Following the drying (end of January and/or beginning of February) the grapes are crushed and go through a dry low temperature fermentation process which can last between 30 and 50days. After fermentation, the wine is aged in barriques made from French or Slovenian oak.
Despite the concentrated sugars of the grapes, the resulting Amarone wine is officially dry, yet many have a nose that hints at sweetness and residual sugar. If fermentation is stopped (accidentally or on purpose) the resulting wine contains residual sugar (more than 4 grams of sugar per litre) and produces a sweeter wine known as Recioto dela Valpolicella.
During the lunch, I had the pleasure of tasting Mr. Tedeshi’s Amarone, which was quite full-bodied, muscular, yet with elegance and finesse, and his ‘simple’ Valpolicella which I really adored for its bright acidity that went so well with all manner of cuisine, from traditional Italian appetizers like rocket salad and grilled octopus to an entrée such as grilled halibut.
I also was able to try a wine I have not yet described called Ripasso, which is produced when partially aged ‘simple’ Valpolicella wine is put in contact with the lees (dead yeast cells) of the Amarone, including the unpressed grape skins (pomice) that have been maturing with the wine in the barrel. As the lees still contain a lot of sugar, the Valpolicella undergoes a second fermentation tha typically takes place in the spring following the harvest. This resulting wine, Ripasso, is more tannic, with more body, a deeper color, more alcohol, and more extract. All of the Tedeschi wines I tried were excellent examples of their type, and as winemaker Mr. Tedeschi seemed dedicated to quality and tradition.
I also enjoyed getting to know this sophisticated and polite gentlemen as an individual, finding it romantic that he and his wife had known each other since their school days and that his little daughter is quite the artist. “Why don’t you encourage her to draw a label for your next edition of wine?” I asked. Mr. Tedeschi promised he’d think about it.
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