Bertani: Timeless Excellence
Wine writer Leah Spooner w. Serena Bonaventura, Bertani Export Manager
Earlier this week I attended a Bertani Masterclass wine tasting at Figo restaurant in Toronto. We tasted through six wines, from their light, refreshing Pecorino to their signature, history-enriched Amarone.
Bertani Wine Tasting
Bertani Sereole Soave Classico 2023
Tenuta San Sisto Pecorino Falerio DOC 2024
Bertani Valpolicella Valpantena DOC 2024
Bertani Ognisanti Valpolicella Classico Superiore DOC 2022
Bertani Ripasso Valpantena DOC 2022
Bertani Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2015
The Unwavering Tradition of Bertani
Established in 1857, Bertani has been at the forefront of wine culture in Verona, and the world, with their classic Valpolicella and Amarone wines. Bertani works with only native grape varieties, with a strong focus on Corvina, to craft the best Valpolicella and Amarone wines while sustaining meticulous winemaking methods to ensure the highest quality wines reflective of the notable vineyards from which they’re derived.
Today, the three regions cultivated by Bertani include:
Tenute Novare: This is a subvalley of the Negrar Valley in the Valpolicella Classica region where Bertani grows grapes within 65 vineyards.
Valpolicella Valpantena: The Valpantena Valley, meaning “Valley of the Gods”, lies north-east of Verona and is home to the historic Bertani cellar.
Soave: This is where you will find Bertani’s historical ‘Sereole’ vineyard within Soave Classico.
The Pecorino really stood out to me as an invigorating sip of sunshine that I kept being drawn back to. (Note: This estate is under the Bertani umbrella but located in Le Marche).
This wine is fermented in stainless steel and is entirely unoaked. A pure palate with great tension and zesty notes of lemon and grapefruit that travel on a long, clean finish. So fresh and alive!
“If you are a great producer of Amarone and Ripasso, you have to have a great Valpolicella as the base wine”
This Cru wine by Bertani spends an élevage of 1 year in French oak and 1 year in bottle prior to release. It begins with an intense blooming nose of red licorice, soft vanilla cedar notes. I love the brightness on the palate combined with a rustic profile of dark cherry and cranberry. Fine grained tannins, and hints of cherries and dried herbs adding more depth. Fresh forward!
A head-turner that wowed me with its quality and quiet charm.
Bertani Amarone : A Wine that Stands the Test of Time
Bertani Amarone is made in the same style today as it was from very beginning. They are the only producer that utilizes the natural way of drying the grapes, using zero temperature controls. Everything is done by hand, with expertise that only comes with such timeless tradition. With the Bertani team having their eyes on the drying process every day, their instinctive approach is imperative for the qualitative outcome of the wine over its 3075 total day production.
This is a traditional style Amarone that undergoes meticulous care ensuring the traditional quality that Bertani is known for. The wine consists of 80% Corvina and 20% Rondinella grapes sourced from the rich volcanic and limestone soils of the Tenuta Novare vineyards, and develops within a remarkable 7 year Slovenian oak treatment and one year in bottle. The nose and palate are captivating and complex with leather, stewed fruit, balsamic and paprika aromas. These notes develop to dried red plums, dried flowers petals, and tomato vine. Savoury and still abundantly fresh. It concludes with a memorable, extra long finish.
This tasting was an informative and explorative journey that further proves why Bertani wines, from any region, reign supreme in quality and flavour across many different styles. With a portfolio of diverse wine profiles to suit any wine lover, one would find strong history-steeped attributions and elements of delectable, fine-tuned quality in every bottle.