Tired of cabernet or
shiraz? Looking for a change? Then it's time to look at Italy. It's
a wine lover's paradise with its extraordinary diversity and unique styles
such as Valpolicella Amarone and Ripasso, which Martin will be discussing on News Talk 106FM’s Dublin Life show today
(3/3/2004) after the 3pm news.
Corvina,
Molinara, Rondinella. No, there not the back three in a 3-5-2 formation at
Juventus but the three grapes that make Valpolicella. "Moli -
what?" most wine drinkers will mumble. Italy has an enormous number
of grape varieties that the average drinker has never heard of which is
tragic. There is a whole world waiting to be discovered.
For
the average wine buyer heading unthinkingly for the inexpensive Aussie
Shiraz or Chilean Merlot, Italy, if it registers at all in their
consciousnes, is represented by the large cheap bottles of plonk on the
bottom shelf. Do yourself a favour stop and peruse the Italian section and
not just the cheap magnums. Best of all, go to a shop that cares about
Italian wine like Michaels's Wines in Mt. Merrion, Searsons
in Monkstown or one of the McCabes outlets and get chatting.
They'll almost certainly turn you on to some exciting stuff.
Valpolicella
is a name that that has been devalued for many as it does turn up on those
cheap large bottles, but scratch the surface and you'll find one one of
the wine world's most unique and interesting wine regions. The best
producer can make even their basic wine a delicious cherry scented highly
quaffable wine but things really started to get interesting with the Ripassos,
Amarones and Reciotos.
These
beauties are made using dried grapes. The afore mentioned trio of grape
varieties are picked and left on racks in lofts until January or February
and then pressed. The grapes dehydrate and so sugars are concentrated and
the wine can ferment to dryness with an alcohol level of 15 - 16%. Sweet
versions can be made too by not fermenting all the sugar and these port
like monsters are called recioto. Nothing is wasted as the pressed skins
are mixed with regular recently fermented Valpolicella which rinses out
some of the sugars and flavours in the grapes and these then ferment, thus
turbo charging the wine with an extra half or one degree of alcohol and
extra flavour. The process is called ripasso.
On
the show we'll be tasting Zenato Ripassa
Valpolicella Superiore 2001, 89/100, €19.75, imported and
sold by Serarsons but sold by many other good Independent off-licences
around Dublin. It has wonderful concentrated flavours of cherry with
a fascinating sweet and sour like quality and terrific length.
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