The Tasting Panel magazine

Piave Malanotte: One to Watch For Raboso is a native red variety that used to be the most widely planted grape in the area. Today, it is quickly making a comeback. As of last year, the newest DOCG to be designated is Piave Malanotte, made with at least 70% Raboso del Piave and no more than 30% Raboso Veronese. Between 15% and 30% of the grapes are dried before pressing, resulting in a ruby red wine with notes of cherries and great acidity. This is definitely a wine to watch for in the U.S.! The Raboso grape is the base of Piave Malanotte DOCG wines. Valpolicella is the name of the area made up of three valleys crossed by the Negrar, Marano and Fumane rivers. With Valpolicella DOC and two DOCGs (Amarone della Valpolicella and Recioto della Valpolicella), the varieties used are Corvina, Molinara and Rondinella, which produce a fruity and acidic medium-bodied red. Bardolino, made from Corvina and Rondinella grapes, is a red from the hills of Lake Garda—a light, fresh wine with bright cherry notes. In 2001, Bardolino Superiore was the first red wine in the Veneto to receive the DOCG. Vicenza At the border of Verona and Vicenza is the Gambellara DOC, its wines made from the Garganega grape. In addition to dry white Gambellara, Garganega is used in the sweet wine production of Gambellara Vin Santo DOCG and Recioto di Gambellara DOCG. In the hills of Vicenza is Monti Lessini DOC which is made with the highly acidic Durella grape and makes a crisp sparkling wine. In the south of Vicenza is the Colli Berici DOC which comes from the Berici Hills. The most typical variety is Tocai Rosso (now called Tai Rosso), a local clone of Grenache, with characteristics of straw- berry, cherry, raspberry and spice. Padua Padua is the oldest wine-producing area in the Veneto, dating back to the Romans. The primary wines from this area are Friularo (known as Raboso in other areas) from the Bagnoli DOC, Fior d'Arancia DOCG (made from Moscato Giallo) from Colli Euganei and Raboso from Corti Benedettine del Padovano DOC. Treviso Piave DOC is located between the provinces of Treviso and Veneto and is 30 kilometers wide by 40 kilometers long. Seventy years ago, the region con- sisted of 80% red wine production. Today, red wine makes up only 3% of overall production. The area is mostly known for Prosecco DOC wines, with the finest selections emerging from vineyards between the towns of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene. The Prosecco Superiore Conegliano Valdobbiadene became a DOCG in 2009. To learn more about Veneto wines, visit www.winesofveneto.com. Giorgio Cecchetto of Cecchetto has been focusing on making Raboso Piave since the early '90s and is a founding member of the Confraternity of Raboso Piave, which aims to promote Raboso Piave wine and preserve the history of this noble wine. Grapes drying for recioto. Tasting Notes Here are just a few of my favorite recent releases from the Veneto. —Anthony Dias Blue Bellenda 2010 San Fermo Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Superiore ($21) Golden color; fresh and juicy with tangy acidity and bright, clean peach fruit; racy and elegant with a long, lively finish. 90 VISION WINES & SPIRITS Pieropan 2009 Soave Classico Calvarino ($30) Lush and fresh with bracing acidity and lovely peach and apple fruit; dense but bal- anced and juicy with loads of charm; long and refined. 90 EMPSON USA Roccolo Grassi 2007 Valpolicella Superiore ($40) Silky and dense with rich floral, mineral, chocolate and spice; deep plum and juicy acidity; intense and gorgeous. 92 CHAMBERS & CHAMBERS Le Ragose 2004 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico ($60) Spicy and jammed with rich blackberry fruit and chocolate- vanilla tones; ripe but not too sweet; intense and creamy with a seamless finish. 95 FREDERICK WILDMAN & SONS january/february 2012 / the tasting panel / 125

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