THE GREAT WINE OF VALPOLICELLA
AREA: RECIOTO AND AMARONE
The
term Recioto comes from the word "recia" in local dialect. This
precious wine comes from the smallest and rarest bunches, called the "recie",
as well as from the outer branches of bunches best exposed to sunlight
and air, so consequently more mature and with a higher sugar content.
Recioto, due to an admirable natural balance, is a wine with a natural
residual sugar content. Amarone, which exists thanks to Recioto, is totally
dry thanks to a biological miracle. All its wealth of fermentable sugars
is transformed into alcohol (alcohol content can reach 16% by volume).
The varieties of grapes selected over time are: Corvina (30-35%), Corvinone
(30%), Rondinella (25-30%), and also, Molinara, Rossignola, Dindarella
and Negrara (about 10%).
The position of the vineyards, with their different heat and light conditions
have been shown to favour certain vines: to the East the best Recioto
is obtained, with Amarone prefering the Western slopes.
The wine-harvest
Grapes for Recioto and Amarone are normally harvested towards the end
of September/beginning of October. Specialized and trusted workers are
appointed for this task: the quality comes from the grape itself and from
its careful selection in the harvest. The most exposed, mature healthy
and small bunches are chosen. They must be handled with the greatest of
care so as not to bruise them as this would shorten the mellowing process;
so they are held by the stalk and placed with considerable delicacy into
the crates. Key factors for a good product in the first phase are the
aspect of the vineyards, the ability of grape-growers who do the appropriate
tasks at the right times, proper and well-balanced fertilization and rain
at the right time.
The grapes-drying
The unusual method of harvesting the grapes starts the second phase of
winemaking, just as important as the growing: shrivelling (raisining)
of the vine. In this phase is also fundamental to have suitable premises
available for a successful dry maturation, fresh, ventilated and with
the absence of mists and damp in general.
The grapes, once gathered, are taken to a temperature and humidity- controlled
store. Systematically, for the duration of this phase, the bunches are
graded every 15-20 days in order to eliminate the grapes which have gone
mouldy or spoiled: it is a very expensive operation, but necessary. A
good mellowing brings about the shrinkage of about 35-40% of the original
weight. In the best vintages, a noble mould appears: a touch of class
and a sign of quality for the future product.
Drying of the grapes for a prolonged period results in a concentration
of sugar content and extracts without a strong increase in acidity.
It modifies the characteristics particularly characterized by a high production
of glycerine. This is a positive sign. However, the different varieties
show markedly different reactions to the mellowing process: in particular,
Rondinella showed, during testing, a great resistance throughout the mellowing
period, and it is to this variety that the colour contribution to wines
is due.
Corvina, having a very thick and robust skin, gives the wine its body,
high quality and aromas. Molinara gives wine vivacity, salinity and great
bouquet.
The other grapes, which are used in small quantities, are a complement
to the other and enrich the body, the flavours and the perfume of the
wine.
These two periods are of such considerable importance and complementary
to each other that the same vintage can be excellent for Valpolicella
(indicating a good vegetative period) and mediocre for Recioto (bad mellowing)
or vice-versa. When these two periods obtain their best conditions, a
truly great vintage is possible.
The pressing and the alcoholic fermentation
The pressing takes place during the period which should coincide with
the coldest months of the year: generally in January. A roller wine press
is used to ensure a gentle crushing which largely leaves the stalks intact,
which have become woody over time.
The first phase of fermentation is in tall and narrow steel tanks for
Recioto and standard for Amarone. Experience has taught us that in the
vertical position, internal circulation is a more difficult and therefore
results in a slower and more controlled fermentation. The duration of
this phase is approximately one month for Recioto and 45-50 days for Amarone.
The wine obtained in the first decanting is similar to a meaty liquid,
almost opaque, vivid in colour, highly perfumed and still quite sweet.
Output is about 20-25 liters for every 100 kilograms of fresh grapes:
in practice, from five hundred weight of grapes one obtains about one
hundred weight of Recioto or Amarone.
The way to obtain a dry wine like Amarone with a 15-16 degree alcohol
content, is by an exclusive biological miracle of indigenous naturally
selected yeasts and their survival in alcohol. The end of alcoholic fermentation
takes place in wooden barrels during maturation.
The ageing in wood
Recioto wine matures for roughly two years in Slovenian oak barrels. Amarone
wines mature in either Allier oak barriques or in larger Slovenian oak
casks, holding up to 3/5,000 litres, depending on the type of Amarone.
This ageing phase takes place in deep and very cool cellars. The phase
is relatively short for sweet Recioto and much longer for Amarone that
must evolve and develop all its potential of esters, bouquet, flavours
and structure to express its sumptuous depth. Furthermore, resting on
the clean yeast lees during this period ensures that the Amarone will
have a complex structure and a bouquet that is simultaneously fresh and
complex. The maturation is a slow oxidization process that takes place
between the slats in the barrels: oxygen enters and is progressively consumed
by the phenolic compounds in the wine and the tannins in the wood. The
oxygen’s disappearance is followed by the ethyl alcohol in the wine
transforming into acetaldehyde, forming the foundation for the tannins
to bind together with anthocyanins. These compounds are responsible for
the stability of the colour of the two wines over the years and the gradual
decrease in the astringency of the tannins. The wood of the barrels contributes
polysaccharides, heightening the “fatty” mouthfeel of the
wine.
Finally, during this maturation, the wine is enriched with new aromatic
substances originating from the wood: this explains how wines obtain distinctly
vanilla, boisée (oak), cloves, and coconut aromas. It is important
that these blend with the variety’s aromatic substances and fermentation,
thus obtaining a complex and harmonious final bouquet.
Bottling and bottle refining
At the end of the oak barrel maturation and after the blending phase,
the wine is bottled. Afterwards, bottle ageing follows, which lasts an
average of 6 months.
This is an important phase for the wine for the following reasons:
how the wine adapts to the new restricted environment
how the sensory characteristics assumed and/or modified during the
barrel ageing are expressed.
Recioto and Amarone: two precious wines.
The former quite sweet, the latter dry, are products without the addition
of artifices and without traumatically physical and chemical interference.
They have a splendid matrix in common, in the soil of Valpolicella, and
are two marvels in the area of Venetian culture.
How to drink them? In a wine-tasting glass for great red wines.
Swirl it about so as to admire its beautiful colour and its fascinating
reflections. Bring the edge of the goblet to your nose and smell the effusion
of its aromas. Take a good sip, hold it still in you mouth for a few seconds
and then swirl it all around your mouth and slowly swallow: this is Paradise!
Heaven, in this instance, is achieved only if authentic, typical, traditional
Recioto is drunk.
In order to find it, do not accept the D.O.C. guarantee contained in the
label, but look for it in the names to the Companies, which instil trust.
This is the typical Valpolicella Classico Superiore
wine, made according to the best traditions and with all the characteristics
of Tedeschi Family wines: good structure, delicate flavor, elegance.
The grapes come from vineyards located in the Classic Valpolicella
zone.
Winemaking technique: Grapes are harvested by hand
at the beginning of October. Grapes are pressed and stems are removed
and the must is sent to fermentation vats.
The wine, after fermentation, is transferred into steel tanks for
spontaneous clarification and then decanted into Slavonia oak barrels
(5000 liter capacities) for low-oxygen aging. The wine remains in
contact with the wood for about one year. Malolactic fermentation,
performed by indigenous lactic bacteria, takes place during this
period.
Description of the wine: Color - Ruby red with
garnet reflections. Clear and transparent. Bouquet - Fresh with
clear notes of cherry and currants. Flavor - Good body, good, well-balanced
and harmonic structure. The after-taste confirms the characteristics
of the bouquet. Duration: 5 years.
Combinations: pasta, white and red meat dishes.
Serve at 59°F.
UPC 750ML 0 12086 93121 5
For more information on
this wine please click on the links below...
This is the typical Valpolicella Classico Superiore wine, made according
to the best traditions and with all the characteristics of Tedeschi
Family wines: good structure, delicate flavor, elegance. The grapes
come from vineyards located in the Classic Valpolicella zone.
Winemaking technique: Grapes are pressed and stems
are removed and the must is sent to fermentation vats. Here it ferments
at a temperature of about 82 - 86°F: skin steeping lasts about
10 days. The wine, after fermentation, is transferred into steel
tanks for spontaneous clarification and then decanted into Slavonia
oak barrels (5000 liter capacities) for low-oxygen aging. The wine
remains in contact with the wood for about one year. Malolactic
fermentation, performed by indigenous lactic bacteria, takes place
during this period.
Description of the wine: Color - Ruby red with
garnet reflections. Clear and transparent. Bouquet - Fresh with
clear notes of cherry and currants. Flavor - Good body, good, well-balanced
and harmonic structure. The after-taste confirms the characteristics
of the bouquet. Duration: 5 years.
Combinations: pasta, white and red meat dishes.
Serve at 59°F.
UPC 750ML 0 12086 92881 9
For more information on
this wine please click on the links below...
Winemaking technique: Grapes are hand-harvested
at the end of September/beginning of October and are placed on wooden
or plastic trays for drying. Drying is done in fruit storage structures
at controlled temperature and humidity. The grape bunches, during
the drying process, lose 30-40% of their weight. The grapes then
undergo white winemaking processes, at a temperature between 54°
and 59°F, at the end of this drying period. Fermentation is
performed by indigenous yeasts. After decanting the wine rests a
year and a half in Allier wood barriques. The wine, after aging
in wood, is refined 1 year in the bottle before it is marketed.
Description of the wine: Color - Yellow with slight notes of gold.
Clear and transparent. Bouquet - Notes of vanilla blend and mix
with those of cinnamon and carnation blossoms. Flavor - A pleasant
start is followed by concentration and length. The flavor is well-balanced
and displays, in addition to the sweetness of its residual sugar,
excellent structure and lively acidity that make it both fresh and
pleasing.
Combinations: dry pastries, shortbread, dry cakes,
almond biscuits. Excellent with honey and Gorgonzola cheese. Serve
at 50°F
UPC 500ML 0 12086 93135 2
For more information on
this wine please click on the links below...
Tedeschi, 1999 Amarone della
Valpolicella Classico Capitel Monte Olmi 94 Points click her for
more info...
Tedeschi, 2000 Recioto della Valpolicella Classico Capitel Monte Fontana 93 Points click her for more info...
2006 WINES OF ITALY GUIDE
“GAMBERO ROSSO AND SLOW FOOD” EDITORS: THE CAPITEL MONTE
OLMI AMARONE DELLA VALPOLICELLA DOC CLASSICO 2001HAS OBTAINEDTHREE GLASSES click here for
more info...
2001 Tedeschi Amarone della
Valpolicella Classico Capitel Monte Olmi 90
Points
2003 Tedeschi Capitel Monte Fontana Recioto della Valpolicella Classico
89 Points
The
term Recioto comes from the word "recia" in local dialect. This
precious wine comes from the smallest and rarest bunches, called the "recie",
as well as from the outer branches of bunches best exposed to sunlight
and air, so consequently more mature and with a higher sugar content.
acidity.
It modifies the characteristics particularly characterized by a high production
of glycerine. This is a positive sign. However, the different varieties
show markedly different reactions to the mellowing process: in particular,
Rondinella showed, during testing, a great resistance throughout the mellowing
period, and it is to this variety that the colour contribution to wines
is due.
