Color: Full-bodied red wine
Country: Italy
Region: Veneto
Producer: Fratelli Zeni, Bardolino
Grape varieties: Corvina 60%, Molinara 20%, Rondinella 20%

Wine production: The grapes are picked in 3 harvest rounds, 30% at the start of the harvest, 20% during, and 50% at the end. This is done to get as many different flavors in the wine as possible, from just ripe fruit to overripe red fruit. The grapes from the 1st and 2nd pickings are dried. After the 3rd picking, the entire harvest is fermented for 8 to 10 days, after which the wine is brought into contact with the lees/sediment of Amarone in February for 1 week, giving the wine a small second fermentation. This is how this ‘Ripasso’ gets its full, rich flavor. (For clarity: Amarone is a very special Valpolicella made from grapes dried for months.) Afterwards, the ‘Ripasso’ matures for 10 to 12 months in new large 1500-liter barrels made of French oak. Ripasso literally means to pass again, so after the normal fermentation, the wine is brought into contact with the Amarone lees for a second time. The Ripasso contains 4 grams of residual sugar per liter.

Producer information: Since 1870, the Zeni family has been making wine at this beautiful estate in the north of Italy. The tradition and knowledge of five generations and working with classic, indigenous grape varieties are the basis for the true Italian character of the wines from this house. Fausto Zeni, assisted by his sisters Federica and Elena, produces about 1 million bottles of wine per year, of which 1/3 comes from their own vineyards. Grapes for the rest of the production are purchased from local farmers under long-term contracts to guarantee and control grape quality. In 2010, an impressive barrel cellar was realized under the building. Zeni’s vineyards are spread along the southeastern shore of Lake Garda. They also operate a wine museum, renovated in 2017. Many objects from viticulture can be seen here, and wine can also be tasted. Signs in the tourist town of Bardolino point to the ‘Museo del Vino’.

Area information: The wine region of Veneto (75,000 ha) borders the Adriatic Sea and stretches to Lake Garda and Trentino. It is one of Italy’s most important wine regions in terms of production volume. Verona and Venice are the main cities of the area. In recent years, there has been enormous investment in this wine region. The climate is a mix between the Alpine/continental climate and the Mediterranean climate. The sometimes volcanic soil consists of red and brown soils on scree, as well as marl and basalt. Viticulture in this part of Italy is very old and dates back to before the beginning of the era. 75% of the wines are white. The name Valpolicella originates from that time and literally means ‘valley of the many (wine) cellars.’ The Valpolicella area lies in the hills north and east of Verona. Here in Fumane, Zeni has his separate wine cellar where the grapes for all Valpolicellas are vinified and those for the Ripassos and Amarones are dried.

Serve with: With roasted and grilled (from the green egg or bbq) red meat, game, poultry such as duck, stews, combinations with spices and sweet components, Asian flavors, spicy, hard and blue-veined cheeses.

Serving temperature: 16 to 18ºC

Other information: Marogne refers to the small walls in the vineyards, which serve to prevent soil erosion.