised by the elegance and complexity of Valentina’s wines. Her basic Valpolicella Classico, Iperico, is 75% Corvina with 25% Rondinella and is organic from the 2011 vintage. Her Valpolicella Classico Superiore, Il Tabarro is a blend of Corvina 65%, Rondinella 25% and Molinara 10%. Part of the distinctive flavour of high quality Valpolicella comes from being fermented on the skins of previously crushed grapes. Arusnatico is the Ripasso, the same blend as her Superiore but then the wine is “re-passed” over grape must. Her 2005 evokes autumn bonfires and late autumn fruit. Top of the line is Morar, her Amarone. The best grapes are selected from the best bunches, laid onto screens and allowed to turn into raisins. In January the raisins are crushed and fermented as normal after which the wine spends a year in barrels and a further year in big botti.
Le Ragose (Negrar di Valpolicella)
Le Ragose has been on our radar for many years. We have enjoyed their Valpolicella Superiore and Amarone many times at Enoteca della Valpolicella in Fumane. It was time to visit. Little did we know that they were at the top of a hill with clutch-melting gradients and narrow lanes. How did they get all their tanks and botti up there? That’s a lot of clutches to replace. Meanwhile, the wines are delicious. Thanks for the warm welcome to Marta Galli and her father Paolo.
In 1969 Marta’s grandparents, Arnaldo and Marta, bought 30 hectares of land, at the highest point in the appellation (DOCG), running from 250 to 400m above sea level. In 1969 there were 18 growers in the area, today there are 400!
The history of Amarone is much shorter than Recioto, its associated dessert wine. The first bottle of Amarone was made in 1938 but it wasn’t until 1953 that it became a recognised style. Recioto, on the other hand, can trace its history back to the 2nd century BC, when it was first mentioned as Retica, a full-flavoured red wine from the hills north of Verona. The rumoured invention of Amarone may have been a forgotten barrel of sweet Recioto which continued to ferment until dry.
Amarone uses the Appassimento method. At Le Ragose this involves harvesting ripe grapes in September and laying the bunches directly in crates. The crates are then kept in a well-ventilated drying room called fruttaio for around 120 days, in which time they lose up to 50% of their volume, concentrating the sugars, which explains the high alcohol levels of the finished wines. In January the grapes are pressed and fermented with wild yeasts for 20-30 days. The wine is then aged in traditional big Slavonian oak botti (casks) for 7-8 years. the results are impressive: beautiful nose, balanced, rich, deep. Prototypical Amarone.
At the other end, the Valpolicella Classico is bright and breezy, fragrant and light. The Ripasso is the result of classic Ripasso technique: the Valpolicella harvested in September/October is refermented in January on the lees of the Amarone. It absorbs 10-20% of the Amarone and produces a wine with some of the components of Amarone but with a lighter, fresher mouthfeel. Delicious.
The Valpolicella Classico Superiore Le Sassine also benefits from Amarone but in a different way. Le Sassine grapes have a partial Appassimento (the drying of the grapes) of 2-3 weeks. Fabulous wine.
Roberto Mazzi (Negrar)
“Have you got any Amarone?” When the weather turns snowy and wintry many think about Amarone, the rich, deep and very alcoholic red from near Verona in northeast Italy. Yes, we have Amarone. When we first visited bear-like Roberto Mazzi and his sons a decade ago, we were invited to eat in their agriturismo restaurant, an informal weekend restaurant. It was one of those 8 course meals you think you may not survive. We were in trouble long before the climax of the savoury courses, their signature Risotto with Amarone. And having finally managed to choke that delicious plate down (just), a soup appeared (soup, after main course?)…and then dessert. It was a gourmet emergency.
They make two Amarones; Punta di Villa, the more elegant of the two (if you can describe a 16% wine as elegant- more like a boxing glove made from eider feathers?), the other, Castel doesn’t pull any punches. Then two beautifully breezy, survivable, truly elegant Valpolicella Classico Superiores; Sanperetto and their Cru, Poiega. Both made from 70% Corvina, 25% Rondinella and 5% Molinara, high-class, elegant Valpolicella evocative of sour cherries, bitter almonds, violets and pepper. They also make a delicious red dessert wine, Recioto della Valpolicella called Le Calcarole. If you need a wine for a chocolate dessert, look no further.
Bosco del Merlo (Annone Veneto) ORGANIC
The Paladin family have been making organic wines under their Bosco del Merlo label for many years. Their organic Prosecco is a perennial favourite here at The Winery. Carlo and Milly Paladin have a spread of vines over the flat plains at Annone Veneto north-east of Venice, the Alps visible in the background. It’s an area rich with Roman history – the old Roman road, the via Postumia runs right by the estate. The wider Paladin family, which includes Carlo’s brother and sister, never seem to let the grass grow below their feet, frequently introducing new wines such as a refined, chocolatey Malbec (called Malbech locally) and a spicy, aromatic Traminer which seems to have adjusted to the clay-heavy soil on the estate.
They also seem keen to snap up estates in other areas. They bought Castello Bonomi in Franciacorta, widely held to be the best area for sparkling wine in Italy. They didn’t stop there and also scooped up a Tuscan estate – Castelvecchi in Radda, in the Chianti Classico Zone near Siena. We are fans of their very sleek, plush Capotondo Chianti Classico.
**PROSECCO UPDATE**
The Paladins have stopped producing their Tapo Spago (the one with the cork and a piece of string). Over the past couple of years we have gently moved on to their fabulous vintage Prosecco Millesimato in the stylish, dumpy bottle (a shape gently evocative of Ruinart Blanc de Blancs).
The family released a Rose Spumante Brut, in the same stylish, dumpy bottle, which has also been very well-received by us all over the past 3 years or so. The Rose is made from Glera (a synonym for the Prosecco grape) with a splash of Pinot Noir. We all knew it was a Prosecco Rose but no-one was allowed to call it that. Finally the regulations have caught up and since late 2020 Prosecco Rose is legal.
