Valentine’s Day Amore: Sharing Luigi Righetti Amarone della Valpolicella

Valentine’s Day doesn’t always mean red roses and candlelit dinners with that special someone.  For me, this year, I celebrated an early Valentine’s Day in a very special way, with the woman who taught me what love was all about, my mom.  My family and I surprised her for her birthday, bringing dinner and dessert while enjoying a special bottle of a 2004 Luigi Righetti Amarone Della Valpolicella.   

As we pulled the cork on this 20-year-old bottle, I couldn’t help but think of all the memories we shared over the years including our travels to this special region of the Veneto where Amarone Della Valpolicella is produced, although this wasn‘t one of the bottles that we brought back with us.  I’m actually still sitting on those and it’s been quite a while since we traveled there together.  More to come on those gems. 

Luigi Righetti winery 

Luigi Righetti winery is located in Valgatara, within the Valpolicella Classico zone, just outside the town of Marano.  Angelo Righetti established the winery back in 1909 and today it is run by the 5th generation, Gianmaria and Giuseppe, along with their father Luigi who is still active in the winery today assisting in running the operations.  Luigi originally took over winemaking in the 40’s.  In 1985 Gianmaria began to focus on single vineyard productions and making wines that would carry an international appeal. 

About Amarone della Valpolicella wines 

The Valpolicella wine region, where Amarone is produced, stretches from Lake Garda in the east that borders Lombardy towards the wine territory of Soave and north of Verona.  Amarone wines are some of the most distinctive and prestigious wines of Italy.  They are powerful, concentrated, structured and complex with a fascinating production process which includes the drying of grapes known as the appassimento process. 

copyright of the Consorzio Tutela Vini Valpolicella

Amarone translates to ”little bitter one”.  Its counterpart from the same region is another wine known as Recioto Della Valpolicella.  While the fermentation process of Amarone carries on for a lengthy time, the fermentation process for the wines of Recioto della Valpolicella is stopped for these wines to retain a higher level of sugar. 

The grapes used in the production of Amarone can vary based on the producer, but include 45-95% Corvina and/or Corvinone for its acidity, body, and cherry flavors, 5-30% Rondinella for its tannin and color and up to 25% of other grapes including Molinara. 

What is the appassimento process? It is the drying process of the grapes that takes place in drying rooms known as the fruttaio where the grapes are laid out in crates or straw mats.  They are left there for about 100-120 days until about the January/February timeframe. This process, as you can imagine, concentrates the sugars and dries the grapes, making them more raisin like.  Following this process, the grapes are then vinified for another 30-50 days for a slow fermentation of the grapes due to the high sugar content.  They are then aged for 2 years in oak or 4 years in oak if they are riserva.  The end result are wines that are dry and complex with a high alcohol content climbing around 15-17%.    

One of the wineries I visited way back showing the appassimento process

How to travel to the Valpolicella wine region 

If you have yet to travel to the Valpolicella wine region, it’s a short trip outside Verona.  To reach it’s southern borders, you are only a few miles outside the city.  To get to the historic heart of the Valpolicella wine region, the Valpolicella Classico zone, it will take you about 20-30 minutes north of Verona into the hills of towns like Marano, Fumane, Negrar, Sant’ Ambrogio di Valpolicella and San Pierre in Cariano to name a few.   

The Wine 

It was interesting to see the bottle of Amarone from Luigi Righetti labeled as an Amarone DOC.  The designation wasn’t upgraded to a DOCG until 2010.   

This bottle of Capitel de’ Roari Amarone was produced from various plots of lands with the best grapes selected for this blend.  The grapes are dried until the January/February time frame and then fermented in steel basins until July/August.  It is then aged for 3 years in part oak barrels and part French barrique. 

The 2004 Luigi Righetti Capitel de’ Roari Amarone DOC Classico was more brick in color, mostly due to its age.  Rich in dried fruits aromas.  Full-bodied with concentrated notes of cherries and raspberries with a slight herbal note.  A solid backbone acidity still stood with over 20 years of age on this wine, and the tannins had become quite silky.  It took some time for this to open up so always make sure you give these wines their due. ABV 15%, SRP $40 (some of the newer bottles I saw were priced) 

I couldn’t find a specific technical sheet on the blend used in this particular vintage, but some of the more recent vintages include 80% Corvina and 20% Rondinella.  For those of you that are savvy 

Amarone wines are highly age worthy, and I've found that no matter the age, they all will benefit with some time opened in advance or watch it evolve in the glass while tasting which is always fun.

This month our World Wine Travel group (#WorldWineTravel) is featuring Valentine wines from around the world.  Read the variety of other selections this Valentine's Day and choose one to try for yourself.

• A Love Letter to Wine by Side Hustle Wino

• Chef's Private Dinner at our Resort in Mexico by Our Good Life

• Fair Verona and the Romance of Valpolicella from Crushed Grape Chronicles

• J'aime partager le vin et la vie avec vous from A Day in the Life on the Farm

• Pretty in Pink: Italian Wines Paired with International Flavors by Culinary Cam 

• Valentine's Day Wines: A Wine for Everyone to Love by Wineivore

You can find other Amarone della Valpolicella wines to try on Wine.com.  I may receive compensation for any wines purchased through the affiliate link in support of the operations of Vino Travels.  

Also, in light of Valentine's Day, if you didn't know I had written a book on my husband and I's wedding that I planned in Tuscany called "Planning Your Dream Wedding in Tuscany".  If you know someone looking to get married in Italy or just want to check it out, you can find it on Amazon for sale. 

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Zucchini Patties Paired with Monte del Fra Chiaretto di Bardolino

Lake Garda in northern Italy is a perfect place to situate yourself for several reasons.  Not only is the area a beautiful place to tour, but you have great accessibility to many great towns in the not too far distance including Verona, Trento, Brescia and Bergamo to name a few.  Plus, you have the benefit of exploring two regions since Lake Garda sits between the Veneto and Lombardy. Not to mention the classic food and wines of both regions surrounding Lake Garda especially.  Today I’m highlighting one of Italy’s finest rosé wines found at Lake Garda, Chiaretto. 

Where is Chiaretto produced?   

You can find Chiaretto wines produced in both the Veneto and Lombardy wine regions along the southern half of Lake Garda, the largest lake in the Veneto.. The name stems from the word Chiaro meaning light or pale color, which is represented in these wines.  They are lighter in comparison to other rosé wines found throughout Italy such as Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo from the Abruzzo region as well as rosé wines from Puglia and Sicily.   

There are a couple types of Chiaretto produced between the Veneto and Lombardy regions. In the Veneto you will find Chiaretto di Bardolino, named after the town of Bardolino located alongside Lake Garda. These wines were granted the Bardolino DOC Chiaretto status in 1968 with a later name change to Chiaretto di Bardolino DOC in 2018.  

The grapes used in producing Chiaretto di Bardolino are the typical red grapes of the Veneto region, including primarily Corvina along with Rondinella and Molinara.  You will also find these grapes in the wines of Valpolicella, Bardolino and Amarone from the surrounding territories.  

Chiaretto di Bardolino appellation - copyright of Consorzio Vini Bardolino

In the Lombardy region you will also find Chiaretto produced in the subzone of Valténesi.   There you will find Chiaretto produced under the Valténesi Chiaretto Riviera del Garda Classico DOC.  These wines differ from their counterpart as the primary grape in these Chiaretto wines is Groppello along with Marzemino, Sangiovese and Barbera.  With both regions the red grapes are gently pressed and spend a short maceration time to produce the pale pink colors. 

The soils are sandy and stony with morainic hillsides.  Due to these morainic soils, you may find some minerality in these wines.  Chiaretto wines are dry and crisp with notes of citrus, red berries and some stone fruit.  They can also be slightly tannic and tend to have a refreshing, vibrant acidity.   

The wine 

I wrote recently about Monte del Fra so you can read more about this winery on my previous blog.  This week I tasted the 2022 Monte del Fra Chiaretto di Bardolino DOC.  This wine is produced around the area of Sommacampagna sitting just east off the southern tip of Lake Garda.  The hills reside at about 350-490 feet above sea level in soils of morainic origin with calcareous clay, gravel and sand.    

The Monte del Fra Chiaretto di Bardolino is a blend of Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara.  The wine spends 24 hours on the skin resulting in a wine with a pale salmon color.  There are aromas of citrus, wild strawberries and a slight herbaceous note.  Fresh and dry on the palate with crisp acidity.  Citrus and red berry flavors with a touch of minerality leave a lengthy, lingering finish.  ABV 12.5%    

Wine Pairing – Chiaretto with Zucchini Patties 

As the weather is warming up here in the northeast I’m getting into my grilling and lighter food fare mindset.  I have been eating a ton of veggies and am expanding my garden this year planting many of my own flowers and vegetables from seeds with my children.  Always a fun activity to partake in and watch them grow!  I’m a huge fan of zucchini and eat it on the regular.  Instead of grilling it or roasting it with some extra virgin olive oil and sea salt I wanted to try making zucchini patties to pair with the Chiaretto. 

This was a simple side dish to prepare and to be honest it also makes a nice lunch alongside some added protein.  I grated about 3-4 smaller zucchinis into a bowl adding a ½ cup of flour, 2 eggs, ¾ cup blend of mozzarella and parmigiano cheese and salt.  Upon mixing the ingredients I formed them into patties and sauteed them in some extra virgin olive oil until brown before flipping a few minutes on each side. I would add a little more flour next time using this many zucchini to thicken the mixture. 

The zucchini patties paired well with the Chiaretto di Bardolino.  Chiaretto tends to be a food friendly wine due to its vibrant acidity.  A light, flavorsome dish paired nicely with the crisp, citrus driven Chiaretto.  

Buon weekend!

You can shop on Wine.com in support of Vino Travels and find Chiaretto wines to try for yourself.

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*This wine was provided as a sample, but opinions are always my own.

Monte Zovo and their wines of the Valpolicella

As I wrap up this months feature on the Veneto wine region I’ll share some of the Veneto’s great red wines, those that come from the Valpolicella wine appellation.  Some years ago I visited the wine estate of Monte Zovo and wrote briefly about my visit. Today I’ll give more of an overview of Monte Zovo and a couple of their wines that I tasted this week. 

The Monte Zovo winery 

Monte Zovo began back in 1925 when the grandfather, Carlo Cottini, of the current owner, Diego Cottini, bought the land.  At the time it was mainly used for fruits, especially cherry plants, along with cattle grazing.  Carlo’s son, Raffaelo, in the 50’s and 60’s converted the land over to vineyards in order to start to make wines.   

Cottini family

Monte Zovo has 4 different vineyard sites with three of them in Lombardy located near Lake Garda in the municipalities of Desanzano and Pozzolengo.  Lake Garda borders both Lombardy and the Veneto.  The three vineyards include Monte Zovo, Spiazzi and Bettinelle.  Monte Zovo is located around the winery in Caprino Veronese.  Bettinelle, is their experimential vineyards located on the plains of Rivoli.  Lastly is Spiazzi, which was Diego’s idea to plan Pinot Noir, Sauvignon and Mueller Thurgau at high altitudes of almost 3,000 feet.  He wanted to plant vineyards in an area that was outside the normal altitudes that would allow the aromas in the wines to shine. 

It wasn’t until 2000 that the Cottini family ventured into the Veneto purchasing the Tregnano estate.  This was Diego’s desire to purchase land from where he was born and worked with his grandfather.  The Tregnano estate is located northeast of Verona, in the eastern area of Valpolicella.  The vineyards sit on top of the hills that divide both the Ilasi and Mezzane Valleys that also border the Monti Lessini national park.  At the top of the hills they built a drying facility that sits at about 1,650 feet that provides great ventilation for the grapes to dry.  Out of the 345 acres that the Cottini family owns, about 123 acres are located there in Valpolicella. 

The Wines of Monte Zovo 

If you are familiar with the red wines of the Valpolicella most of them are based on a number of native grapes including Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella and Molinara.  Some of them are produced as a dry style wine, while others are dried resulting in wines with a deeper, intense profile and concentration.   

I tasted the Monte Zovo Caligo Veronese IGT made from 70% Corvina, 20% Corvinone and 10% Rondinella.  I was pleasantly surprised by this wine, especially at its price point at $18, as it gives a nice introduction to the grapes of this region at a reasonable price point.  The grapes are grown in the northern area of Verona on morainic soil.  The grapes are left on the vines an additional 2-4 weeks to overripen going through a drying process while on the vine.  The wine is then picked and fermented for 25-30 days and aged for 12 months in a combination of barrique and tonneaux.  Ruby and rather transparent in the glass.  Violet and blackberries filled the aromas.  A medium-bodied, but on the lighter side with juicy fruits of dried cherries and blackberries that rounded out the palate with a hint of black tea.  Rather soft, but fruit filled.

I had the pleasure to taste the 2018 Monte Zovo Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG. I usually drink Amarone for Thanksgiving so I’ll probably have this one on the table that day. Made from 70% Corvina, 20% Corvinone and 10% Rondinella this wine also comes from the Tregnano estate from 12 year old vines. The grapes are picked and laid in boxes on one layer and moved to the drying facility where they rest to concentrate for a few months. The fermentation then takes place for 20 days and the wine is aged in barrique for 24 months and an additional 6 months in wood vessels (not sure of the exact kind). It then spends an additional 12 months in the bottle. This is part of the reason the price for Amarone is rather high is due to the extensive aging process.  

The 2018 Monte Zovo Amarone was ruby colored with garnet edges. Ripe raspberry and black cherry fruit aromas were apparent with a dusting of cocoa, dried herbs, licorice and some baking spice. A whole array of aromas! It was still a little tight, but I didn’t give this wine much time to aerate. Full-bodied on the palate, rich and smooth. Mostly currants and plums with some vanilla and baking spices again. For a wine that had 16% alcohol I didn’t pick up the heat at all thankfully. It had a nice elegance with integrated tannin and a nice acid backbone. SRP $50 

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*This wine was provided as a sample, but opinions are always my own.