Talk-A-Vino

During 2011 I wrote a number of posts for the project called The Art Of Life Magazine – of course talking about my favorite subject, wine. The project closed, but I still like the posts I wrote, so I decided to re-post them in this blog. Also, in that project, posts were grouped into mini-series, such as “Best Hidden Secrets” you see here – I will continue re-posting them from time to time.

Also note that the series was written for a slightly different audience – I hope none of my readers will take offense in the fact that sometimes I’m stating the obvious…

Continuing our “secrets” series, let’s talk about wine called Amarone. The reason to include Amarone as one of the “secrets” of the wine world is simple – I don’t think too many wine lovers know how great Amarone can be, to ask for it by name. I guarantee you – if you like wine, and you will happen to come across a good bottle of Amarone, it will blow you away. And, assuming that many wine lovers are not familiar with Amarone, let’s talk about it starting from the basics.

Amarone is an Italian wine which comes from the region called Veneto. Among [well] known wines produced in Veneto (which has the biggest wine production among all DOCs in Italy) are Prosecco, Soave and Valpolicella. While Prosecco is a famous Italian Sparkling wine, Soave makes dry white wines, and most of Valpolicella wines are red. Main grape varieties used in Valpolicella are Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara, plus there are some other grapes which are used in production of Valpolicella wines.

Amarone is one of the wines produced in Valpolicella. What is so special about it? Let me tell you about my first experience with Amarone. I tried that wine for the first time during the Italian wine class at Windows on the World Wine School, taught by Kevin Zraly. On the nose, that wine had pure raisins, and lots of them. Based on the smell, I was absolutely sure that the wine will be very sweet. The first sip of that wine showed off very dry, full bodied and powerful red wine. The contrast of smell and taste was so amazing – it stuck in my head forever. As an interested side note, once we all smelled the wine, Kevin Zraly asked the class (about 100 students) what we’re thinking about when we smell the wine. Before anyone else had a chance to say anything, the woman in the front row literally jumped from her seat screaming “Sex!”.  In case anyone curious, the wine we tasted in that class was 1997 Le Ragose Amarone della Valpolicella.

Outside of such an interesting reflections, what puts Amarone apart from many wines is the way it is made. Once the grapes are harvested, they are put out on the straw mats (used to be straw mats, now there are other techniques) to dry under the sun. The drying process, called Appassimento, usually takes between 3 and 4 month, and leads to the grapes shrivel to literally become raisins – and then those shriveled grapes are pressed and fermented to become Amarone wines. Another interesting fact is that after the grapes are pressed for Amarone wines, the grape skin and seeds leftovers can be added to the Valpolicella wines, which helps to impart additional flavor onto the resulting wine. The wines produced using this method will be called Ripasso which will be designated on the wine label.

It is the time to open a bottle. Today we will actually open 3 bottles, all three from the same producer called Vaona, and we will be able to compare the way the wines are made and taste, progressing from Valpolicella Ripasso to Amarone of different levels.

The first wine is 2008 Vaona Valpolicella Classico Superiore Pegrandi Ripasso (Pegrandi Ripasso means that it used the grape skins left after production of Pegrandi Amarone). This wine is a blend of Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella and Molinara grapes and it was aged for a year in a barrel and 4 month in the bottle. The resulting wine is very smooth and concentrated, with lots of dark fruit and spices on the palate.

Our next wine is 2007 Vaona Paverno Amarone della Valpolicella Classico. It is made of the same grapes as the Vlapolicella wine (Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella and Molinara). After the grapes were harvested, they were dried up in the wooden boxes for a period of 3 month, and then made into the wine. This wine is very nice and round, reminiscent of Charles Mara Pinot Noir, both in soft and round style and in masterful handling of the alcohol. This wine boasts 15.6% alcohol, and outside of reading the label, that level of alcohol can not be detected neither on the nose, nor on the palate – this is how balanced the wine is. The wine is showing some blueberries and a bit of tobacco notes on the palate.

And now we can talk about the flagship wine – 2006 Vaona Pegrandi Amarone della Valpolicella Classico. The grapes for this wine come from the vineyard called Pegrandi, where the average age of vines is 30-40 years. The same Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella and Molinara are used in the production of the wine, with an addition of local indigenous grape called Raboso Veronese. Once harvested, grapes are dried on the bamboo racks for more than 4 month before they are made into the wine. The resulting wine was aged for 24 month in the small barrels before the release. Again, the wine is incredibly smooth and balanced, regardless of  the 15.8% of alcohol. On the nose, it shows fruit jam and dark chocolate. It is extremely rich on the palate, with lots of dark fruit and dark chocolate notes, powerful tannins and hint of tar and tobacco – and then more tannins. This wine should truly be experienced – describing it using words doesn’t do a true justice to it.

I really hope that once you read this article, you will run into the wine store, and ask for the best bottle of Amarone – this wine should be really experienced, and who knows – you might find your wine love forever.

P.S. This post was also prompted by the recent post on Vino in Love blog about best wines from the latest Gambero Rosso (famous Italian wine guide) and his rant about Amarone at the end of the post.