Looking for an Italian wine that is fun, delicious, and still affordable? Want to explore Italian wines outside the realm of Chiantis? Don’t get me wrong, this writer often enjoys a good Chianti, but it is only one of the many marvelous wines that the Italian wine country has to offer.

This month’s recommendation is a Valpolicella Classico Superiore. I am picking this wine not only because it is tasty, but also because its name uses a lot of common Italian wine terminology. Hopefully by exploring the details of this specific wine, not only will we learn about this month’s specific pick, but also about how we can decipher other Italian wine labels more easily.

The first word, Valpolicella, is the DOC ; but very basically it refers to the type or style of our wine. Valpolicella wine is unique in its terroir or the region in which it is grown. However, this word also refers to such things as; the wine’s alcohol content, the type of primary grape, the growing methods and the wine-making techniques. All wines made in an individual DOC must follow detailed grape growing and wine-making rules. Two such regulations for the Valpolicella DOC include a minimum of 11% alcohol content and a minimum of 70% Corvina grapes. In addition, there are no requirements for aging, so a Valpolicella can be bottled rather quickly.

To take this one step further, let’s review the Classico designation. It means the wine is from the original, smaller growing area as opposed to the larger, expanded growing areas that were established by the EU in the 1970s. The growing area for our bottle can actually be narrowed down to Valpolicella Classico. This concept can be related to many wine regions in Italy, such as, the Chianti and Chianti Classico distinctions. No matter the DOC, the original Classico region will hold higher expectations of its wine. The take away from this is that the Classico designation is a quick and easy way to find a better quality Italian wine.

Now that we’ve explored the regional terminologies, let’s look at a couple of the terminologies that represent the wine making techniques: Reserva and Superiore.

The reserva designation means that the wine was aged a year longer than the DOC requires. So why am I mentioning this when it wasn’t in the label I recommended above? Hold that thought.

The superiore designation indicates that the wine has at least 1% higher alcohol level than the DOC regulation requires. In addition, a Superiore designation actually implies a reserva designation. This means that a wine labeled with Superiore is not only at least one percent higher in alcohol, but also that it has been aged a year longer.

So if we related these two terms to our recommended wine and our knowledge of the Valpolicella Classico regulations, we would then know that the wine has been aged for at least a year and is at least 12% alcohol.

The Daisywine pick for April is the Brigaldara Valpolicella Classico Superiore. If you can’t find this specific brand at your liquor store, I hope this article inspires you to read a few other wine labels in the Italian aisle and find a similar bottle!

Ciao!

Tags: Italian wine terminology, wine labels, wine making techniques

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