Winemaking
Ripasso
Re-passing Valpolicella over Amarone skins to add body and dried-fruit character.
Overview
Finished Valpolicella is pumped over the skins left from an Amarone fermentation. Residual sugar in those skins triggers a small refermentation.
The wine gains alcohol, colour, glycerol and a dried-fruit note, landing deliberately between ordinary Valpolicella and Amarone.
Sources
Sources consulted
- Italian DOP and IGP wine register — Ministero dell’agricoltura, della sovranità alimentare e delle foreste (MASAF)
More in winemaking
Winemaking
Fermentation
Yeast converting sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide — the step that makes wine wine.
Winemaking
How red wine is made
Fermenting grape juice in contact with the skins, which is where colour and tannin come from.
Winemaking
How white wine is made
Pressing the juice off the skins before fermentation, then fermenting the clear juice.