Valpolicella Cortegiara

Light ruby red in colour, with exuberant, youthful perfumes of cherries and spring flowers. On the palate, it is fresh and juicy, with red and black cherry flavours, light, ripe tannins and a note of almond essence on the finish.

Corte Giara is the negociant label of Allegrini. The wines are made by Allegrini from fruit bought in from outside their own vineyards. They have a similar stamp of quality that sets them aside from most of the Veronese wines produced at this level.

Vineyards are located on the hillsides of the Valpolicella production area at an altitude between 180-250 metres above sea level facing southeast. Soils here are clay and chalk. The vines are 22 years old on average, with a plant density of of about 3,000 vines/ hectare. There are 16 buds per vine.

As in Soave, the growing season started well and continued into the hot summer. Just the right amount of rain fell in early July, as veraison started, giving the vines some relief. More rain in mid- September was less welcome but the grapes for Valpolicella were picked in good health nevertheless.

The grapes were de-stalked and then soft crushed. Fermentation took place in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks between 26-30° C over a period of 8-10 days with daily periodic pump overs.

Malolactic fermentation occurred naturally in December. The wine was aged for 3 months in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks and bottled in February 2009.