Secco Ripasso DOC - Bertani

The first wine ever produced by the company, Secco-Bertani originated around 1870 on the hills of Valpantena. It was the first example of a great quality wine from the Verona area, and today it is still a timeless classic, a milestone in the history of wine-making, a true point of reference by which standards are set. It is the result of a successful innovation, namely the technique of refermenting Valpolicella on the skins and lies of Recioto (with the recent addition of Amarone), which provides a balance between the fresh fruity quality and the spicy notes typical of Valpantena and the concentration and structure which are the result of the particular vinification process used. Thanks to its unique character and the world- wide prestige which it gave to Italian wine production, in the early years of the twentieth century it was rewarded with the Royal Warrant of the Italian Royal Family. It is a wine that is both drinkable and complex, and therefore goes so well with food that it is suited to accompany a large variety of dishes, enhancing the convivial pleasure of the dinner table. Vinification: The manual harvest takes place in the first week of October. Fermentation: Grapes are picked from the bunches and pressed, then let in steel tanks with a fermentation temperature of 20° - 24° C for about 10 days. 2° Fermentation called “Ripasso”: It begins in March; the wine, made in October, is drawn from the vat and re- fermented on the pomaces of the Amarone and Recioto. These pomaces have a good sugar content that, with still active yeasts, makes Secco refermented. The fermentation is slow; it takes about a week, because in the month of March the temperatures in the cellar is still low. Thanks to these factors the wine acquires a better structure and red fruit flavours. Ageing: It ages in medium and big Slavonian oak cask and medium and big cherry wood casks for about 18 months Organoleptic characteristics: Very deep garnet red colour with purple nuances. At the nose scent of ripe cherry, evolving in black cherry notes, spices and dried fruit: the authentic Valpantena tones. In the mouth it shows an incredible balance of soft tannins and a goog acidity, with a long, sapid and persistent taste.