Let's talk little, let's talk wine
The Zeni family, 5 generations old, began producing wines in 1870. The Valpolicella wine-growing area, one of the best known in Italy, extends over the hills north of the historic city of Verona. The vineyards are located at an altitude varying from 150 to 450 m above sea level. To understand this wine, you have to understand how it is made. It is made using the “ripasso” technique which is a specialty of the Valpolicella region. This technique developed in the 1970s when winemakers remembered an ancestral technique consisting of adding pressed skins from already fermented great Amarone wines to classic Valpolicella wine. This astonishing technique causes a new fermentation thanks to the sugars and yeasts that can still be found in the rich Amarone marc. This “new juice” will then be aged in oak barrels for 10 to 12 months , depending on the vintage. On the palate we can distinguish complex aromas of dried red flowers , black cherry , plum , blackberries , sweet spices , undergrowth , tobacco and cocoa . Round and tasty on the palate with melted tannins, it is a wine of great finesse with a long and persistent finish.
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The little history of the country
Italy
Ah Italy, what a beautiful hedonistic country, people of the Dolce Vita, but what difficulty in understanding its wine organization! The key to understanding the naming system in Italy is to think of it as several small countries rather than a single homogeneous country because each region has its own naming system. Italy can, however, give wine lovers a multitude of wines with varied and unique flavors and styles, as well as bottles filled with surprise and creativity. Unfortunately, it also produces a large quantity of soulless and characterless wines which are sold under their most useful and commercially reputable name: Pinot Grigio, Chianti, Valpolicella, Lambrusco, Prosecco and many others... But let's talk a little history, viticulture in Italy dates back to ancient times and it originated in Greece. The Etruscans would have planted vines and Greek immigrants would have improved and modified the grape varieties who subsequently called this country "Oenotria": the country of wine. At the height of the Roman Empire, wine held an important place in daily life and certain regions already stood out for the excellence of their product. The Romans also established numerous vineyards in Europe, leaving an indelible testimony to their invasion. Today Italy is the largest wine producer in the world, ahead of France. Italy is divided into three climatic areas. The northern mountains experience a fairly harsh mountain climate. The “middle of the boot” plain is the domain of the continental climate with cold winters and hot, stormy summers. In the "southern part of the Italian boot" the Mediterranean climate reigns with very hot and very dry summers without forgetting the islands of Sicily and Sardinia. In summary, Italy produces wines of great variety thanks to its 200 different grape varieties, many of which originate from their lands. It is a country just as complex as its wines which deserve to be explored!