Using our winnings from a rigged poker game, we picked this bottle up at our favorite shop for about $85. Expensive, indeed, but gambling winnings deserve to be spent frivolously... its good karma.
EXPERIENCE
Take a sniff of the cork and you can usually tell what the first glass is going to taste like; that was definitely the case with this bottle. The first glass had a dark earthy flavor. The finish was smooth there was a hint of chocolate at the end. As the wine got some air, it became less earthy and more and more fresh tasting (almost floral), especially when swirled in the glass. The real highlight was the fragrance of the wine; if I had to live in a glass bubble and could only pick one fragrance to fill my limited air supply, it would be that of a freshly swirled glass of Quintarelli. It was a pleasure to drink the entire way through, a great reason to drink a whole bottle yourself.
VERDICT
SHELL OUT for this one. If you are like us, you don't have the means to enjoy this caliber of wine every day; however, it is worth doing at least once. Consider it an investment in your palate.
FACTS
Quintarelli's winery is located in the comune of Negrar in the mountainous northwest corner of the Veneto region in Italy. With mountains along its northwest border and the Mediterranean coastline along the southeast, Veneto is a geographically diverse region and home to many of Italy's large commercial wineries. All DOC Valpolicella comes from this specific area and must contain at least 60% corvina and rondinella grapes. Additions include: molinara, croatina, negrara, dindarella, merlot, and cabernet sauvignon. Quintarelli is known to add a touch of Amarone, a heavier wine made from Valpolicella grapes that are dried for 3 months before being pressed and vinified. A general note: Quintarelli ages his wines for more than six years in Slavonian oak casks before they are released.
2 comments:
A great idea for a blog! Abut time someone did this. Can I add some constructive criticism?
Who's your demographic? Experienced or novice? Is it restricted to just Italian wines?
Whilst the wine sounds very tempting it's a good idea to add tasting notes, but IMO keep it on the 'lighter' side [comparisons are useful]. And absolutely should add geography - where is Valpolicella anyhow?. Also, novices readers might want to know what 'DOC' means. Is Quintarelli a person or a domain?
I know almost nothing about Italian wines [know a lot about French and some about Californian]
And I have a question: Are you going to include apéritif and digéstif wines in your blog? I know a number [used to live near a vineyard that, well, I became a semi-frequent visitor to].
Sorry for poking my knows in... Annie gave me your link.
Thanks for the feedback! Very helpful questions, some that are yet unanswered unfortunately.
We are definitely trying to reach out to the novice, which is why I am kind of torn on where to go with the tasting comments. We want to look at a wide variety of wines at all price ranges and put them into terms that help people enjoy them.
Then there is the eternal Italian question. We definitely lean heavily on Italian wines, but are afraid to limit ourselves. Maybe thats counterproductive to our brand, we're going to have to figure that one out....
More factual information will make its way into the post as we get our act together. We want to learn about these wines as well! And as far as the apertif and digestif question, I'd love to try some, because as of now I know nothing about them! Maybe my partner can help me...
Thanks Again!
-Jeremy
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