Time for Valpolicella
Olga Bussinello wants you to drink more Valpolicella. Bussinello is the director for Consortium of Valpolicella, the association representing the four styles of red wines made in the Valpolicella appellation of northern Italy, north of Verona and west of Venice.
I caught up with her by phone during her annual fall trip to Vancouver to promote the wines to government and private liquor stores, restaurants, sommeliers and media.
“I know the Okanagan has its own wine industry, so it can be a challenge to convince people to drink imports,” said Bussinello in her Italian accent.
“But, if you want a versatile red wine to drink as an aperitif or with traditional Italian cuisine, Valpolicella is fresh and similar to Pinot Noir.”
To show how adaptable Valpolicella is, Bussinello led a seminar and meal at Vij’s restaurant in Vancouver to show how the Italian reds pair well with spicy Indian food.
Last year, it was seafood and sushi with Valpolicella.
However, she also touts Valpolicella as the ideal match for traditional Verona cuisine ranging from pasta in Monte Veronese cheese sauce (similar to an aged gouda) and meatballs to mushroom dishes and baked, fried or grilled polenta (solidified cornmeal).
All Valpolicella wines are made from four red grapes you’ve probably never heard of – Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella and Molinara.
Valpolicella Classico is the style most are likely familiar with.
It’s the approachable red with aromas and tastes of cherry that’s perfect with spaghetti or pizza.
Valpolicella Amarone sees dried grapes fermented into a full-bodied, slightly raisinated wine with blackberry and cocoa nose and taste.
Valpolicella Ricioto also uses dried grapes, but the fermentation is stopped before all the sugars convert to alcohol for a sweet dessert wine.
Valpolicella Ripasso utilizes some of the leftover grape skins from Amarone and Ricioto added to the fermenting wine to produce a supple, medium-bodied red with sour cherry notes.
It was the 2014 Zonin Valpolicella Ripasso Superiore ($21) that my wife and I enjoyed on a Wednesday night with meatballs from Italian specialty store Valoroso and a side of cheesy pasta.
The wine’s dark-cherry-dominant aroma and taste complemented the red meat and cheese and finished strong with some hints of chocolate.
The Zonin is widely available at B.C. government liquor stores, as are a few other Valpolicellas, including Classicos from big producers such as Bolla, Folonari and Masi.
The Valpolicella appellation produces about 60 million bottles of wine per year, which makes it about three times the size of the Okanagan wine industry.
Canada is the fifth largest importer of Valpolicella wines behind the U.S., China, the U.K. and France.
This wine is “off brain for Mission Hill,” according to winemaker Darryl Brooker.
“It’s meant to look and feel totally different from anything we’ve ever done before. It will appeal to a younger demographic and anyone willing try something quality and new.”
The winemaker at the West Kelowna property is talking about C# (Sharp) Aromatic White ($25).
While Mission Hill is traditional with its classic labels, premium wines and integrated marketing, C# is daring, deliberate and obvious with its clear bottle, lime-green screwcap and a circular, graphic-driven label.
It’s also a bit of a kitchen-sink blend of 33 per cent Sauvignon Blanc, 22 per cent Semillon and 15 per cent of each Muscat, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris.
All five grapes are from vines on the estate-owned Jagged Rock Vineyard in Oliver, where the soils are sparse and the ripening days long.
The varietals also come together after myriad vinification methods from concrete eggs and stainless-steel barrels to oak barrels and stainless-steel tanks.
While unconventional, it all unites to produce a wine initially reminiscent of a New Zealand-style Sauvignon Blanc, but ends up completely unique, vibrant, flavourful and ideally acidic in both aroma and taste.
Brooker also hinted there will soon be more wines under the C# brand, but didn’t want to elaborate just yet.