Red Wine Paolo Cottini PaCo Sensazioni di Paolo 2019. Paolo Cottini’s passion for winemaking was inherited from his father, Silvano, who taught his young son everything he knew about making exceptional wines from the excellent Valpolicella terroir. The Cottini family have been winemakers for generations, so it was no surprise that Paolo felt called to found his very own winery in the charming hilltop village of Castelrotto in the heart of Valpolicella. Paolo’s PaCo red is a powerful modern expression of Valpolicella’s traditional grapes, blending Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella along with a small amount of Syrah. The young wine is aged in oak barrels for 24 months before bottling to tame the grippy tannins and harmonise the components of the blend. On the nose there are luscious wild berry notes complemented by more delicate hints of forest floor, black pepper, and licorice. As soon as you take a sip you notice the rich full body, firm tannins and well-built structure which will help this wine age beautifully over the next five years or so. It is also a great wine to pair with typical Italian dishes like pasta alla norma or red meat dishes like a rib eye steak.
2019
Red Wine Paolo Cottini PaCo Sensazioni di Paolo 2019
Red Wine Pasqua Romeo Juliet Passione e Sentimento 2019. The Pasqua family have been trading wine in Verona since 1925, so it’s no wonder they decided to create a label to celebrate the city’s most famous love story. The striking label of this wine features an original photo of the courtyard where Juliet supposedly pined for Romeo which has become a hotspot for today’s starcrossed lovers to leave their own declarations of passion on the walls. Crafted with love and passion, this seductive red is crafted from the local Corvina and Croatina varieties as well as some Merlot. The grapes are carefully picked by hand and left to dry in wooden crates until they lose around 30% of the total water content. This traditional process is borrowed from the region’s classic Amarone wines, intensifying the flavours and sugar concentration in the fruit to craft a rich and powerful red. The next step is to vinify the partially-dried grapes in stainless steel tanks, with the best wines blended together to create this cuvee. After three months of ageing in oak barrels the wine is then ready for bottling. The result is a big, bold red with deep inky hue and rich blackberry, cherry and wild berry notes complimented by firm tannins and hints of woodsmoke and spice. Ideal for sharing with the loved ones in your life, perhaps alongside a generous platter of Italian charcuterie and aged cheeses.
2019
Red Wine Passopisciaro Franchetti 2019. No need to decant but best to open it an hour before service. Franchetti is the most representative wine of the Passopisciaro estate. It expresses and represents Andrea Franchetti’s minimalist idea of wine and his personal vision about terroir. This unique wine is made from a blend of Petit Verdot and Cesanese d’Affile which varies in percentage each harvest depending on the vintage but which always gives the same flavor imprint. The vineyards are located on the Contrada Guardiola, where the soil is rich in rock and ash. Each plant produces only 5 buds from which the best grapes are selected and fermented in steel tanks. Fermentation is followed by malolactic and aging made in new French oak barrels for 4 months, plus 14 months in concrete vats and large oak barrels. It’s a dark wine with volcanic colors and heady fruit aromas accompanied by robustness, and a generous freshness. The bouquet is opulent and characterized by fruity notes, followed by spices, leather, and granite stone. In the mouth, the structure is powerful and generous. The wine is deep and concentrated, soft, rich, and very long. It goes well with tasty meat preparations, such as beef with black truffles or veal with Porcini mushrooms.
2019