Category: drinks

Just read an article in Het Parool in which wine expert Harold Hamersma recommends Tempus Two – one of my favorite white wines.

The article is a write-up of a three day event for wine professionals organized by The Winesite as part of the Horecava 2009.

There are a number of rather standard recommendations for Alsace Riesling or Champs des Murailles Corbières. But Hamersma also recommends a new Tempus Two Moscato – available at wine store Ton Overmars. I can’t wait to try it!

I buy a lot of wine from Ton who personally has made several great recommendations. About a year ago he suggested a Tempus Two Verdelho. I have had several good Verdejo wines from the up and coming Spanish Rueda region and decided to try out their Australian cousin. The Tempus Two Verdelho Spring Rock is amazing. It sort of has it all: a full body and plenty of spicy flavor of the Verdejo grape; fresh fruity acidity; and great balance and finish.

I think it’s definitely worth a trip to Ton to pick up some Tempus Two Moscato alongside some Verdelho and maybe some other suggestion he surely has!

My overview of Ripasso wines in Amsterdam is missing an interesting lower price Ripasso. For only € 7,75 you can find a bottle of Cantina Valpantena Falasco Ripasso at Dutch online wine retailer Vindict.

I discovered the Ripasso – and the online retailer – at a wine tasting last night. The tasting was a private event that Vindict organized for us. Vindict served us nine wines. First four whites and then five reds, ordered from light to full bodied. I was not so impressed with the selection of white wines, a rather average choice of Sancerre, Chardonnay and Chablis.

The red wines were more interesting! We got to taste the Falasco Ripasso alongside the regular Valpolicella from the same producer. The difference is amazing. The Ripasso has so much more body and is much more balanced than the Valpolicella. Then we tried a Lebanese wine. The  Clos St. Thomas – Les Emirs not only looks a lot but also tastes a lot like a Bordeaux. And also the German Spätburgunder from wine maker Salwey was surprisingly good. Unfortunately it was also expensive at more than € 30 and is apparently so special that you will not be able to order it online.

Overall, the wine tasting was fun and informative. The sommelier gave as a lot of technical information about grape varieties, regions and wine making techniques. The same is true for the Vindict web site which presents color, intensity, nose, aroma, smell, flavors, taste, body, alcohol, sweetness, acidity and tannin. The well organized wine product sheets are a good way of discovering new wines that have similar characteristics than your favorites! And although I have not had a chance to try it out, I was pleased to find out that delivery options include evening service.

The other day I wrote about different kinds of Ripasso wines that I had found throughout Amsterdam.

I had found one of the better Ripasso at Vino di Pino on Haarlemmermeerstraat near Hoofddorpplein. It was a Monteré Ripasso. Full bodied, balanced and very good overall. But not cheap at € 23,- per bottle. It worked out because Vino di Pino had a special 3 for 2 opening deal in December.

I saw that readers of dutchgrub were particularly interested in Vino di Pino. So I stopped by them again.

Turns out that there will be a similar sale throughout January. Vino di Pino is offering 50% off every second bottle for the entire month.

They are specializing in Italian wines and have a good selection of it. They know their wines and are happy to explain and make recommendations. I also like that they are open until 20:00 from Monday to Saturday – rather unusual for Amsterdam.

I got a bottle of La Guardiense Aglianico and a bottle of Primitivo by Tenuta Viglione that I cannot wait to try.

And Ton Overmars, the best store in Amsterdam for wine, whisky and other liquor is just across the street on Hoofddorpplein. Ton has a great selection of wines and whiskys, top quality and offers great value for your money!

Ripasso is one of my favorite wines and I have been enjoying plenty of it recently in Amsterdam.

Ripasso is an intense yet smooth red wine from Valpolicella, a well-known wine region in the Italian Veneto province.

Valpolicella wines are made from Corvina, Molinara, and Rondinella grapes. In general, the wines are considered light and fruity. The exception is the precious Amarone – Italian for ‘the big bitter’ – an expensive wine classic. Amarone can be found on many a wine list and is known for its extreme, almost raisiny dryness and big, often daunting body. Grapes are dried for several weeks before pressing to make Amarone wines. The drying process causes them to lose over 50% of their water, resulting in wines that are intense and rich in tannins.

Ripasso wines are made by an additional pressing – or re-passing – of fresh Valpolicella grapes over the pomace of dried grapes that were used to make Amarone. The re-passing causes an additional fermentation that gives Ripasso wines a lot more body and tannins than regular Valpolicellas without making them as dry or bitter as Amarone. If you’re like me and enjoy complex and flavorful wines that are not too dry, you will love Ripasso!

A good Ripasso will have a deep ruby color and a nose of raspberry and cherry that is incredibly persistent. Ripasso wine is full bodied with a warm, balanced, almost velvety taste. It’s great with red meat, poultry, cheese and, if you ask me, almost anything else.

Several shops in Amsterdam sell Ripasso and a number of restaurants have it on their wine list. My recent Ripasso cravings were quenched by the Montresor Capitel della Crosara, Tedeschi Capitel San Rocco, Tommasi, Tinnazi Ca de Rocchi Monteré and Salvalai Monile.

I found both the Tommasi and the Montresor at liquor store Ton Overmars on Hoofddorpplein. The Tommasi, the best of the selection in my opinion, goes for € 18. Well worth it for an incredibly smooth yet strong wine. And at € 9,- the Montresor is the best value Ripasso. Not quite as accomplished and balanced but still pleasant and harmonious. Ton also has a Tenuta Sant’ Antonio Ripasso Monti Garbi that he imports directly and sells for € 11.

Just around the corner on Haarlemmerstraat, newly opened Vino di Pino sold me a few bottles of Monteré Ripasso for € 23,- each. Expensive, since the Monteré does not have the quality of Tommasi. They did have a three-for-two deal for the opening of their shop, which made it good value after all. Mr Alaimo, the owner of Vino di Pino, also stocks the Masi Campofiorin Supervenetian, which claims to be the first Ripasso ever made when Amarone pomace was forgotten in a barrel…

The Salvalai is on the wine list of Vooges one of my favorite eetcafes, which is located on Utrechtsestraat. And finally Frenzi Cucina has the Tedeschi Ripasso in both their restaurant on Zwanenburgwal and for sale in their shop on Overtoom.