Bertani Amarone Wine Tasting in the Wine Cave at Wine Watch with Special Guest Stefano Mangiarotti

Thursday, September 13, 2018 - 07:30 PM

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Life is too short, and I'm Italian. I'd much rather eat pasta and drink wine than be a size 0.
Sophia Bush

 

Food and wine are two of life’s greatest passions and they have proven that it’s actually healthier if you are slightly overweight than underweight.  Ya- “they” proved it- scientist people did it not the Wine Spectator people!

 

On Thursday September 13th we will be drinking Amarones back to the 1967 vintage from one of the region’s top producers.  Bertani is an old school producer of Amarone, they don't have temperature controlled drying rooms like most of the modern Amarone producers today.  They feel that the weather is one of the characteristics that determines the style of the vintage.  The 2008 vintage was outstanding for Amarone and these wines age exceptionally well as those of you that choose to come to this INCREDIBLE tasting of 5 different vintages of Bertani Amarone spanning the course of 50 years will see.  

The fee for this tasting which includes dinner is $150 per person + tax.  For reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com  And for those of you that cant make the tasting I have included everything Amarone that we have in the store.
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Bertani Amarone Wine Tasting at Wine Watch
with Special Guest Stefano Mangiarotti
Thursday, September 13, 2018
7:30 PM

 

Image result for Bertani Soave Sereole 2016
Bertani Soave Sereole 2016
Price: $18.50       Sale $16.28
Sereole is a Soave with a lively and unmistakeable personality. It is made exclusively with Garganega grapes, the most elegant native white grape from the Verona area, grown in the Sereole vineyard, a veritable cru on the hill between Soave and Monteforte d’Alpone.
The slightly late harvest, combined with fermentation of the must in large oak barrels, adds freshness and richness of flavor which marry well with a light ageing in wood, to give the wine plushness and complexity.
Tasting notes: A straw-yellow color with golden highlights; the floral bouquet has overtones of elderflower and pear, developing into sweeter aromas of yellow-fleshed fruits such as apricot, pineapple and melon. Plush on the palate, balanced with sapid notes that enhance the structure.

Image result for Bertani Valpolicella 2016
Bertani Valpolicella 2016
Price: $15.75       Sale $13.86

The red grapes, especially Corvina, come from the oldest soils in Valpolicella, and express the warmth, strength and concentration of the fruits of this land:  from the Valpolicella Classica area, the characteristic notes of fresh fruits, cherry in particular, from Valpolicella Valpantena the spicy notes and the silky tannins. A combination of colours and flavours that offer extraordinary elegant and pleasant sensations.

Image result for Bertani Valpolicella Ripasso 2015

Bertani Valpolicella Ripasso 2015
Price: $26.25       Sale $23.10
               
Ripasso is a wine from Verona’s country tradition and is made using a very old winemaking practice called “ripasso”. This technique involves reintroducing the young Valpolicella wine to the skins at the end of the fermentation of Amarone. In Ripasso  there is the freshness and drinkability of the Valpolicella, but also the richer and more concentrated sensations of chocolate and sour cherry from the dried grapes.

Image result for Bertani Amarone Valpantena 2014

Bertani Amarone Valpantena 2014
Price: $57.50       Sale $50.38

This wine comes from the hills of the Valpantena, the only “cru” subzone in the Valpolicella area. Bertani’s traditional devotion to producing Amarone is also found in this wine, a modern and balanced Amarone, but still authentic and rich in body. New fermentation technology and drying methods give balance and elegance to the wine’s exuberant fruity notes, blackberry flavour, hints of mint, sweet cherry and spicy notes that are typical of this valley.

Image result for Bertani Amarone Classico 2008

Bertani Amarone Classico 2008
Price: $138.50    Sale $121.88

Amarone Classico Bertani is a timeless wine that expresses the unique style that Bertani has always dedicatedly pursued. It is a classic style that does not need to change because it is always up-to-date. Amarone is made from Corvina and Rondinella grapes grown in the Tenuta Novare  hills, in the heart of the Valpolicella Classica area, in vineyards devoted entirely to producing drying grapes. Bertani has been making Amarone Classico Bertani since 1958, it is the perfect harmony between time, nature and man: we devote all of our know-how and our passion to it, with a long waiting period and great care. The grapes are set aside to dry on the "aréle" (racks made from bamboo canes), according to the traditional production method. Fermentation in concrete and ageing in large barrels for at least six years give it a stable structure, making it one of the longest-lived red wines in the world.
               
Bertani Amarone Classico 1981
Price: $502.50    Sale $442.20
               
A vintage characterized by average rainfall.  August and September were hot months.  In general, climatic conditions were favorable to a good ripening of grapes and a quality harvest.  The crop was quite abundant and a selection of the grapes was necessary.  Deep garnet red color.  It opens with aromas of dried plums, immediately followed by suggestions of leather, liquorice and walnut.  The palate is well structured, with sweet tannins and a long-lasting taste.  It finishes with liquorice, fruit, especially walnut.

Bertani Amarone Classico 1978
Price: $885.00    Sale $778.80

A vintage characterized by springtime frosts, followed by a cold April and May.  July was hot, a bit less August.  Little rainfall in September and October.  The harvest was good and the quality of the grapes was very good.  A very good quality Amarone.  The bouquet recalls scents of walnut, Dried fruit, especially plum.  full Bodied, harmonious, with hints of prune almond and liquorice.  this wine is incredibly young: it will be drinkable for a long time.

Bertani Amarone Classico 1967
Price: $705.00    Sale $620.40

A very good vintage for Amarone production; a fairly dry and very hot summer followed a wet spring.  Harvest of perfectly healthy grapes.  Intense garnet red with a slightly orange rim.  Well defined aroma of dried plum, hazelnut, black truffle, walnut and chocolate.  Intense scents that continue to change and to vary.

Menu

Charcuterie Selections
Black Risotto with Reggiano Parmesan
Amarone braised Beef short rib with Mole Sauce served with Blue Cheese and Bacon Augratin potatoes
Dark Chocolate Soufflee

 

The fee for this tasting which includes dinner is $150 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com

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A bit about Bertani Winery:

Some wine writers would lead you to believe that Amarone was created by accident some time in the early 1950’s and it is the dry version of ancient Recioto (Acinaticum, as it was called in the early ‘Dark Ages’ by Cassiodorus of the Longobards)  This is not the case.  Amarone is an old style of wine which has only recently come into fashion. 

One of the most important aspects of harvesting grapes is the level of ripeness or sugar content.  This will determine what style of wine is made.  Some wine regions of the world will allow grapes to go beyond maturity into a partly shriveled state.  In Italy this practice is most widely practiced in Veneto, where wines like Soave, Gambellara, and Valpolicella live. You will often see the term “Recioto” preceding the aforementioned names.  Recioto is a dialect word for ears, in this case the “ears” or protruding upper portion of the grape bunch, that are selected for this process because they have the best exposure to the sun, they are the ripest.

In Italy, when a producer makes a “Recioto”, or other wines from partially dried berries, the drying takes place after the grapes have been picked.  The bunches are spread out, indoors, on straw or wire-bottomed palates, to be crushed within one month or, sometimes, several months later.  One consequence of this process is that the berries water content evaporates, concentrating the juice and increasing the proportion of sugar to pulp.  During this drying process, other more complex transformations take place, some of the acids are lost, others created, and different sugar compounds formed.  The end product is a more intense, aromatic, full-bodied wine, richer in alcohol, glycerin, and sugar. 
Amarone at its best is not just one of the best red wines coming from Italy, but one of the top red wines made in the world.  The quality of Amarones has improved vastly over the last decade and one of the leaders of this quality revolution is Bertani.  Bertani has been steadily improving the quality of all of its wines.  They have been considered one of the top producers of Amarone for decades; today the vast improvement of this property is most evident in their innovative wines.  The most interesting of these is a concentrated Cabernet Sauvignon from a vineyard at their Novare estate.

The Bertani estate was founded in 1857 and is still family owned and operated.  They harvest grapes from four separate vineyard sites.   Their Tenuta di Novare, which has 185 acres planted in the Valle di Novare, including three crus:  Monteriondo, Ognis-santi, and Sereole.  They also own the Saccole vineyard in Grezzana in the Valpantena district, the Casetto cru in Bardolino, and a vineyard Monteforte in Soave.  This last vineyard is planted with pinot grigio, chardonnay, and cabernet sauvignon.  The line-up at Bertani includes:  an excellent Amarone Classico Superiore, two Valpolicellas- one from the Valpantena zone which they label Secco-Bertani, and a second Classico Superiore, a vino da tavola ripasso Catullo, a Recioto Spumante, also from the Valpantena area, and a Soave. 
The grapes for the Bertani Amarones are processed- crushed and fermented- at their Novare winery.  When the wine is separated from the skins it still contains .04 percent (4 grams per liter) of residual sugar.  It is then moved to oak casks.  Gaetano Bertani says that the Amarone continues to ferment a little, on and off for four to five years.  They produce only 25 – 30 casks per vintage; this amounts to about 5,000 cases.  After the wine finishes fermenting and is dry, it is moved to their other winery, where it is blended to make up the final cuvee. 

Image result for Stefano Mangiarotti-  Bertani Wines

Stefano Mangiarotti- Sales Director (USA/Italy/Japan), Bertani Wines

A native of Italy, Stefano has always been captivated by the world of food and wine. Though formally trained in law, his passion for the industry ultimately inspired him to pursue a fulltime career in the wine business.

After graduating with his law degree from the University of Genoa Law School, Stefano worked for Brown Forman Beverages and E. & J. Gallo Winery in Italy.

Stefano joined Bertani in 2007, initially managing the Italian market. Following his successful growth of sales and distribution, Stefano was appointed to head exports for the North American market. In 2012, Stefano was promoted to Director of Sales for USA, Italy and Japan, with responsibilities for all Bertani Domains properties.

 

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