Pasqua’s flagship amarone. Outstanding acidity gives this a freshness element that sets it apart from the amarone stereotype. Decadent opulence.
Even at 16.5% ABV, it does not drink hot. The balance of tannin, acidity, and rich dark fruit puts this in the premium amarone category. Pasqua CEO Riccardo Pasque notes their Mai Dire Mai line of wines is a “liquid expression of the excellence” the winery seeks. No argument from me. $95-115
Pasqua viticulture emphasizes quality over quantity. Following hand harvest, grapes spend a four-month period drying in boxes, a process known as appassimento that is essential to amarone. The drying intensifies flavors and concentrates sugars—thus boosting alcohol to 16.5% ABV, as high as wine can get without being fortified. After drying, there is cold maceration, followed by fermentation in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks for 40 days that includes full malolactic fermentation/conversion. The wine then spends two years in new French oak, 70% in 60-gallon barriques and 30% in 132-gallon tonneaux. The name “Mai Dire Mai” is Italian for “Never Say Never” and represents Pasqua’s flagship line of premier wines.
The winery history from their website: “Pasqua Vigneti e Cantine is an historic winery that produces high quality Veneto and Italian wines and one of the main players in the Italian and international wine market. A family passion. A century long history.”
The first generation of Pasqua brothers came to Verona in 1925, first as wine traders, then as winemakers. The second generation pushed into export business in the 1960s, then into innovative research in the 1980s. In the 2000s, the company created a new headquarters and manufacturing plant in San Felice, in the heart of the family vineyards. The third generation ventured even more heavily into international trade with the opening of Pasqua USA in New York City in 2009. Pasqua sells up to one-third of its production in the U.S. It has extensive distribution in grocery stores, so should be easy to find and enjoy. Umberto Pasqua and his sons Alessandro and Riccardo run the company today.
Pasqua Mai Dire Mai Amarone Della Valpolicella DOCG 2016: Deep ruby color; black cherry, blueberry, plum, chocolate-mocha, cedar, clove, pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, oak spice, tobacco balsamic on the nose and palate.
Dry (1.12 g/L RS); firm but silky tannins; ample supporting acidity (3.49 pH, 6.67 g/L TA) gives this distinctive freshness. Ripe fruits and high alcohol give illusion of sweetness. Rich, full, plush, concentrated flavors; just hitting its drinking window after 10 years. Blend of 65% corvina, 15% corvinone, 10% rondinella, 10% oseleta. Corvina brings structure and cherry flavors, covinone add robustness and depth, rondinella delivers floral notes, oseleta—usually not associated with amarone—brings color, intensity, and aging potential. Grapes are hand-harvested from the Montevegro vineyard, an exceptional 57-acre plot at an elevation of 1,150 feet located between the Val d’Illasi and Val di Mezzane in the Veneto region of Italy. The effort is a collaboration between the winemaking Pasqua family and the Dal Colle family that owns the land. 16.5% ABV
Pairing—This can be enjoyed all by itself or with cheese, crackers, charcuterie board. Pair with rich, savory, slow-cooked or roasted meats; grilled ribeye, strip, filet mignon with simple jus or herb-butter crust; osso buco; beef or pork braised in red wine. Duck confit or roasted with cherries or prunes; venison, boar. Mushroom risotto, lasagna, tortelloni/agnolitti with meat with meat or mushroom fillings and bit of parmigiano. Avoid very spicy, chili-heavy dishes, light seafood, delicate poultry. Cheese—Aged, hard cheeses; aged parmigiano reggiano (24-36 months), aged pecorino (24-36 months), Monte Veronese stagionato/ grana-style alpine cheeses. Aged gouda; blue cheeses—gorgonzola dolce, stilton, roquefort, Danish blue.
