Valpolicella

In the last post I mentioned that I washed down my Swiss cheese with a glass (or 3) of Valpolicella. This elicited a few private comments, and I was reminded by them that this wine, from the Veneto region of Italy, does not have a good reputation. Going back 20 or 30 years in the UK I recall that Valpolicella was one of those wines that came in 2 litre juggernauts and was generally used to fuel student parties and other parsimonious bacchanalia. There were certainly good bottles available, but public opinion was hardened by those ubiquitous bottles on the off-licence shelves.

I re-discovered the wines of the Veneto in spectacular fashion during recent visits to Venice. For example at Vini da Gigio in Canareggio the wine list has pages and pages of Italian bottles, many of them from the Veneto. For me an undiscovered and bewildering universe of wines, most of which you will never see outside the region.

Although Valpolicella production is second only to Tuscany/Chianti you still don't see many bottles around. The entry level Classico is the cousin of those giant bottles of my youth and has the same characteristics of lightness and floral scents, with no dryness or tannins. Curiously it always reminds me a bit of Beaujolais in style, although much darker in colour.

The next step up is Classico Superiore. These are barrel aged and so do have tannins and more complexity. I encourage you to try this wine if you haven't already, or know only the Classico variety. Look especially for those designated Ripasso. These undergo a special fermentation process that imparts the complexities of barrel aging, but doesn't overwhelm the floral bouquet of the original. This is the wine I had with my cheese, pictured here, and available from Vinothek Vuithier here in Switzerland.

If your interest is piqued you can also explore the grown-up versions of the wine - Reicioto and Amarone - although these are completely different animals