Appassimento is a traditional Italian wine-making method that involves drying the grapes on straw mats prior to fermentation. The drying process concentrates the sugar and intensifies the complexity of the flavors in the grapes. The resulting wine is powerful, rich and redolent of spice, raisins and cooked fruit.
This method is used in the famous wines of Valpolicella Della Amarone, producing ageless wines of infinite complexity and smoothness.
In lesser regions, the process creates potent, fruit-bombs that are quaffable and delicious.
The 2017 Lupi Reali is a Montepulciano-based red wine from Abruzzo. The use of the appassimento process creates a wonderfully pleasing wine that is both sippable and food-friendly. Fruit-forward with supple, well-integrated tannin, the wine is drinking wonderfully now and should add complexity as it gains time in the bottle.
Cheers!