Soraie Veneto Cecilia Beretta – Velvety Sweet

The Soraie Veneto Cecilia Beretta, a very nice example of a wine made using the appassimento method, at a bargain basement price thanks to Trader Joe’s.

40% Merlot, 30% Corvina, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Croatina from Veneto, Italy. The wine is made from partially dried grapes.

The Soraie Veneto Cecilia Beretta is available exclusively at Trader Joe’s for just $8.99. It is made by Pasqua Wines and imported by Latitude Wines.

From the bottle:

The “Soraie” are the vineyards growing at the very top of the hills, where the sun and the cool breeze ripen the best grapes. A smooth and velvety red wine, with a sweet spicy finish.

Soraie is rich and intense, with ripe, velvety fruit and a hint of spice in the finish. It is made in the traditional “appassimento” method of drying the grapes for a number of weeks, thereby concentrating the flavor, before crushing. This ancient technique, which to this day remains the signature style of the Valpolicella region, gives the wine a lush, concentrated profile and a smooth, luxurious texture. It pairs beautifully with beef, lamb and grilled meats.

14% Alcohol

The 2015 Soraie Veneto Cecilia Berettad begins with a pleasant and nicely layered aroma of sweet, ripe red fruits, a hint of raisin and notes of vanilla, chocolate and cinnamon. Tasting the wine reveals it to be velvety smooth and full of candied fruit flavors (think Sweet Tarts) with a bit spice that keeps developing into the mid-palate. At that point the notes of vanilla and chocolate from the nose return and combine with soft tannins to linger into the lasting finish that adds some earthy touches. It’s a sweeter wine thanks to the dried grapes but it also has plenty of acidity to keep things in check. This is a really nice example of an appassimento wine (which is usually more expensive) at a bargain basement price.

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