Wine
Alpha Zeta Amarone
Viti/ViniSustainable farming practices. Hand-harvested, selected grapes are picked in mid-Sept and left to dry in specially ventilated rooms until the end of January. The grapes lost about 40% of their natural weight during this process, and were then de-stemmed and crushed. Fermentation temperature was between 18–22 degrees Celsius with daily periodic pumping over. Maceration for 20 days, and then matured in oak, a mixture of large “botti” and French oak barriques, for 18 months. Lightly fined with egg-whites and then bottled.
Producer
Alpha Zeta was conceived in 1999 by David Gleave, MW. Working with star New Zealand winemaker, Matt Thomson, David set out to work intently with small, family-owned growers, not large enough to set up their own estates. This is in contrast to standard practice for the region, which is to buy bulk wine. The result is access to super high-quality fruit, the most important ingredient for a super high-quality wine, at extremely reasonable prices. Why the name? Because the wines cover a range of styles and varieties that exist in the area, from a dry, white Soave, to lively, young, Valpolicella, all the way through to a rich, brooding Amarone.
Winemaker: Matt Thomson
Country: Italy
Region: Valpolicella, Veneto
Type: Red
Variety: Corvina Veronese, Rondinella
Farming: Sustainable
Production: 2,400 bottles
Soil: Clay, limestone