Valpolicella Wine Information

Valpolicella is a red wine created from corvina, molinara, and rondinella grapes in the Veneto region of Italy. Regular Valpolicella has 11% alcohol and no more than 70% corvina. Valpolicella Superiore is created with at least a year of aging, and must be 12% alcohol or more. The traditional center of Valpolicella production uses the name 'Valpolicella Classico' - about half of all Valpolicella falls into this category.

Valpolicella can be a fruity, medium-weight red wine, but because of recent production troubles and overplanting it can often be acidic and thin. They can have a light cherry flavor, with licorice hints and slightly bitter finish. Robert Parker went so far as to call it "insipid industrial garbage" at one point. It appears that Valpolicella producers are trying to improve their wines to combat this appearance.

Valpolicella should be drunk at around 56F which is cool but not white wine temperature. It is normally drunk relatively young, within 3 years. It goes well with light dishes - pork, lamb, eggplant in red sauce.

One subtype of Valpolicella is Amarone

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