Corvina Veronese

As the name suggests, the Corvina Veronese vine originated in the Veneto in the Valpolicella zone, near the city of Verona. Confined mainly to this area and neighboring Lombardy around Lake Garda, it has numerous sub-varieties closely resembling it.

Corvina is a vigorous vine which flowers late, matures moderately early and resists the cold well. The leaves are of medium size, pentagonal and deeply notched, and the bunches cylindrical or pyramidal in shape. The berries a small and blue-black in color with thick, dusky skins resistant to rot. This is to some degree offset by the compactness of the bunches, which can trap humidity. Corvina performs best in volcanic, chalky or alluvial soils on hillsides, and can overproduce if yield is not restricted.

The grape is characterized by bright, relatively delicate cherry fruit flavors, with elevated acidity and pronounced aromas strongly marked by bitter almond and spice. Not customarily vinified as a pure varietal, it accounts for the lion’s share of the blend in Valpolicella and Bardolino, with Rondinella, Molinara and Negrara making up the balance. In the typically vinified version, these are fresh, forward wines to be drunk young.

The highest expressions of this grape are in the recioto and amarone versions, during which the finest parts of the bunches are dried on mats until winter, and the resulting semi-raisins slowly fermented to yield a seductive, perfumed and richly concentrated dry wine that rightly takes its place among Italy’s greats.