Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG Organic Terre di Gnirega

The Legend says that Amarone was born because of a mistake of a cellarman, that forgot a Recioto barrel, for months in his winery. When he finally tasted it, he found out that Recioto had become something else: the wine was not sweet anymore, but it had developed had a great body and bitter hints. The name Amarone (in italian: Great Bitter), comes from this typical flavour.

Amarone is produced out of dry grapes; during the harvest, only the best bunches are selected for the drying process. The grapes are placed in wooden trays and dried for at least 3 months. This concentrates the sugars and allows the development of new flavours, which can be produced just through this drying process.

Once the process is completed, grapes are pressed and placed in steel tanks: the fermentation starts spontaneously, and continues until the sugar is completely consumed. Successively, the wine refines in steel tanks for ca. 2 years and in wooden barrels for ca. 3 years.

WINE CHARACTERISTICS

The wine taste is fresh and lively; at first it might look light and simple, but it hides an unexpected complexity.

ENOLOGY

Maceration on skins: 28 gg

Sulphur Dioxide and/or ascorbic acid: Sulphur Dioxide 10 g/hl
on must, no ascorbic acid.

Use of selected yeasts: No

Filtration: no

Clarification: no

Stabilization Process: static, spontaneous

Refinement in steel: 1 year

Refinement in barrel: 4 years

Refinement in bottle: min. 2 months.

Corrections: no

Wine yield from grapes (%): 30%

Certifications: organic wine

VITICULTURE

Soil: Clay, chalky and very rocky soil.

Exposure: midday-evenings

Altitude: 300 m.

Vine variety: Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella, Molinara

Type of farming: Pergola of Verona

Vine age: 3-40 years

Plant density (plant/ha): 3500-4000

Production vine (kg/plant): 2-2,5 kg

Production per hectare (kg/ha): 8,000-10,000

Treatment: copper e sulphur, sexual confusion

Fertilizer: manure every 3-5 years, according to the need.

Harvest: 25th Sept. – 04th Oct. 2013

Harvest Method: manual, in wooden trays

Duration of the drying process: ca. 132 days

Use of purchased grapes: no

Certification: organic agriculture.

CHEMICAL PROPERTIES

Alcohol content: 16,6 %vol

Total acidity / volatile acidity (g/l): 7,00 / 0,75

Dry extract (g/l): 36,1

Density (20°C): 0,993

Total sulphur dioxide (mg/l): 30

Residual sugar (g/l): 3,5