Have a supermarket sweep at Tesco

2004 Cortegiara Valpolicella Ripasso, Veneto, Italy

Matthew Jukes
By
published
in Features

2004 Cortegiara Valpolicella Ripasso, Veneto, Italy (£7.99,Tesco).

Cortegiara is the 'ngociant' label of the legendary Valpolicella producer, Allegrini. Allegrini wines are highly sought-after and usually sell in top Italian restaurants for upwards of £50.This red is made in the Allegrini winery, but the grapes are sourced locally and not wholly owned by the family, hence the use of the Cortegiara brand and its accordingly inexpensive price tag.

I have to say, though, that nothing is lost in style and delivery of this stunner, because it is every inch an Allegrini work of art. Intensely plummy, liquoricey, spicy and full, with lashings of crunchy tannins and mouthwatering acidity, this is a structured wine that needs hefty, wintry fare alongside it in order to do its thing.The Ripasso technique cleverly utilises the rich, power-packed 'lees' of the wine and they give more texture and intensity to the finished product.

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I cannot stress just how sumptuous this wine is, and decanting is a must in order to release the layers of fruit. There is not an Italian red wine in the UK right now with so much class and impact at this lowly price. Apparently, 228 Tesco stores stock this wine, so you have no excuse now not to empty the shelves over the weekend of this truly exceptional offering.

Matthew Jukes is a winner of the International Wine & Spirit Competition's Communicator of the Year Trophy

Matthew Jukes
Matthew Jukes

Matthew Jukes has worked in the UK wine business for well over three decades and during this time has written 14 wine books.  

Matthew regularly lectures, judges, speaks at wine conferences and runs masterclass tastings for both corporate and private clients all over the world. Matthew is also the creator of his ground-breaking initiative, the One Day Wine School, an indulgent day of tasting and learning first performed in 2006.

He has been the MoneyWeek wine correspondent since 2006 and has written a weekly column for the Daily Mail’s Weekend Magazine since 1999. His four highly-acclaimed, annual wine reports – the Burgundy En Primeur Report, the Bordeaux En Primeur Report, the Piemonte Report and the 100 Best Australian Wines – are published on his website, www.matthewjukes.com.

Matthew is one of the world’s leading experts on Australian wine and, with Brisbane-based wine writer Tyson Stelzer, runs an annual competition in Australia to find ‘The Great Australian Red’.  He was made Honorary Australian of the Year in the UK at the 2012 Australia Day Foundation Gala dinner. 

Matthew is a winner of the International Wine and Spirit Competition's Communicator of the Year Trophy.  His thoughts, recommendations and tastings notes are followed very closely by the wine world at large.

 

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