Corvina without the ceremony
Some bottles are opened for birthdays, anniversaries or dinners that required three days of planning and a minor disagreement about the menu. This was not one of those bottles. We drank this Monte del Frà Corvina Veronese last week because we fancied a bottle of red. There was no special occasion, no tasting notebook and no attempt to describe the colour as ‘autumn sunlight passing through a ruby.’ It was simply a good bottle on an ordinary evening. And those are often the bottles worth remembering.
Corvina with a View.
A grape you may already know
Corvina is one of the main grapes used in the red wines of Valpolicella, including Amarone. It usually shares the bottle with grapes such as Corvinone and Rondinella, so there is a fair chance you have met it before without being formally introduced. The Valpolicella wine consortium calls Corvina the backbone of the region’s blends, bringing structure, aroma and softness. In this bottle, however, it gets the stage to itself. No supporting cast required.
Monte del Frà makes the wine from Corvina Veronese grown near its estate in Sommacampagna, southeast of Lake Garda. The vineyards stand on morainic hills, with soils containing limestone, clay, gravel and sand.
That sounds wonderfully impressive. Fortunately, understanding ancient glacial activity is not required before opening the bottle.
Corvina Meets the Cheeseboard
What does it taste like?
The producer mentions cherry, wild berries and spice. These are useful clues, but wine tasting should not feel like a test in which somebody has hidden the correct answer at the bottom of the glass.
Think fresh red fruit rather than something dark, heavy and jammy. There is a touch of spice, enough structure to make it interesting and a freshness that keeps everything moving along nicely.
At 14% alcohol, it is not exactly shy. Even so, it feels balanced and approachable rather than big for the sake of being big.
That is what we liked about it. The wine has enough personality to make you notice your first sip, but it does not expect everyone to stop talking while it gives a presentation.
What should you eat with it?
This is a useful bottle to have around the dinner table because it gets on well with quite a few things.
The producer suggests cured meats, meat dishes and semi-aged cheeses. It is also recommended with a summer barbecue and, when served slightly cooler, grilled fish.
We would happily drink it with salumi, sausages, roast pork, grilled vegetables or a simple pasta with a rich tomato sauce. A decent piece of cheese, good bread and a lack of enthusiasm for cooking would also work perfectly well.
The recommended serving temperature is around 15–17°C. Unless your house is unusually chilly, that probably means giving the bottle twenty or thirty minutes in the fridge before opening it. Red wine does not need to be served at the same temperature as a radiator.
Closing thougth
Not every enjoyable bottle arrives with a wonderful story. Sometimes you open one on a normal evening, enjoy it and make a mental note to buy it again.
That was this Corvina for us.
It is an easy way to meet one of northern Italy’s important red grapes without committing to a grand dinner or adopting a serious wine face. It has character, it works with food and it is relaxed enough to enjoy while paying attention to the people at the table.
Would we open another bottle? Definitely.
We might even organise the cheese beforehand next time. But let’s not turn it into an event.
STAY AT THE TABLE
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