Valpolicella

Valpolicella is one of Italian most representative red wine, named after the area between Verona and lake Garda in which is produced. According to some theories the name Valpolicella might come from the latin words "valle poli cellae", valley of many cellars, demonstrating the ancient wine making tradition of the area.
The modern Valpolicella It's made from corvina, molinara, and rondinella grapes. Corvina, in Italian means "crow like", the name comes from the intense black color of the bunch. Molinara means "baker" for the white, powder like surface of the grapes, which looks like flour. Rondinella means "little swallow", because of the split leaves of the vine which somehow resemble the tail of a swallow.

Regular Valpolicella has 11% alcohol and no more than 70% corvina. Valpolicella Superiore is created with at least one year of aging in wooden barrels, and must be 12% alcohol or more.
In recent years, the popularity of Valpolicella, resulted in an increase of the demand, especially in foreign markets. This led to the expansion of the area in which the produced wine can be named "Valpolicella". Now the enlarged Valpolicella area covers almost all the hills north of Verona. Nevertheless, only the wine produced in the traditional Valpolicella area, the hills northwest of Verona, between the town and Lake Garda, can use the name 'Valpolicella Classico'.

Valpolicella can be a fruity, medium-weight red wine. It can have a light cherry flavor, with licorice hints and slightly bitter finish.
It is normally drunk relatively young, within 3 years. It goes well with light dishes - pork, lamb, eggplant in red sauce.