Valpolicella

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The soils of Valpolicella derive both from the weathering of calcareous-dolomitic formations and from basalts and morainic and fluvial deposits of volcanic origin.
• Thanks to the protection afforded by the Lessini mountain range to the north, the proximity of Lake Garda, and the southerly aspect of the hillside and valley-floor vineyards, the climate of Valpolicella is generally mild and not excessively rainy, approaching a Mediterranean character particularly on the lower slopes and valley floor.
• Rainfall is not excessive except during winter, and the annual average ranges between 850 and 1,000 mm.
• Vineyard sites can reach up to 500 metres above sea level, with aspects that vary according to altitude and the hillside slopes occupied.
• On the lower and middle slopes, which do not exceed 300 metres above sea level, the soils are sandy-gravelly and clayey.
• Calcareous soils are found on the southern and upper portions of the ridges, while marly limestones, known as Biancone and Scaglia, characterise the higher slopes of the production zone.

• The earliest cultivation of the vine is attributed to the Paleo-Venetian or Etrusco-Raetic civilisation of the 7th–5th centuries BC, and the wine produced in the Roman era was called Raetic, after the hilly and mountainous Veronese area known as Retia.
• The first ampelographic survey of the 19th century officially recognised Corvina as the typical cultivar of Valpolicella, and in 1881 Stefano de' Stefani produced the first delimitation of the wine-producing zones of Verona.
• The first production rulebook for Valpolicella wine was officially approved in 1968 with the recognition of the DOC, and in 2010 the wine types Valpolicella, Valpolicella Ripasso, Recioto della Valpolicella, and Amarone della Valpolicella were made autonomous appellations by means of dedicated ministerial decrees.
• Growers have progressively replaced the double Veronese pergola, known as tendone, with the single Veronese pergola and the pergoletta veronese in order to encourage frequent renewal of the cane and to limit yields per individual vine.

• Valpolicella of the vintage year is a young, elegant wine with a ruby-red colour, a vinous and delicate bouquet showing notes of cherry and rose, and a fresh, dry or somewhat supple palate that is pleasantly bitter-tannic and lively.
• The Superiore style, produced from selected grapes and given a minimum of one year of ageing, may show a ruby colour with some garnet hues, a lightly ethereal nose with hints of vanilla, and a refined, harmonious, dry, and velvety palate.
• The colour is a deep ruby-red and the vinous bouquet sometimes recalls bitter almonds, while the palate is dry or velvety, full-bodied, agreeably bitter, and harmoniously savoury. (via Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0)

• The mild and not excessively rainy climate, warmer during the summer and autumn season, ensures a fairly consistent ripening of the blend, yielding good sugar levels and phenolic components, and endows the valley-floor Valpolicella with a moderate alcohol content in favour of a well-balanced aromatic profile.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.

All appellations in Italy

Sources

• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PDO-IT-A0442
• Official trade body site — Consorzio Tutela Vini Valpolicella