Recently hubby Robert and I took three days ahead of a cruise out of Venice to drive two and a half hours north east of Venice to the vineyards of Valpolicella, home of Amarone.
This was our first taste of this area which is steeped in traditional wine making and culture. Our home base was a B & B just west of the city of Verona—Casa Villa D’Arco, a beautifully restored villa in the tiny village of Corno. Our hosts were Roberto and Vittoria Girelli, a gracious and tireless couple who offer three rooms, a sitting room, garden, and recommendations to guests, along with the best organic and homemade breakfast goodies we have tasted in Italy.
In the middle of a heat wave we plied the wine road in search of our favorite vineyards. Tommasi was our first stop. They prefer you call or email ahead, but they accommodated us with a quick taste of their ’05 Amarone Della Valpolicella Classico and Ca’ Florian single vineyard. We also tasted their ’03 Il Sestante Vigneto “Monte Masua” and their ’06 Fiorato Recioto Della Valpolicella, the region’s traditional sweet red wine.
This tasting prepped our palate for tastings at the Allegrini showroom and a tour of the villa and winery at Serego Alighieri, former home of Dante, where we tasted a flight of Amarone Classico and one white wine, a blend of Sauvignon Bianco and Garganega. Serego Alighieri is in partnership with Italian wine giant Masi, so you are able to taste wines from both producers in the wine shop. Wine tastings at both Allegrini and Serego Alighieri are priced depending on what you want to taste. A more detailed review of these wineries and tasting rooms will be posted soon on the Love that Grape website.
In Valpolicella it is best that you book appointments well in advance. We visited during the start of the vendemmia (grape harvest) where the winemakers were hurrying a harvest of their white grapes, afraid of prolonged heat exposure. It was a busy time where split-second decisions were being made regarding harvesting. Despite a nail-biting growth season which included hail, sleet, and a late summer heat wave, winemakers felt very optimistic about the 2009 vintage. We will see. The 2009 vintage Amarone will, in most cases, be released in 2013.
If you want to taste the best of Valpolicella now, it was suggested to us that we taste ’97 and 2000 vintages. Give us your recommendations and suggestions.
This was our first taste of this area which is steeped in traditional wine making and culture. Our home base was a B & B just west of the city of Verona—Casa Villa D’Arco, a beautifully restored villa in the tiny village of Corno. Our hosts were Roberto and Vittoria Girelli, a gracious and tireless couple who offer three rooms, a sitting room, garden, and recommendations to guests, along with the best organic and homemade breakfast goodies we have tasted in Italy.
In the middle of a heat wave we plied the wine road in search of our favorite vineyards. Tommasi was our first stop. They prefer you call or email ahead, but they accommodated us with a quick taste of their ’05 Amarone Della Valpolicella Classico and Ca’ Florian single vineyard. We also tasted their ’03 Il Sestante Vigneto “Monte Masua” and their ’06 Fiorato Recioto Della Valpolicella, the region’s traditional sweet red wine.
This tasting prepped our palate for tastings at the Allegrini showroom and a tour of the villa and winery at Serego Alighieri, former home of Dante, where we tasted a flight of Amarone Classico and one white wine, a blend of Sauvignon Bianco and Garganega. Serego Alighieri is in partnership with Italian wine giant Masi, so you are able to taste wines from both producers in the wine shop. Wine tastings at both Allegrini and Serego Alighieri are priced depending on what you want to taste. A more detailed review of these wineries and tasting rooms will be posted soon on the Love that Grape website.
In Valpolicella it is best that you book appointments well in advance. We visited during the start of the vendemmia (grape harvest) where the winemakers were hurrying a harvest of their white grapes, afraid of prolonged heat exposure. It was a busy time where split-second decisions were being made regarding harvesting. Despite a nail-biting growth season which included hail, sleet, and a late summer heat wave, winemakers felt very optimistic about the 2009 vintage. We will see. The 2009 vintage Amarone will, in most cases, be released in 2013.
If you want to taste the best of Valpolicella now, it was suggested to us that we taste ’97 and 2000 vintages. Give us your recommendations and suggestions.
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