‘Val Polis Cellae’ Wine Day, a true celebration moment for Verona’s world famous red wines, was organised today October 11th, thanks to the association Strada del Vino della Valpolicella: 15 wineries of the Valpolicella Classica area have opened their doors, from 10 am to 6 pm, to wine and food lovers, through 5 itineraries in the five valleys of the oldest area, and where Valpolicella wines originated, among ancient courtyards, winery tours, barricaie (barrel rooms) and tasting points.
The name of this special day stems from the Latin “Vallis-polis-cell”, or “valleys from many wineries” to the Greek language “polyzelos” as a land “with many fruits”. Valpolicella area, in the north-west of Verona, and the Valpolicella Classica one, is where you can find most of the historical cellars, an exceptional heritage of flavours, traditions and culture.
Harvest 2020 is under go or almost finished for Valpolicella’s wines: Corvina Corvinone, Molinara, Rondinella grapes will create Valpolicella Classico Doc, Valpolicella Classico Superiore Doc, Valpolicella Ripasso Classico Superiore Doc, Recioto della Valpolicella Classico Docg, Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Docg.
The tastings and winery tours simply go beyond, offering the chance to meet the producers face to face and learn with much attention, care and respect for nature, they make their wines. We visited Corte Martini in Torbe di Negrar, a small town on a hill surrounded by vineyards, in which the family owns a Trattoria as long as the 2 hectares of vineyards. We were the first guests and so honoured to be accompanied by the brother in law of the owner who kindly introduced us to all the family and their estate vineyards. We then tasted their lovely wines, all truly showing a silky texture that never feels too heavy or overburdened by the wood. Their Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG 2012 simply stands out: a true gem with a heady perfume of black cherries and red summer fruits with notes of pepper and sweet spice. On the palate it is complex and rounded, with a powerful structure supporting the fruit and a lovely freshness on the finish. We also sampled a sip of Amarone 2016 directly from the barrel: a wine with plenty of character with the potential to age well. It will gain extra class and finesse thanks to the slow way in which this wine evolves both in wood and in the bottle.
We then experienced a truly informative tour of Aldrighetti family winery that owns 4 hectares of vineyards in Valgatara (Marano di Valpolicella) where we learned about the importance of vineyard practices on wine quality ( for example thinning out excess grapes to keep the quality of the grapes high) and ingenious techniques to keep away insects (mating disruption of the Honeydew moth). Their Amarone della Valpolicella Classico shows a bright and vibrant bouquet that is laced with sweet fruit, dried berry, dried earth, leather, spice, dark tar and licorice. The finish is supple and quite long.
We were then welcomed by Giampaolo Vaona in its family winery Novaia a certified organic farm in the Marano di Valpolicella area, where the family owns 10 hectares (7 h of vineyards and 3 with olive trees) of hilly vineyards at an altitude between 250 and 400 meters above sea level. The Valpolicella Superiore Doc I cantoni comes from a cru vineyard at 350 meters and impresses for its harmony, staying power and elegance. The Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Corte Vaona has a lovely bouquet that shows cinnamon, clove, dark cherry, with a lovely overall balance. The fine tannins lend solid support at the back and will help this wine age carefully over the next years.
Right in the heart of the Valpolicella area lies Corte Franchini Agricola winery in Negrar di Valpolicella, owning 9 hectares of vineyards on hills between 280-400 meters above the sea level and the historic house and cellar of Corte Forlago, built around 1430. Their Amarone della Valpolicella Classico offers power and personality. The bouquet shows the classic Amarone aromas of sweet spice and overripe fruit complemented by dried prune and tobacco.
The wine community in Valpolicella is built around families and at the end of the day Val Polis Cellae Day is really all about celebrating the brilliant work the local wineries do that is dedicated to supporting the region. Local wineries are offering consumers creative specials for those that can celebrate in-person but nowadays, many wineries are also hosting in-depth virtual wine experiences for those to celebrate at home. For example Monte del Fra winery offers a Smart Tasting online where you can choose to experience a Valpolicella wine, a Cru from Monte del Fra estates or a Garganega white, also nicknamed the “golden” wine from Garda Lake. Pasqua wines proposes a Digital Tasting with three different packages and Massimago winery proposes a virtual tasting of Amarone.
