Ripasso: Turbocharged Valpolicella!

by Robin Garr | Nov. 8, 2024

There’s a lot to like about Valpolicella, the light, tasty red from the pretty hill country north of Verona. But no one ever accused it of being a big red wine.

What do you think?

What’s your opinion of Valpolicella and its bigger brothers Ripasso and Amarone? Tell us about your favorites!

While there’s nothing wrong with light, appealing table wines, there’s always a demand for something a little more attention-getting; and that’s likely the reason why Valpolicella’s wine makers have created hefty alternatives like the burly Amarone, the sweet and strong Recioto, and today’s featured wine style, Ripasso.

All three of these wines essentially turbocharge the basic Valpolicella by coaxing additional color, complexity, and depth of flavor from the region’s traditional grape mix: Corvina Veronese, which dominates the blend, along with Rondinella and Corvinone.

Briefly told, here’s how it’s done: To make Amarone, the wine maker spreads the grapes out in large, flat trays and – with the help of large electric-powered fans in modern times – dries them into raisins, deeply concentrating the juices, before pressing those little flavor bombs into a deep, powerful red wine. The rarer Recioto is similar, but it’s vinified as a sweet wine. This process is called passito.

Not only is the passito method time-consuming, but by concentrating the wine, it reduces the amount that can be produced. The result is not just a delicious wine but one that commands an elevated price.

And when they’re finished, those pressed and fermented raisins aren’t done yet. The thrifty producers will scoop those grape squeezings into vessels of fresh Valpolicella for a second fermentation, literally “re-passing” the wine over grapes for a second round. This ripasso process yields a wine with deeper flavor, more complexity, and cellaring potential than basic Valpolicella.

Grapes for Tommasi’s Ripasso are grown in the family’s Conca d’Oro, De Buris, and the pictured La Groletta vineyards.

Today’s featured wine, Tommasi 2020 Valpolicella Classico Superiore Ripasso, is an excellent example of the style. Re-fermented for 12 days on the warm dried grape skins after Tommasi’s Amarone was pressed, it then goes on to spend 18 months in huge Slavonian oak barrels that add only subtle oak character as the wine matures.

Because of its $30 local price, $27 suggested retail price from the importer, and $25 average retail in Wine-Searcher’s database, I must keep my detailed wine report behind our subscription paywall.

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Today’s Tasting Report

Tommasi 2020 Valpolicella Classico Superiore Ripasso ($29.99)

A blend of three northern Italian grapes that may not sound familiar – Corvina Veronese (70%), Rondinella (25%), and Corvinone (5%) – Tommasi 2020 Valpolicella Classico Superiore Ripasso shows a dark ruby color in the glass. Scents of tart red cherries, dried cherries, and cherry skins mingle with black pepper and spice in a heady aroma and rich, mouth-filling flavor that’s dry and acidic, with tannic astringency showing up on the palate. A whiff of juicy raisins joins the party, perhaps a gift from the pressed Amarone skins used in the ripasso process. An impressive wine. 13.5% alcohol. U.S. importer: Vintus LLC, NYC. (Nov. 7, 2024)

FOOD MATCH: Made for red meats or game or aged Italian cheeses, it also showed well with a simple dish of fettuccine with garden tomato sauce, and a salad dressed with light vinaigrette and mild goat cheese.

WHEN TO DRINK: This four-year-old wine is just fine right now, but good Ripasso is capable of extended aging, 10 years or even longer in a good, temperature-controlled wine cellar.

VALUE:
From Wine-Searcher.com’s $25 average U.S. retail to the importer’s $27 suggested retail cost and my $30 local price, this fine Italian red is fairly priced in the upper $20s. Bargain shoppers would do well to look around, though, as Wine-Searcher reveals many merchants offering it in the lower $20s.

WEB LINK:
Here’s the importer’s 2020 Ripasso page.

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Check prices and find vendors for Tommasi Ripasso on Wine-Searcher.com.

Read more about Valpolicella Ripasso Classico and browse wines and vendors at this Wine-Searcher link.

Check this Wine-Searcher link for information about the Valpolicella red blend and look for representative wines and vendors.

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Good wines we’ve tried under $10.99!

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