Enoteca Turi Wine Tasting Dinner - Valpolicella: The Road to Perfection

Tuesday 27th September 2011

Yet another fine wine dinner at Enoteca Turi from Giuseppe and his chef, this time with added amplification. Giuseppe is very softly spoken and can be hard to hear over the happy chatter of the diners in the main restaurant. On this occasion he was miked up with a small speaker to help us all heard more clearly - it worked very well.



As always it was a menu of regional dishes from the corresponding wine area. The wines were presented in increasing order of intensity:

• normale - typically made from three grape varietals: Corvina Veronese, Rondinella, and Molinara
• ripasso - where leftover grape skins and seeds from the fermentation of recioto and Amarone are added to the batch of Valpolicella wines for a period of extended maceration.
• amarone - a strong wine made from dried grapes
• recioto - dessert wine made from grapes that have been dried to concentrate their juice

All the wines were excellent with the low being the Amarone - somewhat murky - and the high being the Recioto - absolutely fabulous, nectar, a joy to drink. Almost port-like and an excellent pairing with the chocolate cake although it would be equally at home with cheese.

Cicchetti
Traditional Venetian antipasti
Valpolicella Rio Albo DOC 2009 Ca’ Rugate
*
Insalata tiepida di borlotti e porcini
Warm salad of fresh borlotti beans and porcini mushrooms
Valpolicella Classico Superiore I Progni DOC 2008 Le Salette
*
Risotto con zucca, prosciutto e ricotta affumicata
Risotto with pumpkin, prosciutto and smoked ricotta
Valpolicella Superiore Marion DOC 2004 Fam. Campedelli
*
Petto d’anatra con peverada, verza sofegata e polenta
Breast of duck with peverada, braised savoy cabbage and polenta
Valpolicella Superiore Monte Lodoletta DOC 2002 Romano dal Forno
Valpolicella Classico Superiore DOC 2002 Giuseppe Quintarelli
*
Formaggi regionali
Selection of the region’s cheeses: piave, asiago and embriago
Amarone della Valpolicella DOC Allegrini 2000
*
Torta di cioccolato
Venetian chocolate cake
Recioto della Valpolicella Classico DOC 2006 Nicolis
*
Coffee