Ripasso

"Joe "Beppe"Rosenberg" skrev i melding news:S4ydne_Wv9pGSz_ZnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@comcast.com...

Hey, da Bep! You left me wondering on that and I googled the following: Ripasso is the process whereby simple red wine from Valpoilicella is passed over the used skins, or lees, of the Amarone production to give more depth and flavour to the otherwise simple Valpolicella.

Sounds more like it, I think, "repassed"? Anders

"Joe "Beppe"Rosenberg" skrev i melding news:S4ydne_Wv9pGSz_ZnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@comcast.com...

Or did you think of passito? Anders

"Joe \"Beppe\"Rosenberg" wrote in news:S4ydne_Wv9pGSz_ZnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@comcast.com:

Hey Beppe, I am with Anders here, us cheap wine guys know how to get more for our dough. I would admit that tossing in the old lees for a little kick is sort of like reusing teabags but it works . . .

Ripasso is not about tossing in old lees, it is about tossing in old skins..... and as far as I know it is a relatively recent thing in Valpolicella.

Also, I have never heard about amarone or recioto (wine? grapes?) being left on the lees (???) in sunlight (!!!) until the grapes shrivel. It is a "passito", the grapes are left to dry and shrivel in plastic crates in a ventilated shaded attic before being vinified.

cheers

Mike

PS the same technique is used for reds in Valtellina: from Nebbiolo grapes you get Sfursat.

Ripasso is a TECHNIQUE, not a wine name. It involves using old grapes to ferment wine twice, or something like that.

Mike Tommasi wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@individual.net:

OK bad sense of humor, from Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book 2005 "re fermented on Amarone grape skins to make a more complex, longer lived and fuller wine"

Right,

Ripasso is a technique and the final result of a "Ripasso" process is the Valpolicella Ripasso Wine.

Ripasso = Passed again (on the skins). Since it is easier and shorter to say "Ripasso" instead of "Valpolicella Ripasso", it is becoming more and more common to ideintify the "Valpolicella Ripasso" with the single word "Ripasso".

In example, taken from a Ripasso product sheet, "Ripasso XYZ is the unique result of refermenting XYZ Valpolicella Classico Superiore, on the warm dried grape skins from which XYZ Amarone has been pressed. This process, used only in rare vintage years, imparts the richness of character and personality of a great wine to an already superior wine. Aged 24 months in Slavonian Oak barrels of 65 hectoliters. Intense ruby red color. Rich spicy black pepper nose with a hint of raisins. Full body taste, very intense, spicy, sweet cherry flavours. Well balanced and full of flavours. Drink with white and red meats, game, fresh and aged cheeses. Recommended drinking temperature 17-18° C."

I hope this information was useful Andrea

"UC" ha scritto nel messaggio news: snipped-for-privacy@j72g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...

Ooops, I must admit that with all the pollution plus the marketing posts, it is hard to find the real posts. Guys, when you are being funny, put the smilies in, I had not traced this thread to the beginning !

Mike

Yes, I think that is the normal meaning, but I do not think there is a strict or official definition.

Masi, who have trademarked "Ripasso" (something that seems to be ignored by other producers, but this is Italy!), add whole grapes in the middle of the fermentation rather than skins.

It is not ignored, simply the name "ripasso" is a trademark of masi and no other producers can use it. Zenato, for example, produces a wonderful wine with that technique but names it "Ripassa" (note the final "a"). Anyway it's just a question of time and then everybody in the area will be making ripasso, since that term and technique are going to become an official "type" of wine in the Valpolicella area.

I have only talked to two winemakers about amarone and Ripiss(a/o)

For Amarone, the grapes are left on a concrete floor in a shed for drying.

The shed has large openings or windows that are opened ever day as the amount of moisture bildup is huge.

The Valpolla very young w>As a lover of italian reds such as amarone and brunello I am exploring

Thank you all for the great information. My wife and I had a bottle of

Alan

schreef in bericht news: snipped-for-privacy@d56g2000cwd.googlegroups.com...

I had a bottle of the 2003 Masi Ripasso Campofiorin last night Dark red/purple colour . blend of cherries/ raisins. earthly. Beatifull wine. will have to soften out more, say 6 years

? 12,50 (Netherlands)

hah! I'd always wondered why Zenato feminized their Ripasso -- now it's clear. And, yes, it's great stuff. I had a bottle of their '97 Ripassa last year and it was drinking wonderfully.

Mark Lipton