2007 Recioto della Valpolicella Classico, Giuseppe Quintarelli, Veneto, Italy

Giuseppe Quintarelli

The estate of Giuseppe Quintarelli, located in the Veneto region of north-eastern Italy produces Valpolicellas, Reciotos and Amarones that are revered by oenophiles all over the world. The estate dates back to 1924 and but it was Giuseppe Quintarelli (known as Bepi, in charge from the mid-1950s until his death in 2012) who drove its success. In an era that emphasized mass production over attention to detail, Quintarelli made wines without compromise, with labour-intensive methods and painstaking attention in the vineyard.

Giuseppe established the winery as the source of the most traditional styles of Amarone, ageing it for seven years in Slavonian oak; the result is one of the most complex wines produced in Italy.Quintarelli wines are still the unmatched benchmark for Amarone.

Even though he is traditional in his Amarone production, it does not follow that Giuseppe is afraid of innovation. As well as the excellent Amarone, he produces an excellent dry white wine called Bianco Secco and a flamboyant, but powerful blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Corvina labelled Primo Fiore and sought after as any cult Cabernet.

Giuseppe’s daughter, Fiorenza, her husband, Giampaolo Grigoli, and their children Francesco and Lorenzo, are currently involved in running the winery.

Recioto Della Valpolicella

Recioto Della Valpolicella is a  sweet, unfortified Venetian wine DOC that was so named because only the ripest ‘ears’ (‘rece’ is Italian slang for ears ‘orecchie’) of each bunch of grapes were selected to make the wine. 

Until Amarone’s emergence in the 20th century, Recioto represented the apogee of every Valpolicella producer’s range. The Romans raved about ‘recitium’ and even though this was in all likelihood the white Recioto di Soave, it is the red Recioto della Vapolicella that has caught the imagination ever since. Recioto is made using the same ‘appassimento’ process as Amarone but the fruit is left to dry for an extra month, thus necessitating the selection at harvest of only the very best bunches. 

Once pressed, after at least 1^st January following the harvest, the juice’s fermentation is arrested prematurely to capture the fresh, sweet primary fruit characters. The resulting wine is massively rich in dry extract (approximately 300 grams/litre) and high in residual sugar (250 grams/litre) but has a relatively modest alcohol level of around 12%. 

The wine is then typically matured for 12 months in small French barriques. Recioto della Valpolicella wine should be medium-bodied with a beautiful, crushed velvet texture and a palate brimming with vivid, seductive black fruit and chocolate. Not surprisingly, only tiny quantities are made each year – a mere 2% of Amarone.

Recommended producers: Tomaso Bussola, Corte Sant’Alda and Giuseppe Quintarelli.

Corvina, Corvinone blend

Corvina is widely grown on the Veneto shore of Lake Garda and the hills of Valpolicella to the north and north-east of Verona. Sometimes known as Corvina Veronese, it is blended with Rondinella and Molinara to produce Valpolicella and Bardolino. It can be a tricky grape to cultivate, as it ripens late and is prone to rot if affected by rains at harvest time. It is a high-yielding grape and quality is very dependent on keeping yields low.

Corvina-based red wines can range in style from a light, cherryish red to the rich, port-like Recioto and Amarone Valpolicellas. Most Valpolicella from the plains is pale and insipid, and bears little comparison with Valpolicella Classico from the hills. Some producers such as Allegrini are now producing very high quality 100% Corvina wines.