Iconic Wine Regions: a focus on Valpolicella🍇

Theory suggests that the name Valpolicella is a mix of Latin and Greek, "Vallis-polis-cellae", meaning the valley of the many cellars🍷.  The wine produced in this area, known as "Retico" in antiquity, has been prized since Roman times🏛️! Pliny the Elder (23-79AD) , in his Naturalis Historia , defines it as "panacea veronensis", that is, suitable for curing all ills! Good to know during season change 🍂🤧
Valpolicella is divided into three areas: Valpolicella Classica, Valpantena and Valpolicella Orientale (Zona DOC), of which only the first 2 are official sub-zones. Nevertheless, Valpolicella Orientale hosts excellent producers such as Romano Dal Forno✨ (in the Illasi Valley), but the name of the sub-zone cannot appear on the label☝️
Made up of valleys that develop in a north-south direction, Valpolicella landscape is mainly hilly, with soft slopes and watersheds at low altitudes. It's dominated almost everywhere by vineyards , interspersed with olive🫒 and cherry trees🍒The geological and climatic characteristics of the territory, unique and varied, are the basis of the great originality and typicality of its wines, strongly linked to its native grape varieties🍇: Corvina Veronese, Corvinone, Rondinella and other minor indigenous varieties (e.g.Molinara, Oseleta), which give an unmistakable and inimitable imprint to all the types of wine produced in here: Valpolicella DOC, Valpolicella Ripasso DOC, Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG and Recioto della Valpolicella DOCG🍷
 
Have you visited Valpolicella yet? Tell us in the comments 👇
Photo credit: Consorzio della Valpolicella

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