This baby is cute in a smart way. Ripasso has many of the qualities of Amarone without the hefty price tag and this one has been recognised by Decanter as one of the wines of 2009. It fills that niche between your everyday drinking Valpolicella and the premium Amarone.

The most basic Valpolicella are light in body and often served slightly chilled, a little like Beaujolais with a touch of sour red fruit. The key native grape varieties are Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara, which are also found in both Ripasso and Amarone.

A big part of the reason Amarone is a high end product that tastes so good is down to the production process. The grapes are late harvested and then left in drying rooms for three to four months, where the sugars are concentrated and over a third of the water is lost as the grapes shrivel into raisins.

The secret to Ripasso is in the use of leftover grape skins and seeds from the fermentation of Amarone. They are added to the batch of Valpolicella wines for a period of extended maceration. So it’s easy to see why it is less expensive than, and similar to, Amarone.

From the above video you can tell Mike is a big fan of Farina’s Montecorna Valpolicella Ripasso. This vintage was one of Decanter’s top 50 Wines of the Year in 2009, earning Four Star recognition and stepping up into the ‘Highly Recommended’ category.

What they had to say: “Perfumed ripe cherry fruit, mint and rosemary. Elegant and juicy cherry fruit. Aromatic finish.”

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It has been in the pipeline for a while now. The Italian DOCs of Amarone della Valpolicella and Recioto della Vallpolicella have been promoted, alongside the ranks of Chianti Classico, to the status of DOCG, the highest possible quality level in Italy.

Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) is the first step up from Vino da Tavola, or Table Wine. This is part of the QWPSR (Quality Wine Produced in a Specified Region), of which Amarone has been under since 1990.

The highest level, DOCG, is a system that aims to recognise traditionally outstanding wines and establishes the geographic origin, grape variety or varieties to be used, minimum alcohol content and ageing requirements.

It is suspected that the move was to protect the status of Amarone abroad, particularly to take advantage of the American market, which is the single biggest importer.

What’s so special about Amarone?

Amarone is predominately made from the native Italian grapes of Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara. Altri Vitigni is another that may be used. The grapes are carefully harvested when ripe and are allowed to dry and shrivel, usually over 120 days. This process, known as desiccation, helps to concentrate the juice before pressing. Fermentation will take longer with Amarone because of the reduced water content (up to 50 days).

The result of hard work, patience and skill at the hand of the winemaker, is a rich, complex and luxurious red wine, with low acidity and flavours of stewed fruit. If fermentation is stopped early, a sweeter wine is produced (Recioto della Vallpolicella). Ripasso is partially aged Valpolicella that has been in contact with the lees of the Amarone. It is fermented twice to obtain a dryer style.

Two awesome examples from Farina.