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If you want to know what seduction tastes like, drink Amarone. Yes, I still think sparkling wines are all that and a can of corn, but a recent wine reminded me how wicked an Amarone (or Ripasso in this case) can be.

Don’t know what an Amarone is? That would be surprising considering most wine blog readers are oenophiles themselves, but I’ll provide the quick lesson. In the northeast of Italy lies a region called the Veneto. There within is Valpolicella, the home of four styles of wine:

• Valpolicella – soft, easy to drink reds made from a blend of Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara.
• Ripasso – a Valpolicella which has had the pomace (leftover skins) of Amarone and or Recioto wines used in the process.
• Amarone – a Valpolicella where the grapes are harvested later (early October) and then dried (traditionally on straw mats) to remove water and concentrate the sugars. One rumor has it this dry style was an accident discovered in making the last style of wine.
• Recioto – made like an Amarone, but left sweet.

Okay, so that is really basic, but hey, there are plenty of resources online for those who want to learn more. If you REALLY want to learn about Italian wines, I recommend Vino Italiano: The Regional Wines of Italy as your main resource.

As for the wine that moved me in ways beyond that of mere words, it wasn’t even an Amarone, but rather a “lowly” Ripasso. I’ve had several in the past and none of them, I repeat NONE OF THEM were all that great. Oh sure, they are nice wines, but they tease you just enough to leave you still yearning aching obsessing for more. This wine delivered the knockout blow and then some, but I’ll warn you now, you may not be able to find it without doing some digging.

2006 Martino Biscardo Valpolicella Ripasso Classico Superiore: 2007 is the current vintage on retail shelves, but you may be able to find some 2006 laying about somewhere. Try contacting the distributor if you have difficulty finding it. Retail should be around $20. For those who’ve never had Amarone, you really should try this wine. I’ve only had the good stuff (Amarone isn’t cheap and starts around $50 for good producers, running into the hundreds for some) a couple of times and the 2000 Sergio Zenato Reserve still stands out. It was a wine I poured at a reserve tasting a few years back. Like a greased pig running the high school halls, this wine was elusive, slippery and kept building momentum as it moved along. Think Stanley Jordan and his rendition of Stairway to Heaven.

This Ripasso wasn’t as complex in terms of the number of components, but like a great David Gilmour solo, the empty spaces between notes are just as important. Perhaps even more so. I’ve never smelled or tasted a Ripasso of this quality and in a blind tasting, I think it could fool some folks into guessing Amarone. Figs, chocolate, black licorice, nutmeg and vanilla all show up to the party, all of which are as welcome as Elves to Helm’s Deep (yes, I know that was just in the movie).

Folks, my red wine palate is definitely more new world in orientation, but this is one old world wine that is always welcome to our house. Seduction in a bottle.Outstanding.

Haiku
Recycle grape skins
They still have much love to give
Sexy Ripasso

You can also read what another Atlanta blogger has to say about this wine. It isn’t specifically reviewed, but rather is part of a lengthy post about a trip to Belgium. Granted, wine on vacation always tastes better, but she does call it the best Valpolicella’s she has ever tasted. Random Oeonphile returns!

Winding your way through Italian wines can be both delightful as it can be mind bogglingly difficult. There are over 1,000 different grape varietals used in making wine, the number of DOCs & DOCGs is vast and the wines just aren’t as well covered in the general press as you might expect.

Yes, everyone knows Chianti. A lot of folks know Barolo and Brunello. Some people will even recognize Amarone. Beyond that, I never got a lot of requests except for well, you know, the mass market machine known as Pinot grigio. I know I used to sell a ton of one particular brand that rhymes with Dick Cavett, for those of you old enough to remember who that is.

Before I even began to like wine, I actually knew of Valpolicella. Well, I knew the name because it was my mom’s favorite Italian wine to have with dinner, either at home or when we’d go out to eat. The wines come from the northern part of Italy, in a region known as the Veneto. Don’t know where that is? I’ll give you a clue, Venice is the capital.

The wines are made up primarily of three grapes, Corvina, Molinara, and Rondinella. The basics of the labeling laws state that 85% of the wine must be composed of those 3 varietals. The remainder can be complementary varieties, which include Rossignola, Negrara, Trentina, Barbera and Sangiovese. There are four styles of wines you’ll find made here and while I could go into a big lesson, I’ll just list them: Valpolicella, Recioto, Ripasso and Amarone. Valpolicella is the basic still wine, a light-bodied and food friendly wine well suited for a wide variety of dishes. Recioto is a sweet wine. Amarone is made with dried grapes. The drying process concentrates the sugars and imparts a raisiny character to the wine, though it is fermented dry and typically weighs in a the super-heavyweight end of the ABV scale, often pushing above 16%.

Ripasso, which is the style of wine I’m reviewing below, is a combined fermentation of the still wine with unpressed and drained skins leftover from making Amarone. It imparts a bit more flavor and character to the wine, but isn’t nearly as expensive. You may even hear the term “baby Amarone”, which can be a bit mis-leading. Honestly, I don’t find enough of the raisin character, nor richness of Amarone in any of the ripassos I’ve ever had to call them offspring. Granted, I’ve only sampled a few and while I like them, they are still a far cry from the big boy of the Veneto. Okay, onto the wine.

NOTE: This wine was received as a press sample, which means I didn’t pay for it.

Aromas: Strong sour cherry with nice earthy spices and a tart red berry component.

Palate: A light-bodied wine that was quite silky and easy to drink, with tangy acidity to cleanse the palate in preparation for your next bite of food. We enjoyed this wine and found it quite easy to drink and it is always good to have an alternative red from Italy. It does finish with a bitter edge, but that isn’t uncommon or unexpected for the style, but those who aren’t used to Italian wines may find it off-putting.

Final word: This is a good wine of above average quality, but it is a bit on the pricier side with an approximate retail price of $19.99. That isn’t exactly what I’d term mid-week budget type wine and for $20, there are other Italian wines I’d prefer to spend my money on. If you’ve never had a Ripasso, this is a solid place to start. If you really want to get into it and educate yourself, pick up a bottle of Valpolicella and Ripasso from the same producer and do a side by side comparison. For the ambitious and of deeper pockets, add the Amarone and Recioto, invite over some friends and have an all day feast of Italian cuisine and wine.

No haiku today.