Showing posts with label Ripasso. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ripasso. Show all posts

Thursday, December 12, 2019

Just The Italian Job With Liberty Wines. Alpha Zeta Makes A Winning Impression


Just The Italian Job With Liberty Wines
Alpha Zeta Makes A Winning Impression

Alpha Zeta sounds more like a college fraternity rather than a winery. But a winery it is, started in 1999 when Liberty Wines, working with leading New Zealand winemaker, Matt Thomson, set out to produce a range of modern, fruit-driven wines from the hills outside Verona. The wines here have distinguishing single letters on the label. The Chardonnay below, by the way, is a Gold Medal winner from the recent Irish Wine Show.

Alpha Zeta "C" Chardonnay Veneto (IGT) 2018, 13%, €14.99
Stockists: 64 Wine; Blackrock Cellar; O'Donovans Off Licence; C Morton & Son Ltd; McHugh’s Off Licence; Thomas`s of Foxrock; The Vintry; Jus de Vine; Myles Creek; Martins Off Licence; Next Door @ The Mary B; Leopardstown Inn; World Wide Wines; The Old Stand; JJ O’Driscoll; Wineoline.ie.

Really bright in the glass with a light straw colour. Aromatic, tropical fruits. Concentrated fruit on the palate, superb acidity too. And this fresh and lively medium bodied wine has a good long finish as well. It was a Gold Medal Winner at the recent National Off Licence Awards at the Irish Wine Show, beating off all-comers in the Old World White Under €15.00 category. Think I agree with the judges. Very Highly Recommended.

As you go to the second glass, you have to remind yourself that this is an Italian Chardonnay, not a French one, not one from Australia. It was a Gold Medal Winner at the recent National Off Licence Awards at the Irish Wine Show, beating off all-comers in the Old World White Under €15.00 category. Think I agree with the judges. Very Highly Recommended.

Alpha Zeta say they are “are resolutely modern yet rooted in the ancient traditions of the area. ‘C’ is for the Chardonnay grapes and for the contemporary style of this wine. This Chardonnay is lightly oaked (half the wine was fermented in oak), with crisp flavours and that combines with a creamy richness on the palate to make an impressive wine.”



Alpha Zeta  “R” Valpolicella Ripasso (DOC) Superiore 2017, 13.5%, €19.99 


McHughs Off Licence - Kilbarrack Rd & Malahide Road; Baggot Street Wines; Mitchell & Son Wine Merchants; 64 Wine; The Vintry; Lilac Wines; C Morton & Son Ltd; Clontarf Wines; World Wide Wines; Myles Creek; JJ O’Driscolls; Bradley’s; The Old Stand; Dwan's Off Licence; Wineoline.ie

Alpha Zeta use a modern approach to the traditional practice of Ripasso with this “R” cuvée, a blend of 85% Corvina/Corvinone and 15% Rondinella.

Colour is mid ruby. Aromas are intense, mainly of cherry, plus other red fruits. The palate experience is similar, concentrated, aromatic and silky. Full-bodied yes but with a lovely and lively cherry character somewhere between the lightness of Valpolicella and the more serious character of Amarone. It’s a good place to be and the acidity is present right through to the long dry finish. Very Highly Recommended. 

The traditional Veronese practice, known as “Ripasso", saw the young wine re-fermented on the skins of the Amarone grapes once they had finished fermenting in March. The modern approach is to ferment the young wine together with dried grapes in the January following the vintage, giving the wine more body and depth. Following fermentation, the wine was aged for just over a year in a mixture of large and small French oak barrels prior to bottling. The producers say this blend of modern and traditional winemaking produces a wine with a combination of freshness, structure and depth that is fairly rare among Ripasso wines.

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Some terrific wines to look out for in the current O'Brien promotion.


As you probably know, the current O'Briens Wine promotion is up and running and will go on until the end of December. Not too sure if the two beauties below will last that long. One is biodynamic, the other is organic, and both are Very Highly Recommended. You'll find four other sale wines covered below as well, along with brief descriptions of what organic and biodynamic, and a few other wines terms, mean, terms that keep popping up on labels these days.

Musella Valpolicella Ripasso (DOC) Superiore 2016, 14%, €20.95 (22.95)

This biodynamic wine from near Verona comes in a mid to dark ruby robe. Superb intense aromas of ripe cherries. And cherry flavours are richly concentrated on the palate, a matching acidity, the mouthfeel soft, the tannins sweet. And there’s a fruity and well balanced finish. Really excellent wine, another Very Highly Recommended for you.

The concentration here is the result of the Ripasso method. Ripasso (re-passed) wines are made by fermenting young wine with the unpressed but drained skins and lees left over from making Amarone and this process can give the  Ripasso a “super-charge”. Read more details about the method here

In this case, the winery tells us this is “ripassato” on unpressed skins of Amarone “to earn colour and structure”. The blend here is the usual threesome of Corvina (the main grape), Rondinella, and Barbera and it has spent 12 months barrel ageing (French oak). Suggested pairings are cold meats/pâtés, Duck, Nutroast, Pheasant/Pigeon, Pizza/Pasta, Rib-Eye Steak, Sirloin/Striploin/Rump steak

Musella, as well as turning out rich satisfying ripassos, are also one of the 'Twelve Amarone Families', a group of the very best producers in the region in North East Verona.

By the way, I was just reading there in Vino Italiano that Valpolicella means “valley of many cellars” (vallis polis cellae). The Modern History of Italian Wine debunks that theory though, saying the POL refers to large mounds of sand and gravel left behind after flooding in the local river but goes on to confirm that “this great land of wines has always practiced the characteristic technique of over-ripening and drying the grapes”.

Symington Altano Vinho Tinto Douro (DOC) 2018, 14%, €12.45 (17.45)

Colour of this beautifully balanced organic red wine from the Douro valley in Portugal is a deep garnet. Scents of ripe red fruits are noted. On the palate it is fresh, smoothly intense, a sweet hint of smooth tannins and, with good acidity, is harmonious all the way through to a long finish. Very Highly Recommended and fantastic value at the moment.


This wine is made with 100% organically grown grapes from the family’s vineyards, the family being the Symingtons, a leading winemaking family who have been making Port in the Douro for five generations.

As you know, much the same grapes are used for port as for still red wine. The grape varieties for the Altano are Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca, Touriga Nacional and Tinto Cão. The advice is to serve at 14 to 17 degrees centigrade. It is evidently ready for immediate consumption but “has the potential to continue developing favourably up to 6 years.”


Two excellent wines from South America feature in O'Brien's current promotion.

Dozens and dozens of wines are reduced in the current O'Brien's promotion that runs up to the end of the year. I've picked a few and have a couple of South American beauties below for you. Some of the others are pretty good too and I'll come to those in the next week or so. In the meantime, check out this magnificent Malbec from over 1,300 meters in the Andes foothills - that's higher than Carrauntoohill. The other, a Cinsault, a very pleasant light red, comes from the highly regard Di Martino winery in Chile.

Once upon a time, we bought red and white and maybe rosé. But now you'll see organic, biological, natural, even orange on labels. Can be confusing, I know. O'Brien's have put a handy leaflet together to explain the terms and I'll reproduce parts here from time to time. The first two are below - hope they help!

Casa de Uco El Salvaje Malbec Los Chacayes (IG) 2016, 13.5%, €16.95 (19.95)

Purple is the colour of this organic wine from a high altitude vineyard in the Mendoza region of Argentina. The rich aromas of ripe dark fruit rise to meet you. And on the palate the big flavours (plum, dark cherry and blackberry) are matched by an excellent acidity, a harmony relayed to the decent finish (not overly long). An immediately engaging wine and Very Highly Recommended. Just 2,500 bottles are produced and the wine has been fermented in large concrete eggs.

Los Chacayes is one of four wine areas in Tunuyan in the Uco valley. The vineyard Casa de Uco is located in the valley, tucked against the foothills of the Andes Mountains, and close to Mendoza. El Salvaje (wild) also figures prominently on the label and is the overall name given to a series of organic wines that also includes, among others, a Pinot Noir and a white blend.

This wine is 100% Malbec from certified organic vineyards located at 1300 metres above sea level. This elevation maintains the fresh acidity in the grapes. Unoaked, this is a pure expression of the Uco Valley terroir. 

Enjoy with beef, lamb or char-grilled vegetables. In Argentina, I’m told they pair it with juicy Sirloin of pork, Braised lamb shoulder with roasted parsnips, or Fillet steak with chimichurri. Wine Folly says the perfect Malbec Food Pairing is Black pepper buffalo burgers with blue cheese mushrooms and rosemary infused garlic kale chips. Sounds great to me.

Alberto Antonini, Winemaker Casa de Uco, is enthusiastic: "After 16 years of experience in the Uco Valley, I can affirm that this is the exact area where the best wines of Mendoza are produced. The proximity to the Andes Mountains, the ideal day to night temperature ranges, and the fertile soil with excellent drainage, make this land exceptional to produce high end wines and develop the viticulture and enology in the most natural way possible"

De Martino “Gallardia” Cinsault Itata (DO) 2017, 13%, 14.95 (19.95)

This delightful 100% Cinsault is a light ruby, quite like Pinot Noir. Aromas are rather intense: red fruit (including raspberry) mainly, plus floral elements. Mouthfeel is soft. Smooth and fresh on the palate, the raspberry prominent again, good acidity too, and a pleasing finish as well. Highly Recommended. Maybe Very Highly Recommended if you love these light dry reds as many people do nowadays.

De Martino say this, from their Guarilihue vineyard (22km from the sea), “is a tribute to the coastal vineyards located by the southern region of Chile; it is the cradle of the country’s viticulture, with vines dating back to 1551…. A sustainable agriculture, including dry farming and ploughing with horses are practiced in our vineyards.”

Wines of South America has a very high regard for De Martino and have included some of their wines in Top Ten varietal lists. De Martino winemaker Marcelo Retamal is one of the country’s most accomplished and is known as el doctor.  “He uses no new oak, preferring larger older casks, nd promotes the use of the old ceramic tinjaras, clay amphorae, for fermentation. There are no cultivated yeasts, no filtration, and no intervention.”
Head South For This Smashing Pair,
 One White, One Red.
Or Just Head to O'Brien's!

(Below, you'll find notes on two wine terms that are now current and, also a chance to read over the other four wines picked from O'Brien's November December promotion, a versatile "six-pack" for the holidays.

Domaine Begude “Etoile” Chardonnay Limoux (AOC) 2018, 13.5%, €18.95 (21.95)

Beautiful mid-gold colour. The aromatics are quite complex, regular fruit (such as apple and pear) along with the exotic (mango) in the mix. It is certainly more of the exotic on the rich palate, quite a rounded almost creamy mouthfeel, more complex than most French Chardonnays (not that there is such a thing as a typical Chardonnay as the chameleon grape makes itself at home wherever it finds itself), good acidity too though, so the long finish is harmonious.

This Highly Recommended wine should be fine with salmon and trout, with roast chicken (even roast turkey!). The winery also says it is “heavenly with Comté & other hard cheese”. Worth a try so with Hegarty’s Templegall though I know cheesemaker Jean-Baptise may prefer a Saint-Emilion.

This certified organic wine, full-bodied and smooth, is crafted from Chardonnay grapes high in the cool climate region (hot summer days and cool nights) of Limoux. Fertilised using only natural manures and cultivated with the utmost respect for the environment, this wine is vinified and matured in the very best French oak to bring you “our finest cuvée, Etoile”.

Colour is a dark red. Intense nose of dark fruits, notes of spice, perhaps a hint of the garrigue, the scrub that thrives around here. I once stayed in a gite in Languedoc owned by a Madam Garrigue. Like the senior citizen Madame, this wine is amazingly smooth (the madame used tidy up the pool in her bikini every evening). Must say that gite was great value for money and I can indeed say the same about this Prestige, fresh, and full of fruit, enhanced by nine months in oak. No pesticides, no herbicides, just excellent value (more so with the current reduction). 

Garrigue, by the way, is a feminine noun. And since I’m on gender, the French language version of the label indicates that Syrah is feminine while Carignan and Mourvedre, the other two in this blend, are masculine!

O’Brien’s tell us that Caraguilhes is completely organic, “this estate was using organic techniques when it was virtually unheard of anywhere else”. The Prestige is their oak-aged Reserve wine and is a seriously stylish wine. 

As regards keeping the wine, the winery advices that while it has potential of 6 or 7 years, it can be drunk today. Decant one hour in advance and serve at around 15 degrees. Food pairings: Provencal lamb (if you don’t have Herbes de Provence, try thyme, sage and rosemary), roast grilled beef with olives, quail in truffle sauce. Enjoy.


Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Four from the north of Italy. Dark and Handsome

Four from the north of Italy
Dark and Handsome

The first three wines are all "related" in the sense that they come from the same three grapes: Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara. All four wines come from the north of Italy.

Fasoli Gino, La Corte del Pozzo Bardolino (DOC) 2013, 12.5%, €15.49 Mary Pawle Wines

Bardolino is the lightweight sibling of Valpolicella (made from the same three grapes: Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara). The wine is named after the village on the shore of Lake Garda. If you know the village - quite a few Irish holiday here - you probably know the wine type.

Ruby is the colour, light and bright. A hint of rose in the colour and also in the aromas, a mixture of fruity and floral. And the same elements continue to combine to deliver a good and harmonious result in the mouth. A lightweight perhaps but a rather delicious one and Highly Recommended.

It is an organic wine and the grapes are cultivated by members of the Associazione Cumunita’ dei Giovani, young adults with special needs. See review of the Gino Valpolicella from last July here.



Costa Mediane Amarone della Valpolicella (DOCG) 2012, 15%, SuperValu

This is a blend of Corvina Veronese, Corvinone, Rondinella, Molinara from the Valpolicella area of Veneto in the North East of Italy. It is “good at the table” and they recommend trying it with red meat, mature cheese. Serve between 14 – 16 °C.

It is ruby red with a slightly lighter rim and has pleasing cherry aromas. On the palate there is a concentration of fruit, some spice too, fresh and delicious with some sweetness. The high alcohol is smoothed right down in a medium to full body; it is easy drinking with a good dry finish. Highly Recommended



Sartori Valpolicella Ripasso (DOC) Superiore 2014, 13.5%, SuperValu
For centuries, Veneto winemakers have used various techniques to improve the depth and complexity of their wines. Ripasso is one method and you may see the full details here.  

This Sartori is made from a blend of local grapes and Corvina is the main one with Rondinella and Molinara also in the mix.


Aromas from this ruby red wine are of fragrant cherry, intense and persistent. On the palate, it is fruity and spicy, lively and delicious, sweet notes too, and then a long dry finish. Medium bodied and easy drinking it is Recommended.


Rovero Lajetto, Monterrato (DOC) 2001, 14%, €19.00 Mary Pawle Wines

This 100% Pinot Nero has spent 12 months in French oak and a hell of a lot longer in the bottle. So be sure and decant this Italian and let it hang for a few hours. The 15 year old will be all the better for it. It will look brighter, feel fresher and taste better.

Colour is a dark red, the rim a shade lighter. Dark and moderate fruit aromas are followed by a well-rounded palate; tannins are fine at this stage and the finish is long and dry, not bad at all for an old fellow. Not too sure it is worth waiting for all this time but it is certainly a very pleasant and decent wine and Highly Recommended.


Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Amarone and Ripasso. Not Quite Brothers. But Related.

Amarone and Ripasso
Not Quite Brothers. But Related.


Amarone is a rich Italian dry red wine, from the Valpolicella zone centred around Verona in the Veneto region. It is much sought after and made from partially dried grapes.  Grapes are allowed to dry, traditionally on straw mats but much Amarone is nowadays produced in special drying chambers. The practice is known as appassimento.
Ripasso is a less expensive red wine, made by fermenting young wine with the unpressed but drained skins and lees left over from making Amarone and this process can give given the Ripasso a “super-charge”. This is known as ripasso (re-passed).
With so much “interference” going on in the winery, there are bound to be different styles across the area. If you’d like to try and compare the two examples below, you’ll find them in SuperValu, both with the Specially Sourced stamp.
Supra Sasson Amarone della Valpolicella 2009 (Italy), 15%, €25.00 SuperValu.

I’ve seen this described as “half-resembling Port” but I think that may be going a bit too far. Still, it is an excellent easy drinking wine and Very Highly Recommended. Colour is an intense red, close to purple. Aromas too are rather intense, mainly of red fruit. On the palate, it flows across impressively, a full bodied warming wine with no shortage of fruit, concentrated and very pleasant indeed and with little hint of that 15% abv.

Sartori Valpolicella Ripasso Superiore 2012 (Italy), 13.5%, €12.00 (reduced from 19.99) SuperValu.

The Ripasso is not as darkly coloured but its aromas are also very inviting indeed. Another warming wine on the palate with excellent flavours and spices, a very well structured wine with a much lower abv. Might be a “baby” Amarone but quite a big rich one and also Very Highly Recommended.

French Focus
The focus in SuperValu turns to French wines from the 12th of next month when they display a handpicked selection of "stellar wines". The list covers many areas of the country, from the Loire to Bordeaux, and already I have earmarked a Chablis Premier Cru (€20) and a Vacqueyras Domaine St Roch (12) as two to sample.


And not just from the big name areas. There are interesting wines too from St Chinian, Corbieres and Minervois. And, if you're in the mood to try a new variety, they have a hand-harvested Carignan (10.00) and a young Mourvedre (9.00) and also a Bourboulenc (10.00). Looking forward to trying some of those!