/ Our magazine / Recioto wine: a gem of Venetian winemaking.
/ Our magazine / Recioto wine: a gem of Venetian winemaking.
Do you love sweet dessert wines? If you live in Veneto and even better in the province of Verona, you have surely heard of Recioto, a noble wine, the father of Amarone. It exists in the red version known as Recioto della Valpolicella and the white version with Recioto di Soave and Recioto di Gambellara. On Spaghetti e Mandolino, you can find the best of these types.
The name Recioto appeared in Verona around the late 1800s, but the etymological origins are unclear. It could come from the Latin “recis” (separated bunches) or from “racemus” (selected bunch). More likely, the origin of this strange name is in the dialectal word “recia” (ear) which for a long time indicated the upper part of the bunch, the most delicate, ripe, and sweet, from which the grapes for drying were selected during the first harvest.
It is produced with dried grapes, resulting from a long and slow fermentation, which give a wine with intense, sweet, and pleasant aromas. A long time ago, unlike now, the wings of the bunches (also called recie, ears, for their position) or the tips of the bunches were used. The drying of the grapes is carried out in fruit storage rooms located on the hill to receive adequate ventilation. This phase lasts after the harvest for a variable period of 100 to 120 days: after this period, the drying of the grape and the increase in sugar content and extracts become evident. The drying and the increase in sugar content are just two of the many phenomena involving the grape berry.
Grapes intended for Recioto must always be checked again at the time of pressing after drying, to remove any moldy bunches during storage. Nowadays, grapes are still dried, at least in part, on cane racks supported by special scaffolding. The ancient system of hanging grapes individually, using hooks, on beams or cords, has instead fallen out of use. The fruit storage rooms must be located in well-ventilated and dry places.
The Recioto della Valpolicella is a sweet red dessert wine with controlled and guaranteed designation of origin (DOCG) produced exclusively in Valpolicella, in the province of Verona from indigenous grape varieties, namely: Corvina, Corvinone (up to fifty percent replacing Corvina), Rondinella but also in smaller percentages with Forselina, Negrara, and Oseleta. Molinara, which has recently been removed from the regulations, is still allowed. These are the same grapes used for the production of Amarone.
Few people know that the latter is considered a "failed Recioto" and has the same production process except for the final stage, where the fermentation of sugars that turns into alcohol is interrupted, obtaining a sweet wine. It’s worth noting that the historic labels of Amarone include the wording “Recioto Amarone della Valpolicella.” Of red color, it is a sweet and velvety wine, complex and with very broad hints of black fruit in spirit, cocoa, licorice, and spices. The Recioto della Valpolicella can be Classico, when produced in the sub-zone of the municipalities of Fumane, Marano, Negrar, San Pietro in Cariano, or Sant’Ambrogio, the municipalities part of the so-called Valpolicella Classica. Another denomination is the Recioto della Valpolicella Valpantena when produced in this valley.
The Recioto di Soave is a white wine with controlled and guaranteed designation of origin, whose production is allowed in the province of Verona, specifically in the hilly area of parts of the municipalities of Soave, Monteforte d’Alpone, San Martino Buon Albergo, Mezzane di Sotto, Ronca, Montecchia di Crosara, San Giovanni Ilarione, Cazzano di Tramigna, Colognola ai Colli, Illasi and Lavagno. In 1998, it was the first Veneto wine to obtain the DOCG. The name “recioto,” reserved exclusively for Verona wines and Recioto di Gambellara, is protected by law.
History and characteristics of Recioto di Gambellara
The Recioto di Gambellara is also a white wine DOCG whose production is allowed in the area bordering to the west of the province of Vicenza. It is produced in two types, Classico and Spumante, obtained by vinifying the best Garganega grapes from the classic hilly area. The care and attention given to the particular vinification of Recioto di Gambellara surely make it the noblest of Vicenza sparkling wines. Its peculiarities allowed it to obtain DOCG recognition in August 2008.
Imagine holding a glass of Recioto and being intoxicated by its enveloping aroma. It’s a typical wine for after meal, served at dessert time, but especially in Verona it is not uncommon to see those who serve it, in the red version, even with pan biscotto and salami! For many a daring pairing, for others it’s normal, indeed, tradition. A Recioto della Valpolicella DOCG is excellent with desserts based on dark chocolate, others prefer it as a meditation wine, perhaps paired with cigars.
The Recioto di Soave is perfect with small dry pastries, desserts with chantilly cream, a must on Veronese tables when serving a pandoro, the typical sweet of the area. The Recioto di Gambellara pairs well with desserts (excluding those with chocolate), ice creams, zabaione, and biscuits of all types: ladyfingers, whole grain, dry, shortcrust pastry, filled. The perfect pairing is with Brasadelo, a typical local dry donut-shaped sweet, whose name probably derives from its shape that resembles an embrace.
Francesco Scuderi
S&M
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