The Society's Valpolicella Ripasso 2018 is no longer available

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The Society's Valpolicella Ripasso 2018

4.407407300 star rating 54 Reviews
A Wine Champion in 2021, we were very taken with this dark-cherry fruited charmer of a Ripasso, where the wine is ‘passed over’ dried grapes used in the production of Amarone; the extra richness and depth was obvious in the tasting room, where it won plaudits for its plump, appealing, naturally sweet fruit.
is no longer available
Code: IT29871

Wine characteristics

  • Red Wine
  • Full-bodied
  • Corvina
  • 75cl
  • Drinking now
  • 13.5% Alcohol
  • oak used but not v. noticeable
  • Cork, natural
  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan

North East Italy

Three regions constitute this wide and varied area. In the very north-east, abutting Slovenia and Croatia lies Friuli-Venezia Giulia. South and east of Venice spreads the broad swathe of the Veneto, one of Italy's main wine producing areas in terms of volume. Finally, falling from the foothills of the Dolomites is Trentino-Alto Adige.

Since the 1970s Friuli-Venezia Giulia has earned a fine reputation for high-quality white wines and a burgeoning one for reds. Most of the estates here are family owned with some co-operatives dotted around. Much of the inland area is hilly or mountainous with flatter vineyards sited around the Isonzo River as it comes down to the sea. The two principal white wine making areas are the Friuli Colli Orientali in the north-west and Collio Goriziano in the centre and east around the curve of the Slovenian border.

The Orientali vineyards are in the lee of the Julian Alps and are cooler than the vineyards of Collio Goriziano though they are protected from...

Three regions constitute this wide and varied area. In the very north-east, abutting Slovenia and Croatia lies Friuli-Venezia Giulia. South and east of Venice spreads the broad swathe of the Veneto, one of Italy's main wine producing areas in terms of volume. Finally, falling from the foothills of the Dolomites is Trentino-Alto Adige.

Since the 1970s Friuli-Venezia Giulia has earned a fine reputation for high-quality white wines and a burgeoning one for reds. Most of the estates here are family owned with some co-operatives dotted around. Much of the inland area is hilly or mountainous with flatter vineyards sited around the Isonzo River as it comes down to the sea. The two principal white wine making areas are the Friuli Colli Orientali in the north-west and Collio Goriziano in the centre and east around the curve of the Slovenian border.

The Orientali vineyards are in the lee of the Julian Alps and are cooler than the vineyards of Collio Goriziano though they are protected from northerly winds and have a more continental climate. They sit at altitudes of between 330 and 1200 metres on soils that were once beneath the ocean, so marl and sandstone predominate. The Collio Goriziano vineyards enjoy slightly greater influence from the Adriatic to the south, though the cool air draining from the higher ground in the north plays its part, and the vineyards sit upon the many steep slopes in this hilly country.

Pinot grigio was an early success here and is still widely made, but chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and pinot bianco have joined local varieties like tocai fiuliano, picolit and verduzzo in producing some of Italy's freshest and most interesting white wines. Local varieties like schioppetino and refosco have struggled to find an audience outside of the region in the past though this is changing, and some Bordeaux blends from the Grave region of free draining alluvial soils are making people sit up and take notice.

Trentino-Alto Adige was once part of the Austro-Hungarian empire and in the northern parts of the province (Alto Adige) German is still widely spoken. Indeed, the architecture, food and customs owe much to their Teutonic roots and there are elements that remain in the vineyards that echo a Germanic past. Riesling is planted here and the village of Tramin gave its name to the gewürztraminer grape which is now so widely planted in another region with Germanic influences, Alsace. To reinforce that comparison, sylvaner, muscat, müller-thurgau and pinot gris (grigio) are also to be found here.

Alto Adige is also known as the Süd-Tyrol (South Tyrol) and lies on the border with Austria and is Italy's most northerly wine region. Here the vines grow in the foothills of the Alps, on the lower slopes along the Adige Valley. Altitudes vary between 200 and 1000 metres. White wines made the reputation of the region for their lively, fresh purity but reds are grown here too. Schiava and the burlier lagrein are the indigenous varieties much used here, though bracing cabernet sauvignon and merlot wines are made from plantings that can struggle to ripen and escape some greenness. Some very fine pinot noir wines are having an impact for their high-class and poise.

The Veneto is something of a vinous bread basket. The soils are fertile, which is not usually propitious for fine wine production, and officially permitted yields are unacceptably high. The region produces enormous quantities of everyday wines for exporting and blending but also embraces the Valpolicella region where the jewel in the crown is Valpolicella Amarone, the sweetly rich, full-bodied expression of semi-dried corvina and rondinella grapes that is sought after the world over. Though bulk production, particularly through large and highly-efficient co-operatives, is still prevalent the improvements in winemaking and viticulture are clear, and there are many producers in formerly workaday DOCs like Valpolicella and Soave who are turning their corvina, rondinella, garganega and trebbiano di lugana (turbiano) grapes into vinous gems. Prosecco is also produced here from the glera grape in the hills around Conigliano almost due north of Venice, and is something of a worldwide phenomenon in terms of sales volume. As ever, there is a lot of basic fizz but the producers who take a little more care in vineyards and wineries are making delicious bubblies at all price levels.

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Cantina Valpantena

It is believed by some that the Valpantena Valley gets its name from the Roman pantheon, and indeed it is thought that the Romans were some of the first to plant vines here. Situated to the north-east of Verona, this valley, which benefits from cooling breezes from the nearby Dolomites, is the same valley from which we source the grapes for The Society’s Pinot Grigio, but the region is better known for its excellent red wines.

Cantina Valpantena was formed here in 1958. Today the company has 300 members cultivating over 600 hectares of vines, from appellations all over the Verona hillsides, and the co-op is judged by many to be one of the best in Italy. A further 150 growers produce olive oil.

Cantina Valpantena uses mostly corvina veronese, rondinella and corvinone for its red wines, as well as garganega and trebbiano di lugana (identical to the verdicchio grape) for its whites. The company’s winery is, as you might expect, well equipped with modern technology. A wide range of wines are created here – from everyday reds like Valpolicella, to sweet whites like recioto and passito, and premium reds like Amarone. Its best range of wines is Torre del Falasco, especially the Torre del Falasco Ripasso, which provides Amarone style at a fraction of the price thanks to a second fermentation while in contact with Amarone wine lees.

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