Wine In The Land Of Shakespeare

From the 1936 MGM Film Romeo and Juliet

"Come, come, good wine is a good familiar creature if it be well used; exclaim no more against it."
-William Shakespeare, English poet and writer, (1564-1616) in Othello

Good wine has become good and familiar to me. I have spent the better part of the past seven years learning and tasting as much as I can so I can share it with all of you. While the quote above does not originate from a play in Shakespeare's most recognizable setting of Verona, I do feel compelled to talk to you about this romantic part of Italy. It's extra romantic to me as back when my wife and I traveled from Milan to Venice, we had no idea these vineyards existed...we just zipped right by the area.

This past Thursday night, we welcomed Iris DiCicco, Brand Ambassador for the wines of Gerardo Cesari (CHEZZ-uh-ree), to our store. Armed with great information, a delicious range of wines (priced anywhere from $10-$80 per bottle), and a giant plate of meats and cheeses from Eataly of Boston, the crowd was in for an awesome night. 

Iris DiCicco getting us familiar with the lay of the land for the vineyards that lead to some unbelievably good wines.

The city of Verona acts as a good home base for the wines of the demarcated region called Valpolicella, whose vineyards fan out to the north. Here, the red grape Corvina rules the vineyards. Its cherry flavors, high acidity, and low tannin in its simplest form makes it versatile with a range of pasta dishes and a good red for sturdy, oily fish like salmon. On the hillsides, Corvina becomes fuller, deeply colored, and more structured, which is good for meatier dishes. Corvina is joined by other local grapes like Rondinella (neutral and easy to grow) and Molinara (acidic, not required or easy to grow) to make the typical recipe for Valpolicella.

Then you have the long-lived cellar-worthy variant of Valpolicella known as Amarone della Valpolicella. To make this wine, Corvina and Rondinella are traditionally dried on straw mats for months to turn into raisins. This leads to highly-structured, rich, concentrated wines. Cesari uses a technique in silicon crates that are easy to clean, preventing potential mold growth and off-flavors to future grapes. Amarone takes its name from "amaro" meaning "bitter," likely a reference to the high level of tannin that results in the process of making this wine. All you need is a strong piece of hard cheese with a wine like this for maximum enjoyment.

One more variant of Valpolicella is Ripasso della Valpolicella. This is an old-school practice of taking the pressed grape skins left over from Amarone production and refermenting them with basic Valpolicella to add body, richness, and structure to the wine. Consider this to be a "baby Amarone" that is reasonably-priced bridge to Amarone. Ripassos are a good match with pork roasts or game birds.

While we did not taste a basic Valpolicella, we did sample a Ripasso and two Amarones, one of which came from a single vineyard. On its own, this three-wine flight would be an absolute treat. However, I have a single vineyard Corvina-only wine (designated a "Rosso Veronese") that we sampled that needs to be mentioned in this flight, so let's bring it to four wines. Get your hands on these and give them as a gift to someone you love, including yourself!

Note to my fellow wine nerds: no, I did not forget about nearby regions of Soave and Bardolino...those are wines for another day.

Cesari Ripasso della Valpolicella Superiore "Mara" ($20): "Mara" is the vineyard name, and to be named "Superiore" means the wine has to have at least a half-degree of alcohol higher than basic Valpolicella. Cherries and a rosemary/thyme scent complements a full-bodied, leathery texture.

Cesari Rosso Veronese "Jèma" ($40): This is 100% Corvina grapes, so since it is not a blend with other grapes typical of Valpolicella, this wine has a "Rosso Veronese" designation. Jèma is the vineyard name, translating to "gem," and this wine certainly is one. After 18 months in new French oak casks and six more months of bottle age before release, this wine has a perfumed violet nose with fresh black cherry, berry, and espresso flavors. Despite the initial richness and flavor intensity, it finishes light and refreshing at the end.

Cesari Amarone della Valpolicella Classico ($50): "Classico" simply means the wine is made from vineyards in the traditional heartland of production. I encourage you to pour this into the glass at least an hour before drinking to let it open up and show its true colors. The wine ages in large neutral oak casks, then 20% of it spends time in new, small barrels. Cherry and pomegrante fruit has that rosemary/thyme scent as in the "Mara" above, but a rich, chocolatey texture, which balances the high acid and tannin level. Amarone's production costs and uniqueness tend to make the wines expensive, but for $50 this is an easy way to get introduced to this style of wine.

Cesari Amarone della Valpolicella Classico "Il Bosco" ($80): This is a single vineyard Amarone expression that has many of the flavors of the wine above, but now add leather, stones, blackberry, and plum flavors. The flavors persist on the palate, and you taste and smell something different each time you go back to it. Let this one open up in the glass, too!