Ripasso continues to be in high demand on the Scandinavian market. According to the rules of the Ripasso denomination, for 1 bt. of Amarone one can make no more than 2 bt. of Ripasso. In a challenging vintage like 2014, producers seem to be caught  between high market demand for Ripasso and strict rules established by the Consorzio.

Daniele Accordini, who is the director and the winemaker of Cantina Valpolicella Negrar, argues that “the two wines are commercially and productively different, and, therefore, must be managed differently“. That is why producers, such as Daniele Accordini and Luciano Begnoni (Tenuta Santa Sofia), are now asking for the relaxation of the rule in order to satisfy the request of important clients, such as Norwegian, Swedish and Finnish Monopolies.

On the other hand, the Consorzio, together with some other wineries, claim that relaxing the rules means changing the traditional Ripasso refinement method rooted in history. As Bruno Trentini (Cantina di Soave) explained, revising the tradition to satisfy high demand could compromise the quality of Ripasso. According to him, “a challenging vintage calls for greater responsibility for the producers.” Finally, Sandro Boscani (Masi Agricola) cautions those who advocate for reforms: “If current trends change, we may find ourselves relaxing the traditional requirement with no result. We are truly fortunate because our wines have unique possibilities for growth. At the end of the day, we all want to maintain the originality, peculiarity and economic advantage of our wines”.

Read more on: Il Corriere Vinicolo (n. 6 23 February, 2015)

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