Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/859549
{ SOMMjournal.com } 131 in a grape that is still alive, still attached its umbilical cord for 100 days in a fruit-drying barn. You can't do that with Cabernet. We tried, but you can only get to about three weeks. Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella, Molinara––all have very thick skins which allows them to undergo the long appas - simento process. During the appassimento process, the genes in these particular grapes become activated, and they lose 30 percent of their water weight and gain in aromas and phenols." Andrea Sartori's round Potter-esque glasses could hardly contain the sparkle in his eye as he spoke of Amarone. The tast - ing through some of his family's prestigious lineup included the Sartori di Verona 2013 L'Appasione, Sartori di Verona 2013 Amarone and I Saltari 2009 Amarone. The seminar concluded with the Sartori di Verona 2009 Corte Brà, an extraordinary Valpolicella Classico made from only four hectares of vineyards surrounding the Villa Maria estate. Sartori, a staunch proponent of Verona, noted, "The consorzio started in 1944, appellations in 1968, then suddenly in the '80s, Amarone sales started picking up like mad. [Valpolicella] are now nearly 7,000 hectares of vineyards, producing 13 million bottles of Amarone every year ; conse - quently 26 million bottles of Ripasso every year, plus the regular Valpolicella. I think we are the second-largest appellation in the country. I'm very excited because we haven't discovered every market yet. I think we can do better here even, because it's a perfect wine for beginners—for what I call an 'extra beginner.' You don't have to be a wine connoisseur to appreciate Amarone." Andrea Sartori, family proprietor of Sartori di Verona: "The best time to open wine? On Tuesday." The brilliant Catherine Fallis, MS, in attendance at the San Francisco CAC. Not Your Nonna's Marsala: A Sweet Finish and a Bier Note Roberto Magnisi, Quality Control Director at Florio, told the class about a supernatural experience he had just before his journey to the States. The spirit of John Woodhouse, the British merchant who discovered Marsala in the late 18th century, visited him and com - manded Magnisi to share the magic of Marsala with the class––and that's just what he did, with a little transla- tion help from Leicht. "Today we have the pleasure of taking a sensorial walk through the cellars of Florio," Magnisi said. "It'll help us to understand how Marsala is born, grows, ages, etc." Students did so by tasting cask samples of Targa Marsala Superiore Riserva from 2015 and 2010. In the lineup, of course, was the current vintage, Targa 2003 Marsala Superiore Riserva. Magnisi continued, "So what does Superiore mean? Minimum of four years of age. In Florio Targa? Minimum of ten. Semisecco, what does that mean? Sugar content for the DOC from 40 to 100 grams per liter. Targa is around 60 to 75 grams per liter of sugar." Aside from the exercise and discussion of Marsala's development, talk centered around the history of Marsala and the importance of a good mosto cotto (cooked grape must), which is made in-house at Targa and dependent on timing, along with the effect of barrel size. Prior to handing out CAC diplomas, the group digested their bellyfuls of knowl - edge with the minty, herbal Florio Fernet. Lars Leicht and Roberto Magnisi talk Marsala at the San Francisco Wine School. Kamolnutt Putthongvilai proudly displays her Cru Artisan College diploma in San Francisco.