I was going to dream away for a while. Or maybe rather make a food and wine trip, to northern Italy. Specifically to the small mountainous district of Valpolicella, just east of Lake Garda. Although this is a relatively small area, some of the world’s most popular top wines are produced here. Amarone is probably familiar to most people. But Ripasso is also a favourite wine for many of us. Personally, I think you get a lot of wine for the money when you buy Ripasso, because this wine is made with a special method called the Ripasso method and is protected by Italian law.
The method involves letting the wine ferment a second time, so it is a more time-consuming process. For this second fermentation, the shells from the Amarone production are reused, something that is timely now that the debate about recycling is hot. You lift the shells, keep them unpressurized, and let them ferment with a “regular” Valpolicella wine. The skins are filled with concentrated taste because Amarone is made from dried grapes, and thanks to that you get a wine that has more colour, taste and tannins. Ripasso does not become as powerful and fruity as Amarone, more like something in between a Valpolicella wine and Amarone della Valpolicella.
So for all of you who also like fruity wines with a round taste – then I can really recommend Casalforte Ripasso, no. 5352 which costs SEK 99. The wine is filled with concentrated aromas such as dark berries, sweet almonds and ripe fruit and is perfect to serve with Easter roast lamb with herbs and long-baked garlic. I will cook my Easter lamb in the same way as Porcetta: to take advantage of all the good taste from the lamb roast, I let the potatoes fry in the same form, together with onion, garlic and Ripasso wine. So from my northern Italian food and wine trip, I wish you all a really Happy Easter!
Published from Caroline in the kitchen, food influencer.
https://www.carolineikoket.com/bloggen/
