January 2014: two events a winelover cannot miss

A new year is in front of us, so let's start with two interesting tastings of Amarone della Valpolicella!

The first one is scheduled on 23th January, 2014. In the nice hotel and restaurant Villa de Winkels,  a tasting of Amarone della Valpolicella is hosted (5.00 p.m. - 10 p.m.). Many wine producers are attending this appointment to introducing their best Amarone della Valpolicella from different vintages, to pair with the typical foods of the buffet. For the wine pros, on 3.30 p.m. there is a conference, by Esprit de Dryades: "How a forest has to be managed to produce oak for barrels".

Ticket:  40 Euro/person. For any infos, call +390456500133. 

The second event is on 25th and 26th January, 2014. In Verona downtown, in the historical Palazzo della Gran Guardia (very close to Arena), "Anteprima Amarone 2010" ("Amarone Preview 2010") is  hosted. The winelovers will have this year an import an role, as they will be envolved to express their preferences through a competition. In the entrance they will receive a potscard where they have to write their "3 best wines" tasted.

Among all the postcards, three winners will be drawn, and will benefit from a free personalized tasting of wines in one of their favorite wineries. 

Hours: Saturday: 4.00 p.m. - 7.00 p.m. Sunday: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Entrance : on invitation and with a ticket (25 Euro).

Tommasi 2007 "Vigneto Ca' Florian" Riserva Amarone della Valpolicella - uncorked

2007 - The Vintage

In the 2007 the harvest was very early - up to 20 days in advance - as a result of a mild winter and a hot April compared to the average. The rainfall was below the average, but well distributed over the year. The harvest was characterized by permanent conditions of good weather, sunny and breezy, with large temperature ranges between day and night, an advantage for the ripening of the grapes and the sorting in the vineyards of the grapes for the the production of Amarone della Valpolicella. The 2007 vintage will be remembered for its production quantitatively consistent with the yield / hectare from the product specification for the seasonal advance, and also for the excellent health of the grapes. The quality of the grapes was excellent, because they matured without too many pesticide treatments; slight sunburn affected just the grapes from vineyards Guyot trained, but the damaged berries were promptly eliminated during the selection of the bunches during harvest.

Due to these reasons, the 2007  was classified as a Very Good (4/5 Stars) vintage.

Ca' Florian - the cru    

This vineyard (5 ha, i.e. 12.35 acres) is located in the village of Pedemonte (S.Pietro in Cariano), and has a very interesting exposure to the South-West. The soil is typical of these lands, a mix of clay (on the surface) and limestone (in depth). The grapes are the "modern" blend, with a percentage of Corvinone instead of the traditional Molinara grape: the Amarone della Valpolicella Ca' Florian" is thus made mainly with Corvina Veronese (70%), Rondinella (25%) and Corvinone (5%).

The wine - a few technical notes

The winemaking process is similar to the usual one for making this typology of wine: after the harvest the grapes are put on the traditional arele (trellis), in large and ventilated drying rooms, in order to dry them until January following the harvest. Then they are pressed, fermented in steel tanks and subjected to an aging period of at least three years.

For this wine - an Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Riserva -  the aging process was at first made in tonneau (500 lt) for 1 year, and then in big barrels of Slavonian wood for 3 years.

The official launch of this Riserva was during a special evening organized at the Cafè Dante Ristoratore, in Verona downtown.

We tasted the wine, and here is its review.