Valpolicella: a canter away from Venice






Serego Alighieri vineyards-Valpolicella,Veneto

 

The grapes becoming Amarone & Recioto



I'd like to give those of you who have already visited this blog article or those of you who are stopping by for the first time an update based on my recent return visit to the Serego Alighieri vineyards. It's October 2011 as I'm writing and yesterday I was fortunate to see this year's harvest of grapes laid to rest on their bamboo beds.  I've added a few photos to give you a better idea of how the passimento process works to produce the wonderfully rich flavors found in Amarone and Recioto wines. And, just between you and me, the insiders say 2011 will be a very good year...let's hope so. Enjoy, and read on 

Grapes laid to rest of bamboo beds

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Even for those who have never set a heel at the top of the boot the mere mention of travelling to Venice, Italy instantly brings to mind the images of stripe-shirted gondoliers navigating their black vessels down the Grand Canal; a multitude of mazelike alleyways dotted with Carnival-mask and Murano glass selling storefronts; or Renaissance palaces reflecting on the canals they seem to float upon. But what about those other worthy places that are rarely explored or left to that wishful second or third trip? Seasoned travellers know that after you’ve immerged yourself in the beauty that Venice has to offer, a day or two spent discovering the quiet corners of the Veneto region is a side trip you won’t regret.

VALPOLICELLA: Rich, intense, seductive earthiness, raisinated taste yet not sweet…that’s the description that comes to mind when one speaks the word Valpolicella and contemplates her wines. Set on the flatlands and hillsides of Verona and just a little over an hour’s drive west of Venice lies an area that the locals are proud to tell you has produced wine since as far back as the Ancient Greeks, and whose name is said to derive from the Greek Roman combination for Valley of Cells. Acres upon acres of grapevines—Corvina, Rondinella, Molinara—furnish the world with the ever-more-in-demand wine of the homonymous named valley. Bathed in the moist cool air that flows westward from the Adriatic Sea and eastward from nearby Lake Garda this fertile soil nourishes its vines and grants us its famous reds: Valpolicella Classico and Ripasso are the two younger yet noble siblings of the land’s more mature full bodied Amarone and smooth Port-like desert wine Recioto.

No visit to Valpolicella is complete without a stop at the enchanting grounds of the Serego Alighieri Vineyard. The property, owned by Count Serego Alighieri—a direct descendant of the 14^th century poet Dante Alighieri—has been in the family since 1353. In collaboration with the well-known and respected MASI vineyards, and through online or telephone reservations, the Serego Alighieri winery is open to the public and offers informative tours with English speaking enologists whose gracious direction accompanies their guests down the hedge-lined paths of the estate, and through the grounds that nurture a select number of grafted vines dating back to the 1800’s. Once you’ve learned that in the 19^th century grafting a pest resistant American vine with its European cousins saved most of Europe’s vineyards, you’ll climb up an old stone stairway to the loft where every October the grapes chosen to become Amarone, Recioto and Ripasso are laid out on bamboo beds for the appassimento; a drying process which can last up to four months. Back at the bottom of the stone stairway the guests enter a must scented cantina where cherry and oak wood barrels rest in the dim light, and leave their essence on the ruby red liquid they contain.  Further down a narrow hallway embellished with the Serego Alighieri family tree awaits the perfect ending to the enlightening tour: The wine tasting room where you can put your newfound knowledge to the test and savor a variety of Valpolicella, Ripasso, Amarone and Recioto on the spot, or purchase a bottle or two to take home.





Serego Alighieri Winery-Valpolicella

  

Guest House Serego Alighieri

For those who wish to prolong their stay in the sublime atmosphere of Valpolicella, the Serego Alighieri winery has tastefully decorated apartments named for the local grapes and housed in the estate’s wing adjacent to the winery. Reservations for the tour and accommodations can be made at:  http://www.seregoalighieri.it/ing/index.html



And for those who wish to make a day trip from Venice or Verona I highly recommend the Trattoria Dalla Rosa Alda in San Giorgio di Valpolicella, just up the hill from the winery where lunch on a vine covered terrace makes their scrumptious menu all the more desirable.  Guest rooms are also available in this quaint Bed & Breakfast. Reservations at: http://www.dallarosalda.it/e_trattoria.htm  

The winery is open year round but I think the best time to visit the Valpolicella region is from March through November. The wine harvest or vendemmia is in October, and the grapes are laid out to dry until mid-February. Salute!

Tasting the fabulous wines of Masi and Serego Alighieri vineyards