Will this winter never end? Just when it looks like spring weather may be here to stay, blam! Hit by another storm. Fortunately, there is no shortage of great red wine to keep you warm on these cold nights.This is the fourth and final edition of our series on Warm Reds for Cold Nights. Our global journey takes us, this time, to Italy. Italy is home to many wine regions, some famous, some obscure. All of them producing excellent, food-friendly wines. For our adventure to round out this series, we explore Valpolicella.
Valpolicella is one of those more obscure regions. Located in Veneto, in the northern part of Italy, Valpolicella is known both for easy drinking reds, and for the intense, concentrated wines known as Amarone. Regional grape varieties include Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella and Molinara. For this trip, our selection is the Bertani Valpolicella 2017.
The following wine was provided as a media sample for review. All reviews, descriptions, and opinions are our own. We received no additional compensation.
The Bertani winery was established in 1857, by brothers Giovan Battista and Gaetano Bertani. An innovator and early adopter of bottled wine, the Bertani winery invested in the technology of the day to produce, bottle, and export their wines. By the end of the 19th century, the Bertani name was known in cities all across the United States. Today Bertani has more than 200 hectares under vine, and continues its reputation for fine wines across Europe and the New World.
The Bertani Valpolicella 2017 is made from 80% Corvina Veronese, and 20% Rondinella. The wine is fermented in wide, shallow steel tanks; this allows for more skin contact during fermentation. After fermentation, the wine is aged in concrete vats for about eight months, then bottle aged for at least three months.
Wishing spring upon us, we tried to will the weather by grilling ribeye steaks and zucchini to pair with this. While we didn’t have any influence on Mother Nature, we did find an amazing wine and food pairing, and enjoyed a delicious meal on a cold night, warmed by this spectacular wine. Read on for our tasting notes.
Brick red color; lighter than we had anticipated. As it rests in the decanter, there are aromas of ripe raspberry, clove, and baking spice. On the palate, flavors of raspberry, cherry, plum, and cranberry with smoky overtones, and warm, oaky notes of vanilla, caramel, and spice. Medium body with bright acidity, making it the perfect food-pairing wine. Elegant and balanced, with deep complexity and smooth tannins, this was excellent with a ribeye and grilled zucchini. Vivino average price: $14.99.
We hope you have enjoyed this journey ‘round the wine world in search of rich, robust red wines to make those long winter nights more cozy. While spring and summer are on the horizon, as the world turns, winter will be back before you know it. Stock up on some of these delicious warm reds for those upcoming cold nights.
Cheers!
- By Kent Reynolds and Robyn Raphael
Appetite for Wine 