“Grapes are the most noble and challenging of fruits.” … Malcolm Dunn, Head
Gardner to the 7th Viscount Powerscourt, c 1867
If one of your life’s passions
includes finding new wines, “new” grapes, or wines that taste higher than they
are priced, I recommend Gran Passione (Grand Passion) Veneto
(the region in Italy where it’s made) Rosso (red). This delicious red is 60% Merlot and 40%
Corvina, the latter and sometimes its sub-variety Corvinone, is the grape used
in making Amarone wine. Generally, people
that love Amarone don’t so much love its price, though they understand the
expense involved in the process of making it. Valpolicella Ripasso has come to
be known as “Baby Amarone.” Ripassos may
re-use some grape skin, offer some similarities to Amarone, and cost much less,
usually in the $20 area.
Now comes Gran Passione. Not
an Amarone. Not a Valpolicella, and a “simple” IGT wine as opposed to being
classified DOGC or DOC. And then there’s
the price issue: It’s widely available at about $13.U.S., severely limiting its
“snob” appeal. That’s good for people who are looking for delicious wine,
instead of trying to impress someone with how much they spent on a bottle.
Grapes for Gran Passione are
grown in selected areas in Veneto (around Venice) from vines planted on rich
alluvial soils. Harvesting occurs in October, allowing grapes to develop full
ripeness. Selected bunch stems are cut
ten days before harvest and the grapes become partially desiccated before
crushing, concentrating their flavor and sugar. This technique, known as apppasimento, is the same as used in
making Amarone. Skins are left in the
must for extended periods, extracting flavor and contributing to the wine’s
rich purple color. Subsequent aging adds complexity and balanced notes of spice
and vanilla.
With just an initial hint of
sweetness from residual sugar, Gran Passione is dry but with soft tannins and
balanced against perfect acidity. The nose, for me, immediately offered
blueberry and the taste rewarded a jammy version of the same. Given more time to air, the wine developed
dried cherry, raisin and chocolaty plum, all in a rich mouth feel. Vacuum sealed, it was absolutely delicious
the next day; preserving its fruit without becoming flabby, it maintained a
clean, quenching finish.
To be fair, it does not have
the complexity of a true Amarone, nor does a (fill
in here the name of any varietal). Wine, as Pliny the Elder said, is a matter of personal
taste after all. But few people can enjoy drinking Amaraone on a daily basis or
even frequently. Gran Passione is a crowd pleaser – not just because it should
have wide appeal and acceptance – but because it is so well priced it can be
enjoyed as an everyday table wine. Pair it with hard, mature cheeses, spicy red
sauced pasta and lasagna, grilled meat or sausage and peppers and it will
elevate your food.
Cin Cin!
…………….. Jim
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** For a full review of
Amaraone wines, see http://www.winemizer.net/2013/05/amarone-della-valpolicella.html
Produced by Casa Vinicola
Botter http://www.vinibotter.it/eng/
Imported by Winesellers Ltd.,
Niles IL
Alc: 14%
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