Costasera Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2017 Red Wine, 750 ml

The vinification: The Italian name »Costasera« means »facing the sunny side« and refers to a very particular location. The west-facing vineyard is close to Lake Garda and is perfect for growing the Amarone grape varieties Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara. Lake Garda provides a warming effect during cooler weather periods, making frost virtually impossible, and thanks to cooling winds during the warm summer months, prevents heat build-up in the vineyard. These special climatic characteristics make for a wine that, despite its full body and high intensity, has a finely balanced freshness. Amarone is made from a naturally formed concentrate using the sophisticated appassimento process. In this process, the early harvested grapes are first spread out on traditional drying racks at the end of September, beginning of October and stored to dry. This causes the grapes to lose a large part of their water content. By the end of January, the grapes have lost 35 % of their weight and at the same time gained a higher sugar concentration. This is followed by a light pressing and partial destemming with subsequent 45-day fermentation in large Slovenian oak barrels, in which malolactic fermentation takes place. The wine is then aged for 24 months in Slovenian oak barrels of 40-80 hl (80 %) and the remaining 20 % in small barrels of Allier oak and Slovenian oak (40 % new, 30 % 2nd use, 30 % 3rd use). Finally, the wine is matured in the bottle for at least four months. The result is a very long-lasting wine that retains its character for up to 30 years.

Tasting notes: The very dark, ruby red wine exudes wonderful aromas of preserved fruits and offers a fascinating glimpse of the great potential of the autochthonous grape varieties Corvina, Rondinella and Oseleta. The bouquet offers plenty of ripe sour cherry, dried plum, aromatic blueberry and orange peel, plus hints of liquorice, coffee, cedar, fine dark chocolate and a little violet. The palate is deep and full of structure. The fruity aromas are also present in the mouth and are surrounded by light citrus notes. Incredibly powerful and complex, with enormous substance, rounded tannin and a gripping length that once again clearly underlines the elegance and freshness of this red wine.

Food pairings: Ideal with dark meat such as game, beef and lamb, as well as strong and spicy cheeses. Also ideally accompanies desserts.