Affordable Appassimento

For those Italian wine lovers looking for a full bodied, rich, and complex wine it would be natural to reach for an Amarone. But these wines often carry a premium price tag. Can we all get a taste of luxury? The answer is yes! One must first understand the power of Appassimento.

Appassimento translates to “withering”, or “fading”, in Italian. It is the process where a winemaker uses dried grapes as opposed to fresh grapes when fermenting their wine. Grapes are picked and through different methods dried out, which concentrates their sugars and retains their acids. But this process is not exclusive to only Amarone. It is applied across Italy using different grapes producing rich and exciting wines that can suit many differing palates and price points.

I have picked four wines today to showcase the power of Appassimento from different places and prices.

1. San Vito Amarone della Valpolicella ($40.99): A great value priced Amarone. While many of its counterparts start at sixty dollars and rise from there, San Vito has made a wine that shows great intensity and persistence. It shows flavors of luxardo cherry, spiced plums, soft roses, and a velvety finish.
2. Emporium Appassimento ($16.99): hailing from Italy’s southern region of Puglia, this is a deep, dark, and dense blend of Negroamaro and Primitivo. Black berry preserves, maraschino cherry, and plum flavors dominate this wine. It coats the palate and drinks well above its price point. I have turned many California lovers onto this wine, often saving them over thirty dollars in the process.
3. Antonutti Poppone ($35.99): From the northern region of Lombardy, this wine is a rich blend of Pignolo and Merlot. The dark fruits and firmer structure of the Pignolo create a base off which the Merlot launches off of. Blackberry liqueur, cassis, bold red berry notes, and tickles of spice make this wine a great option over Amarone.
4. Masca del Tacco Lu’Li ($24.99): Here we have another Negroamaro and Primitivo blend from Puglia. Just as rich and full bodied as the Emporium, but its fruit density is reigned in allowing the aromatic herbs and floral notes to not be muted. It is big but balanced.

See ya at The Market
Vassie, The Wine Guy