Risk And Transcendent Reward: Quintarelli
by Tom Wolf
All good wine is the result of extraordinary transformation, but there is arguably no vinous alchemy more singular and spellbinding than the appassimento winemaking of azienda Giuseppe Quintarelli, just east of Lake Garda.
Translated to “drying,” appassimento refers to the ancient process whereby grapes are harvested and—rather than immediately pressed and fermented—left to dry on wooden racks so that some water evaporates and the grapes’ sugars concentrate. Quintarelli, for instance, dries their Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot for the monumental Alzero bottling from harvest until mid-December. For the Amarone, they let their Veronese blend of primarily Corvina, Corvinone, and Rondinella air out until January. In both cases, after the grapes are sufficiently dried, they are finally pressed, then slowly macerate and ferment in the family’s cold cellar.
The Valpolicella features the same blend of grapes as the Amarone, but they are—unlike the other two wines—pressed immediately after harvest. Still, in February, the “Valpo” does take a fairly unusual step, when it starts a second fermentation with the pomace of the Amarone in a process called ripasso.
All three of these wines age in large barrels for seven years, a relative eternity during which profound depth, structure, and a mesmerizing range of flavors form. When they are finally bottled, the results are dry reds that retain freshness and poise, while delivering epic complexity and power.
While the ancient drying techniques practiced at Quintarelli (and throughout Verona) pose risks—too much power and richness—the Quintarellis have utterly mastered them, bending the risks into the most transcendent rewards, often emotional experiences in and of themselves, and some of the greatest red wines in the world.
2018 Valpolicella Classico Superiore
Italy | Veneto
2018 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico
Italy | Veneto
2017 Alzero Cabernet
Italy | Veneto
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