2023 Valpolicella Ripasso, Corte Giara

• Style: Silky, structured Ripasso
• Taste: Dark cherry, black pepper, smoke and toast
• Food: BBQ & grilled dishes, stews, game, roasts, mushrooms
• Occasion: Weeknight or Sunday lunch
• Serve: 16–18°C, drink now or cellar 5–6 years

In the Glass — Tasting Notes

This Ripasso opens with pronounced black cherry and cranberry, layered with black pepper, smoke and toast. Generous yet poised, it moves across the palate with real volume and fine-tuned acidity that keeps everything vibrant. The natural structure of Corvina & Corninone shines without heavy oak, delivering dark-fruit purity and a savoury spice that lingers long. Expect grip and balance in equal measure — a wine that drinks far pricier than its price tag.

The Winery — Corte Giara

Born in 1989 as the merchant arm of Allegrini, one of Valpolicella's most respected producers, Corte Giara evolved into a fully estate-owned operation over time. The Allegrini family oversee these wines with the same meticulous detail they bring to their flagship estate, earning a reputation for quality that sets them apart from typical Veronese reds at this level. Vineyards sit on south-east facing hillsides 180–250 metres above sea level, where calcareous and clay soils give the grapes precision and mineral backbone. The 2023 follows traditional Veronese Ripasso practice: the must receives a second fermentation fuelled by Amarone pomace, building body and deepening character over eight to ten days, then rests eleven months in large Slavonian oak. The vintage brought challenges — cool spring, fungal pressure from rain, then August heat — but careful canopy work and cluster thinning delivered fruit in fine condition, with excellent balance and no rough edges.

At Your Table — Food Pairing & Serving

Pair this with roasted chicken, grilled lamb, aged Gorgonzola, or hearty stews: the acidity cuts through richness beautifully, and the savoury spice finds harmony with both meat and piquant cheese. It's vegetarian and vegan-friendly too. This is the perfect weeknight pour or centrepiece for Sunday lunch — a wine that offers immediate pleasure yet holds beautifully for another five or six years. If this strikes a chord, explore the rest of our Italy selection and discover more from the Corvina & Corvinone category, or venture into Veneto — there's considerable depth in what the region continues to offer at this level.