Amarone and Valpolicella Superiore Masterclass: some feedbacks

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Here you can find some comments to the wines we introduced in our Masterclass in Montreux. Amarone is an impressive wine for everybody's approaching it for the first time, of course, and Valpolicella Superiore is an elegant and fine wine that worths be rediscovered.

Thanks to Shirley Chen, Per Karlsson, Magnus Reuterdahl, Valeska Idarraga and Fernando Paredes for their kind collaboration.

Montreux Rare and Unusual Masterclass

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Some images of the Amarone & Valpolicella Masterclass - to browse this gallery click on the image and go to Ricardo Bernardo's link

Some images of the Amarone & Valpolicella Masterclass - to browse this gallery click on the image and go to Ricardo Bernardo's link

Back from the DWCC - Digital Wine Communications Conference, we got a good success with the "Rare and Unusual Masterclass" dedicated to our "different approach" to Valpolicella wine region and its wines. In Montreux we presented 16 different wines produced by 8 wineries based all over the wine region.

By now, enjoy the pictures above, courtesy of our good friend Ricardo Bernardo.

Flash: Roccolo Grassi adds his "no" to Amarone in 2014

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Marco Sartori, owner at Roccolo Grassi

Marco Sartori, owner at Roccolo Grassi

The unfortunate 2014 vintage collects another winegrower of Amarone and Valpolicella wines, Roccolo Grassi, that announces giving up to produce Amarone della Valpolicella 2014. Marco Sartori, the owner, revealed he anticipated the news privately to a friend early at the end of August, and yesterday, Saturday 13th, he made it publicly on Facebook (link in Italian). Roccolo Grassi adds himself to the growing list of Amarone producers that did the same choice like Romano Dal Forno, Bertani and others smaller producers like Terre di Pietra and Tenute Ugolini.

On the same topic, please see our pre-harvest report and this post about the difficult decisions facing Valpolicella producers.

Flash: Romano Dal Forno sad decision, no Amarone in 2014

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Romano Dal Forno

Romano Dal Forno

Romano Dal Forno, the iconic winegrower of Amarone and Valpolicella wines, sadly joins Bertani and others smaller producers like Terre di Pietra and Tenute Ugolini. In an announcement released here (in Italian) he gives up to produce Amarone della Valpolicella 2014:

"This unfortunate vintage poses a lot of big question marks. We must think to the final consumer: the real wine lover cannot expect a high quality Amarone, and resellers and restaurant owners might see in this vintage more problems than opportunities in which to invest. On our side, we'll try to do our best with the Valpolicella wine".

On the same topic, please see our pre-harvest report and this post about the difficult decisions facing Valpolicella producers.

Harvest 2014, Valpolicella producers lower grape quantity for Amarone

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Harvest 2014, Valpolicella producers lower grape quantity for Amarone

In a dramatic development following some recent anticipations about a very difficult harvest in Valpolicella (see our report), we learnt that Consorzio Tutela Valpolicella (the organization representing local wine bottlers, cooperatives, wine producers and winegrowers), decided to lower from 50% to 35% the amount of grapes to be reserved for the drying process for the production of Amarone  2014.

Due to a month and a half of heavy rain, hail storms and excessive soil humidity, the health of grapes seems to be undermined almost everywhere in Valpolicella, with the exception of some hills exposed to local fresh winds (for more details, please read our report here)...

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2014: difficult harvest in Valpolicella? Our report

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2014: difficult harvest in Valpolicella? Our report

The vintage 2014 in Valpolicella risks to be remembered for its rainfalls and fungal aggressiveness: to find a similar one, you have to come back to 1995. Due to a month and half of heavy rain, hail storms and excessive soil humidity, the health of grapes seems to be undermined almost everywhere, with the exception of some hills exposed to local fresh winds.

Currently, this is the situation...

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Montreux, 30th October: Amarone and Valpolicella Superiore Masterclass

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Montreux, 30th October: Amarone and Valpolicella Superiore Masterclass

We are particularly proud to announce the first big tasting  of wines from Valpolicella that we are going to hold in Montreux, Switzerland, on 30th October 2014 with our brand Terroir Amarone : the Amarone and Valpolicella Superiore Masterclass.

It is one of the "Thursday Rare & Unusual Masterclasses”, which will be hold in Hotel Suisse Majestic (15.15-16.30). In the picture you can see the lounge where this event will be hosted.

Thanks to the  DWCC 2014 organization, this year for the first time the wine lovers have the opportunity to discover unique and rare bottles in some very special tastings the day before the official opening the annual Digital Wine Communications Conference. The tickets are limited, and will be on sale very soon, so keep in touch and share the voice.

We are also happy to announce the 8 great wineries that we'll introduce to the audience...

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“Amarone is becoming fantastically popular (and cheap). Is it a problem?”

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“Amarone is becoming fantastically popular (and cheap). Is it a problem?”

In a recent article on his BKWine Magazine, our good friend Per Karlsson deals the interesting question of cheaper Amarone della Valpolicella (mainly) in the Swedish market.

The point is that, due to the appassimento or ripasso technique (two different techniques that a #winelover has to learn to distinguish), almost any red wine can become sexier: velvety, sweeter sometimes, much more structured, fruity, powerful etc. In a word, more exciting. The perfect wine to impress everybody, don’t you agree? I mean, everybody who never tasted an authentic Amarone della Valpolicella before… because if you know this kind of wine, you also know that the technique is just a part of its success - this is not the moment to discuss also about this, though...

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