Ca La Bionda Valpolicella 2019

Ca La Bionda’s Valpolicella Classico is a clear eyed, unvarnished and un-dried look at Corvina (70%) and its supporting cast, Corvinone (20%) and Rondinella. Despite its thick skins, Corvina does not produce inky-coloured wines. Instead, this is a bright garnet-red at its core moving to pink at the rim. Aromatically, it’s about as far from Amarone as one could get without switching to another set of grapes altogether, be it Pinot Noir, Gamay, or Sangiovese. There are hints of all three of those here, with aromas of red cherry, raspberry, blood orange, tomato leaf, rose petals, wild herbs, and dusty earth. The wine is unoaked, light-bodied, and amazingly refined, with just the slightest nip of fine-grained tannin lending a perfect amount of grip. It’s way more than a rustic, tangy table wine but what the heck, treat it as such if you like. Pair it with pizza or pasta with your homemade marinara sauce and it will be right at home.