2024 Valpolicella Ripasso, Corte Giara

• Style: Valpolicella Blend
• Taste: Black cherry and pepper with toasted spice depth
• Food: Grilled lamb, mushroom risotto, aged cheese
• Occasion: Weeknight & Sunday Lunch
• Serve: 13.5% ABV

In the Glass — Tasting Notes

2024 Valpolicella Ripasso, Corte Giara pours deep ruby, structured without weight. Black cherry and pepper emerge forward with toasted spice and smoke that develop further with air. Vibrant acidity keeps the wine alive and focused, refusing to slouch into jammy flatness. Full-bodied, yet at 13.5% ABV the backbone comes from fruit and structure, not from alcohol burn or extraction heaviness. This is 89-point quality that drinks lean and precise—a wine that doesn't hide behind size. It is the bottle for the cook who wants one red to carry a whole table, and for anyone who wants a serious Veronese red before they graduate to Amarone.

The Winery — Corte Giara

The Allegrini family founded Corte Giara in 1989 as a negociant venture, then systematically purchased the vineyards they depended on. This evolution from merchant to producer matters deeply. The wines now embody Allegrini discipline—the meticulous winemaking attention that defines their flagship holdings—channeled into bottles that outperform expectations at their level. You're tasting decades of refined family craft.

The 2024 vintage reflects both site and careful ripeness management. Cool spring conditions preserved acidity while warm late summer built fruit gradually and methodically. Early September harvest from hillside vineyards at Azzago and Grezzana, on the eastern side of Valpolicella and up the Valpantena, drew the traditional local blend from clay and limestone soils that anchor cherry ripeness with mineral precision. The winemaking method—Ripasso—defines how producers in the Veneto region build depth without heaviness: the wine ferments a second time over dried Amarone pomace, extracting richness and complexity, then resting for eleven months in large Slavonian oak before a short spell in bottle. This is technique-driven quality, not blending tricks.

At Your Table — Food Pairing & Serving

Grilled lamb, aged Pecorino, rich mushroom risotto: this bottle sings with each of them. The wine's cherry and toasted notes handle BBQ and grilled dishes beautifully; tannic structure supports game and venison without overwhelming; softness suits roasted dinners and braised stews. Food with depth finds amplification, never intimidation.

Practical for weeknight grilled fare—it lifts simple food without ceremony—yet refined enough for a proper Sunday lunch beside aged cheese and mushroom toast. Open it on the night you cook, not as an aperitif: half an hour in a decanter first, then straight to the table. This wine sits comfortably within our Full Bodied Red Wine selection, where you'll find kindred spirits built on backbone rather than bluster. Explore the broader Veneto portfolio next to see how this bottle's neighbours compare, then the Corte Giara range for the other Allegrini-made wines. Put this bottle in the basket first; if the table calls for a second red, the producer's own range is your next click. This is quality that tastes like discovery.