Ripasso DOC (Italy)

Valpolicella Ripasso DOC is a wine from Veneto in North East Italy.

It is often called: Amarone on a budget.

Grapes: Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella (mandatory), followed by Molinara and others.

Ripasso Flavors

Cherry

Blackberry

Plum

Prune

Raisin

Fig

Violets

Spices

Tertiary Flavors from Aging:

Vanilla

Chocolate

Tobacco

Oak

Black Cherries, Black Berries, Plum, and Raisins are typical Ripasso flavors.

Hints of Peppery Spices, and Earthy flavors like Coffee and Oak.

Ripasso Profile

BODY:

Medium - Plus

TANNINS:

Medium - Low

FRUIT:

Medium - High

ACIDITY:

Medium

Serving temperature:
17-18°C (63-64°F)

Ripasso Food Pairing

Ripasso is very food friendly. It pairs well with many types of food. Its fruitiness is perfect with Grilled Food.

Antipasti

Vegetables

Ham

Salami

Pizza

Pasta

Risotto

Soups

Hamburger

Chicken

Lamb

Veal

Excellent Pairings

Italian. Venetian Cuisine.
Antipasti. Ham. Salami. Lardo di Colonnata.
Grilled Vegetables. Spicy , Rich Soups.
Pizza. Pasta. Risotto. Porcini Mushroom Risotto.
Fat Fish. Bacalao. Salmon. Tuna.
Grilled or Roasted Meat. Fowl. Game.
Stews. Braised Lamb. Glazed Pork.
BBQ. Hamburger. Steak. Mix Grill.

Cheeses

Mild Aged Cheese. Asiago. Montasio. Piave.

Veneto Specialities:

Veneto Antipasti.
Treviso’s Radicchio Risotto.
Polenta Dishes.
Fresh Pasta with Duck Sauce.

The Ideal Glass for Ripasso

Pick a Burgundy Glass for swirling & releasing the wine aromas.

The shape of the glass captures and directs the delicate aromas to your nose and leads the wine to the tip of your tongue for a better reception of the tastes.

The Burgundy glass was designed for the delicate and aromatic red wine Bourgogne Rouge, made from Pinot Noir grapes in Bougogne (Burgundy).

About

The name Ripasso (re-passed) indicates the wine making technique.

In Autumn, after harvest, selected grapes for Amarone and Recioto wines remain in lofts above wineries to dry for 4 months.

All other grapes are squeezed and short fermented to make the basic Valpolicella wine, the first to enter the market.

Towards the end of January, the dried grapes are squeezed and can start the long skin contact fermentation resulting into Amarone or Recioto wines, then stored for aging.

After the Amarone/Recioto fermentation, the skins left over, still full of tannins, sugar and aromas are added to a young Valpolicella wine for a second, short fermentation (re-fermented, go over again).

The result is a wine with more alcohol, thickness, color and body, often referred as "Baby Amarone" or "The poor man Amarone".

In 2010, Ripasso received its own DOC designation.

The Valpolicella Wine Region

Valpolicella is a valley by Lake Garda near Verona in Northeast Italy.

Valpolicella is also a well-known red wine from Veneto. The grapes used in Valpolicella are Corvina Veronese, Rondinella and Molinara.

Valpolicella comes in various styles:

Valpolicella DOC the lightest.
Light, fragrant wines produced in a Vino Novello style, similar to Beaujolais Nouveau and released only a few weeks after harvest (out for sale on 30 October).
Valpolicella Ripasso DOC the boldest.
A Valpolicella Superiore made with both fresh and dried grapes. The grape skins that have been left over from the fermentation of Amarone or Recioto add flavors like baked fruit, cedar, and tobacco to the new grapes.
Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG the king.
Made with dehydrated grapes to add full body, cherry, plum, and pine resin notes. This wine was born out of a mistake:
Recioto was left to ferment too long, resulting in a dry wine that became Valpolicella`s star.
Recioto della Valpolicella DOCG the sweet.
The historical-traditional sweet wine from this valley, dating back to Roman times.

Wine Region Veneto

The most famous white wines from the region are Soave and the sparkling Prosecco.

The most famous red wines are Amarone and Valpolicella from the Valpolicella Wine Region.

Black Grapes	White Grapes
11% Corvina (Amarone) 11% Merlot 4% Cabernet Sauvignon 3% Cabernet Franc 3% Rodinella 3% Molinara	27% Glera (Prosecco) 15% Garganega (Soave) 11% Pinot Grigio 4% Chardonnay 1% Durella