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Warming Up Winter with Braised Oxtail and Bottega Ripasso Superiore #ItalianFWT

 

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To kick of 2021, the #ItalianFWT group is embracing the cold weather. Host Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla has invited us all to pair any Italian wine we like with braised or stewed meat dishes. You can view her invitation here. And since Istanbul was briefly blanketed in a layer of fluffy snow, this really was perfect timing, for me, for this theme!

For this event, I tracked down some oxtail. It’s not super common in Istanbul but there’s a tiny butcher shop off the famous Istiklal Street that sometimes carries it. Happily, I got lucky and picked up two kilos for a braised oxtail stew. The original recipe had it served over whipped potatoes but instead, I thickened the gravy and served it over Casarecce noodles. The noodles may come from Sicily, but my wine came from the opposite end of the country. I chose a Ripasso Superiore from Veneto.

Ripasso della Valpolicella DOC

Like Valpolicella, Ripasso wines come mostly from Corvina grapes, Corvinone, Rondinella, and a handful of others sometimes play a supporting role in the wine. Actually, it’s not so much that Ripasso wines are like Valpolicella but that they are Valpolicella. A tarted up version thereof.

Ripasso has always fascinated me. Meaning “go over again” Ripasso is a mid step between Veneto’s Valpolicella and Amarone. After the dried grapes used to make the sweet Recioto and powerful Amarone are pressed for those wines, the vinacce, or pomace, of unpressed grapes are added to already fermented Valpolicella. The sugars in the pomace kickstart a second fermentation in the Valpolicella. The resulting wine has an increased alcohol level, a bigger body, and deeper flavors.

While the first commercial bottlings of ripasso style wine went on sale in the 80’s (from producer Massi), Ripasso della Valpolicella wouldn’t earn its own Doc until 2009.

Casa Bottega

The Bottega family has worked with grapes and wines since the 17th century. Originally tenant farmers, the family managed to get their own land in Treviso and kept right on growing grapes. Fast-forward a couple hundred years and Casa Bottega now has vineyards and wineries in Treviso, Verona, and Siena.

The company is GREENER-certified dedicated to sustainability and environmental and social responsibility. It farms organically, purifies waste water, uses recycled glass in its bottles, and more.  Bottega also raises awareness and donates to issues such as breast cancer research and disaster relief.

The huge range of products includes not only wines from Valpolicella, the Veneto, Friuli, and Tuscany, but also Prosecco and sparkling wines from Lombardy, grappa, grappa, liqueurs, and other distillates.

Casa Bottega Ripasso della Valpolicella DOC Superiore, 2016

Bottega’s Ripasso blends the Valpolicella main player Corvina with lesser amounts of both Corvinone and Rondinella. The wine was oak aged and only released two years after vintage as per the DOC’s regulations.

Medium plus opaque ruby on the pour, the wine released layers of fruit and spice. Sour cherry dominated but eventually made way for strawberry, sweet spices, tar, and licorice. On the palate, vibrant acidity kept the fruit fresh from start to finish. Although while fresh, the strawberry definitely showed just an edge of jam. Subtle oak influenced sweet spice flavors, mostly cinnamon complimented but didn’t detract from the fruit. Tannins were smooth and subtle giving the wine a fresh, silky texture. Overall medium-bodied despite the 14% abv with a medium-short finish.

I’ve heard Ripasso called the ‘little brother’ to Amarone but I think it’s more of a ‘big brother’ to Valpolicella.

How’d it do with the pairing? Well, as a friend of mine says, the wine and the dish are casually dating but likely won’t be getting any more serious. It did go surprisingly well with the green beans though. The tang from the splash of lemon juice and capers really highlighted the fresh cherry flavors in the wine.

Join the conversation!

Whether you’ve written a post for the theme or not, join the #ItalianFWT conversation on Saturday, February 6 at 11 am EST by following the hashtag on Twitter. And don’t forget to check out what the rest of the group is eating and drinking!

An Afternoon at Castelgiocondo by Somm’s Table

Braised Beef Short Ribs in Red Wine Sauce +2012 Produttori del Barbaresco by ENOFYLZ Wine Blog

Braised Brisket with Donnachiara’s Kapemort Aglianico by Vino Travels

Braised Pork Ragù over Pasta + Bruna Grimaldi Nebbiolo d’Alba 2017 by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Chianti Beef Stew by Our Good Life

Dolcettto d’Alba: A Food-Friendly Bet for Braised Chicken by My Full Wine Glass

Farina Amarone della Valpolicella with Ground Pork in Karela Rings by Chinese Food & Wine Pairings

Home Cooking with Sabrina Tedeschi and the Wines of Agricola Tedeschi by Grape Experiences

Hunter’s Style Chicken and Cantina di Filippo by FoodWineClick!

Pasta e Ceci with Chianti Classico from astellina by The Swirling Dervish

Pasta with Pork Braised in Red Wine with Tasca d’Almerita Lamuri Nero d’Avola 2018 by A Day in the Life on the Farm

The Most Tender Short Ribs You’ll Ever Have, Perfectly Paired With Red Wines From Abruzzo by The Wine Chef

Warming Up Winter with Braised Oxtail and Casa Bottega Ripasso Superiore by The Quirky Cork

What’s the Difference? 3 Organic Montepulciano: Vino Nobile,d’Abruzzo, and Molise Paired with Ragu by Wine Predator