Speri is a family estate in the heart of Valpolicella, and this is their Ripasso, the style that made the hills north of Verona famous long before Amarone took the spotlight. The 2020 vintage comes from the Classico zone, the original and most tightly drawn part of the appellation.
- Corvina, Rondinella, Molinara — the classic Valpolicella blend.
- Valpolicella Ripasso, Veneto, northern Italy.
- 2020, a warm vintage across the Veneto hills.
- 13.5% ABV, full body, medium tannin, high acidity.
- Dry, with firm tannins and a long, spice-driven finish.
How it is made
Ripasso means "repassed." The wine is run back over the skins left behind from Amarone, the dried-grape wine of the same hills, and picks up colour, tannin and a darker fruit character from them. It sits between Valpolicella and Amarone in weight, and the appellation sets the rules for how it is done.
How it tastes
Dried cherry and mocha lead, with dried herbs and tobacco underneath. The tannins are firm but the acidity keeps the wine lifted, so the finish stays savoury rather than sweet. It is a wine that shows more with air in the glass, not less.
Good to know
Amarone is made by drying Corvina and Rondinella grapes on racks through the winter, concentrating sugar and flavour before fermentation. Ripasso was born as a way to use the leftover skins rather than lose what was still in them, and it became a style in its own right.
Contains alcohol.
