Cantina di Illasi Valpolicella Ripasso DOC

'Valpolicella' is a very famous wine appellation on the hills above Verona. Literally translating to 'Valley of Many Cellars'. Valpolicella essentially has three main tiers of quality, all made predominantly from the same native grapes: Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella. Valpolicella (and Valpolicella) are typically fruity and smooth wines, light-medium bodied balancing fragrance and fruit with smooth tannins. The top wines from the appellation are 'Amarone della Valpolicella', where high quality grapes are picked then dried in special rooms for 3-4 months until they shrivel, producing a densely concentrated hedonistic wine.

The middle tier is 'Ripasso' - the pomace (crushed grapes skins) from the Amarone are added or 're-passed' with Valpolicella wine, adding intensity and tannins to produce a more concentrated wine.

This is a classical example of Ripasso produced by Cantina di Soave, an important wine co-op based in Verona. The wine is a blend of Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella grapes,a bright ruby colour with abundant wild berry aromas, very smooth with the cherry and raspberry fruits mixing with leather, olive, and deeper savoury notes before finishing with polished fine tannins.