THE TELEGRAPH said:
The wines produced in the hills overlooking Verona have long represented Italy’s answer to Beaujolais Nouveau — cheap reds which fuelled countless bring-a-bottle parties in the 1960s and 1970s. Most wine growers of the region opted for an easy life, churning out quantities of plonk that made the name Valpolicella synonymous with thin, mass-produced wine of little character.
Today, partly because of Quintarelli’s efforts, Valpolicella is celebrated for Amarones and Reciotos — reds made using centuries-old methods almost unique to the area. Instead of the grapes being crushed and fermented as soon as they are picked, bunches are hung from rafters until they are almost raisins before being pressed (a process known as appassimento). Quintarelli, whose estate dates back to 1924, maintained this tradition and his powerful wines had wine buffs struggling for superlatives.
He was considered by many to be the best maker of Amarone della Valpolicella, which he produced after ageing his wine for seven years in Slavonian oak “botti”. The resulting wine is generally considered one of the most complex wines produced in Italy. A bottle of the 2000 vintage sells at around £255.
But although Quintarelli was traditional in his Amarone production, he was also prepared to innovate, producing, among other high-quality wines, an excellent dry Bianco Secco (from a rare local grape variety called Saorin), and an unusual but delicious blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Corvina called Primo Fiore.
“The way this guy releases vintages, it’s like he’s Neil Young releasing live recordings,” one wine connoisseur said of Quintarelli. “He only does it when he’s ready. It’s rare. It’s beautiful.”
Giuseppe Quintarelli was born on March 19 1927 in Negrar, a municipality in the Veneto region, north of Verona. His father, Silvio, cultivated vineyards under a sharecropping system. After the First World War he established his own estate.
Giuseppe (always known as “Bepi”) was Silvio’s youngest son, and took over the estate in 1950, launching a programme of improvement and expansion, working tirelessly to produce wines of ever better quality. His attention to detail extended to bottles, corks and Quintarelli’s distinctive labels, some of which were hand-drawn and hand-glued by Quintarelli and his daughters. But his perfectionism did not extend to own appearance: one wine writer who made an appointment to interview him was taken aback to be greeted from a window by a “genial baldie” with a smear of tomato sauce on his chin.
Giuseppe Quintarelli is survived by his wife Franca and by their four daughters.
Giuseppe Quintarelli, born March 19 1927, died January 15 2012
The content was extract from: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/9048009/Giuseppe-Quintarelli.html
THE TELEGRAPH said:
The wines produced in the hills overlooking Verona have long represented Italy’s answer to Beaujolais Nouveau — cheap reds which fuelled countless bring-a-bottle parties in the 1960s and 1970s. Most wine growers of the region opted for an easy life, churning out quantities of plonk that made the name Valpolicella synonymous with thin, mass-produced wine of little character.
Today, partly because of Quintarelli’s efforts, Valpolicella is celebrated for Amarones and Reciotos — reds made using centuries-old methods almost unique to the area. Instead of the grapes being crushed and fermented as soon as they are picked, bunches are hung from rafters until they are almost raisins before being pressed (a process known as appassimento). Quintarelli, whose estate dates back to 1924, maintained this tradition and his powerful wines had wine buffs struggling for superlatives.
He was considered by many to be the best maker of Amarone della Valpolicella, which he produced after ageing his wine for seven years in Slavonian oak “botti”. The resulting wine is generally considered one of the most complex wines produced in Italy. A bottle of the 2000 vintage sells at around £255.
But although Quintarelli was traditional in his Amarone production, he was also prepared to innovate, producing, among other high-quality wines, an excellent dry Bianco Secco (from a rare local grape variety called Saorin), and an unusual but delicious blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Corvina called Primo Fiore.
“The way this guy releases vintages, it’s like he’s Neil Young releasing live recordings,” one wine connoisseur said of Quintarelli. “He only does it when he’s ready. It’s rare. It’s beautiful.”
Giuseppe Quintarelli was born on March 19 1927 in Negrar, a municipality in the Veneto region, north of Verona. His father, Silvio, cultivated vineyards under a sharecropping system. After the First World War he established his own estate.
Giuseppe (always known as “Bepi”) was Silvio’s youngest son, and took over the estate in 1950, launching a programme of improvement and expansion, working tirelessly to produce wines of ever better quality. His attention to detail extended to bottles, corks and Quintarelli’s distinctive labels, some of which were hand-drawn and hand-glued by Quintarelli and his daughters. But his perfectionism did not extend to own appearance: one wine writer who made an appointment to interview him was taken aback to be greeted from a window by a “genial baldie” with a smear of tomato sauce on his chin.
Giuseppe Quintarelli is survived by his wife Franca and by their four daughters.
Giuseppe Quintarelli, born March 19 1927, died January 15 2012
The content was extract from: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/9048009/Giuseppe-Quintarelli.html
The content was extract from: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/9048009/Giuseppe-Quintarelli.html
China Wine Awards on CNN
China Wine Awards was found in CNNGo.com
“China Wine Awards: The perfect wine for China”
If you’ve heard of Sangiovese, odds are you’re not from China.
For Chinese consumers, wine is a status symbol in a bottle. Their preference is largely for Bordeaux reds — they are the world’s biggest consumers of the prestigious and often expensive French wines.
As a young market with a voracious thirst for fine wines, China needs a wine authority that understands its unique demands, or so say the people behind the newly-launched China Wine Awards (CWA).
The CWA made its debut this year claiming to be the only major international wine competition judged specifically for the China market and its consumers. It hopes to find the next big thing for the Chinese wine market.
“CWA is an important benchmark in understanding how international wine will complement local [Chinese] cuisines,” says Christian Pillsbury, one of the judges in the event.
“International wine producers say crazy things, like they make really good Riesling that matches Asian food — but it’s a disaster. You need tasters who are familiar with the local [Chinese] palate to tell you what’s good and what’s not.”
More than 700 wines wrapped in brown paper bags were lined up in the Mira Hotel in Hong Kong on September 1 ready for one of the largest tasting face-offs in Greater China.
The 40 judges, ranging from wine wholesalers to connoisseurs from around the world, rated and commented on the wines according to their knowledge of what would work with the Chinese palate.
Unlike other wine competitions, the rubric of CWA includes a rating for “overall suitability for the Chinese market” as well as 21 Chinese cuisines which the judges had to pair with wines.
Judges could also share their tasting notes before grading.
Pillsbury, managing director of Applied Wine, a company that provides wine program management to restaurants, says wine consumers in China fail to “question their assumptions” and need to be more informed.
For starters, he says powerful young wines will spoil the mildly sweet-and-sour flavor in Guangdong cuisine –- something most Chinese drinkers should know but don’t.
Another judge, Chen Huan of the Beijing Capital Wine Company Limited, shares Pillsbury’s views and says China’s wine consumers seldom know wines beyond the top vintages.
“Generally, they don’t know what exactly a [high] score means, apart from that it may taste better,” says Chen, referring to wine ratings from critics.
In affluent areas like Shanghai, consumers rapidly respond to new information and tastes are expanding.
“A few months ago, Shanghai drinkers would only have high-alcohol-content red wines,” says Kelly England, president of CWA. “But they seem to be more susceptible to sweeter and lighter white wine now, especially women.”
Awards in each category will be given in Double Gold, Gold, Silver, Bronze and highly recommended. Results of the wine competition will be released in September, find out more at www.chinawineawards.com.
By Tim Cheung 6 September, 2011 @ CNNGo.com
Read the orginal at China Wine Awards 2011 | CNNGo.com