I see a strong parallel between the wines of Northern Italy’s Valpolicella region and those of Beaujolais in France. It isn’t merely a stylistic similarity—it’s how consumer perceptions, and the fortunes, of these wines have shifted over time.
Both places were once known for what were condescendingly dubbed “cheap and cheerful” wines. Both enjoyed powerful name recognition and some juggernaut mass-market brands. Today, of course, Beaujolais has become a prestige destination—we rave about these wines constantly—but Valpolicella? Woefully under-appreciated. Too many wine lovers are either ignoring it entirely or skipping past a bright, fragrant wine like Ca’ La Bionda’s 2019 to get to a richer Amarone. To which I say: Big mistake! Ca’ La Bionda is a small, family-run farm smack in the heart of Valpolicella’s original production area, known as the Valpolicella Classico. The Castellani family has been farming organically since 2000, and today’s wine displays the kind of energy and purity that only comes from conscientiously farmed fruit. It is also balanced, perfumed, and elegant—if it came from Beaujolais we’d be giving it a ticker-tape parade for the value it delivers. But enough with the comparisons: True farm-to-table wine at this price point is as precious as gold. Your new ‘daily drinker’ has arrived, and it’s delicious!
Ca’ La Bionda is headquartered in the picturesque town of Marano, the epicenter of the Valpolicella Classico appellation area. Situated just north of Verona (one of the most beautiful small cities in Italy, by the way), the Valpolicella Classico is a band of north-south valleys that spill down towards Verona from the Monte Lessini, which are part of the eastern Alps (and form part of a natural border with the Trentino region). At the western edge of the Valpolicella Classico are the Adige River and Lake Garda, with vineyards spread over the hills of the Fumane, Marano, and Negrar Valleys, all of which run south to the Adige, which makes an abrupt turn east at Verona on its way to the Adriatic.
In the ’60s and ’70s, Valpolicella, along with its neighbor, Soave, was a commercial juggernaut. And, as in Soave, the boundaries of the original Valpolicella zone were expanded (into the neighboring plains) so that production could be increased to keep up with demand. Quantity over quality became the name of the game in Valpolicella, although it was also home to artisanal holdouts like the late Giuseppe Quintarelli, whose eclectic range of wines at least kept Valpolicella in the conversation among serious wine aficionados. During my formative wine years, the conversation around Valpolicella centered on the production of Amarone, the bulked-up version of Valpolicella made from dried grapes. The local Corvina grape, which is the driving force in Valpolicella wines, has thick, durable skins, so it takes well to air-drying (a process in which water evaporates and the grape sugars become more concentrated), so over the years, much of the non-Amarone Valpolicella we’re seeing has incorporated some dried-grape wine in the mix in some percentage.
As with most crisp Cru Beaujolais, I also find this wine infinitely more enjoyable at a cooler temperature, around 55 degrees, which tamps down the acidity and plays up that bright red fruit. I’ve got a weakness for the classics, and this is as classic as it gets! Enjoy!
