Ripasso is often called “baby Amarone.” I’ll be honest: I can’t remember anyone saying this to me at a table or in a wine shop. This nickname shows up constantly in wine writing and almost nowhere else. That’s exactly why I wanted to dig into where it comes from, rather…
Ripasso and Amarone both come from Valpolicella in Veneto. Both lean on the same traditional grapes, mainly Corvina, Corvinone, and Rondinella. They can sit right next to each other on a wine shop shelf and look equally Italian. They still hand you two completely different evenings. One is richer than…
Ripasso is what happens when Valpolicella decides it wants a little more drama. Regular Valpolicella is bright, fresh, full of sour-cherry energy. Amarone is richer, warmer, and considerably more intense. Ripasso sits comfortably between the two. It carries more body and depth than ordinary Valpolicella. It’s usually easier to drink…
Every wine has a season it’s built for, whether anyone admits it or not. Rosé wants sunshine. Prosecco wants a terrace. And somewhere around the point where you start wearing a scarf indoors, out of necessity and not fashion, a certain kind of red wine finally gets let off the…
Picture a Napa tasting room. Low light, hushed voices, someone murmuring about tannin structure. Now picture a 7’6″ former NBA All-Star ducking through the doorway to join them, and try not to smile. That’s the first reaction most people have walking into Yao Family Wines in St Helena. It looks,…
I need to tell you something I only properly understood recently, even though I’ve lived twenty minutes from the source for years now. Amarone was never supposed to exist. It’s a mistake. A genuinely accidental wine. Sometime in the 1930s, a producer left a barrel of Recioto, a sweet, dried-grape…
Here’s a story that sounds made up but genuinely isn’t. Sometime in the 13th century, Florence and Siena were locked in one of their endless territorial disputes, this time over the Chianti hills sitting between them. Rather than fight it out indefinitely, the two cities agreed to settle it with…
So, in the past, we’ve discussed on the Fun Facts About Merlot and I think its right we do same to Cabernet Sauvignon. Cabernet Sauvignon, often referred to as the “King of Grapes,” holds a special place in the world of wine. Its bold flavors and iconic status have made…
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