Valpolicella Wine Region

Valpolicella is a valley by Lake Garda near Verona in Northeast Italy.

Wines

The wines from this area range from light style Valpolicella to strong style Amarone and dessert wine Recioto.

The typical DOC grape varieties in Valpolicella are Corvina Veronese, Rondinella, and Molinara.

The 4 Valpollicella Wine Styles:

  1. Valpolicella indicates light, fragrant wines produced in a Vino Novello style, similar to Beaujolais Nouveau and released only a few weeks after harvest (out for sale on 30 October).
  2. Ripasso is a Valpolicella Superiore wine made with both fresh and dried grapes. The grape skins that have been left over from the fermentation of Amarone or Recioto add flavors like baked fruit, cedar, and tobacco to the new grapes.
  3. Amarone is made with dehydrated grapes to add full body, cherry, plum, and pine resin notes. This wine was born out of a mistake:
    Recioto was left to ferment too long, resulting in a dry wine that became Valpolicella`s star.
  4. Recioto is the historical-traditional sweet wine from this valley, dating back to Roman times.