The grapes to produce the Valpolicella Classico DOC “V” Alpha Zeta were hand harvested, destemmed, crushed and pumped into temperature-controlled, 1200HL stainless-steel fermenters. The must was left in contact with the skins for seven days and then fermentation took place at temperatures of up to 30°C and after that also malolactic fermentation. Then the wine was moved into concretes tanks for final filtration before bottling.
The vineyards are situated at 100-400 metres above sea level in the hills outside Verona in the Valpantena Valley and are south/south-east facing. Cool breezes blow down the valley from the foothills of the Dolomites, which moderate the climate, enabling the grapes to ripen slowly. This helps the grapes to retain their aromatic compounds and acidity. The soil is poor and chalky so the vines are put under stress and produce superior quality fruit. The vines are 20-30 years old on average and are trained using both the traditional Pergola Veronese and Guyot system.
Alpha Zeta was started in 1999 when Liberty Wines set out to produce a range of modern, fruit-driven wines from the hills outside Verona. Working with leading New Zealand winemaker, Matt Thomson, the aim was to work with growers (rather than buy bulk wine, which is standard among most wines from Verona at this price) to obtain ripe grapes (by reducing yields and picking later) and then, using Matt’s expertise, preserve these flavours in the finished wines. The result is a realisation of the potential inherent in Veronese viniculture.
| Grapes | Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella |
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