He did it starting from one of the noblest and most representative types of Lake Garda, the Rosé Valtènesi whose sensory profile he was able to reinterpret, making it unique and contemporary.
Nonconformist and avant-garde . This is therefore how Costaripa describes its rosés, but with a caveat: they are wines that find their best expression in waiting . And not only are they suitable for aperitifs, but – thanks to the wide aromatic range they offer – they go perfectly with many dishes of international, refined and spicy Italian cuisine.
Costaripa rosés have in fact always been considered innovative wines that find their qualitative apex precisely in the value of time; famous for their soft blush and pearl colours, the natural juiciness that brings to mind the sun and the Mediterranean and lake breezes, in particular, for the renowned and marked evolutionary capacity essentially due to an ancient and traditional process that allows amplify the aromatic and gustatory volume of the final product.
And if longevity is the distinctive character of Costaripa rosés, it is only possible thanks to the approach that best defines Vezzola and the style of its wines: that of the most elegant old Champagnes, which the winemaker has been inspired by since the 1960s. 70 when that "enlightening journey" in the French region gave rise to his strong passion for wines of the noblest effervescence, which today translates into extremely complex, refined, elegant and long-lived wines, made thanks to a rigorously manual harvest, at the exclusive use of the flower must and fermentation in the famous white oak barrels.
“ Today rosé wines are too often compared to a type of target, that of women, and to a particular moment of the year, summer. Fresh, light, undemanding and perfect for summer dishes; too often the rosé category is confined to a dimension that does not belong to it. Or, at least, not exclusively ” – comments Mattia Vezzola – “Therefore, now more than ever we want to talk about our rosés, which go exactly to dispel this myth and which, for this reason, can and must be recognized on a par with most renowned white wines. From RosaMara to PalmArgentina which have a longevity of at least 2-4 years, up to Molmenti which finds its best expression in, even, 10-15 years: our rosé labels are the result of long studies and, above all, of a strong resourcefulness. They are an expression of elegance and nonconformism ”.
From harvesting to ageing, Costaripa's attention to its rosés
A meticulous care that starts from the work in the field: the Costaripa rosé grapes are in fact selected exclusively from those in the foothills areas exposed to the sunrise, harvested by hand when they reach perfect ripeness and only in the early hours of the morning. But that's not all, the work in the vineyard takes on a further importance thanks to the mass selection used since 1928 for the reproduction of the vine, a technique that - thanks to studies carried out for three generations. – This is why Vezzola today puts this heritage into play, obtaining the maximum genetic variability within the same variety of plant. Once in the cellar, after destemming, the must remains in contact with the skins for the time necessary to obtain the maximum qualitative extraction of aromatic and gustatory precursors and mineral salts. The must is then separated from the skins according to the more traditional "teardrop vinification", i.e. using the pure flower through static draining before fermentation, thus obtaining a must that can be defined as the "heart of the berry". Following, the refinement which has always foreseen the use of small white oak barrels for fermentation and elevation, in order to increase the ability of these great wines to cross the time. Finally, the key word and concept that Vezzola cares about so that the longevity of the wines can be said to be the distinctive feature of a cellar is constancy, i.e. the ability to maintain a high quality of the final product over the years and to respect a specific corporate style, to give life to products of excellence and at the same time recognizable.
It is therefore an attention to detail from the vineyard to the cellar that of Costaripa, which is combined with a company philosophy based on the maximum expression of the territory and the grape varieties, with an eye to the protection of biodiversity. All within a unique area with ideal climatic characteristics - a sort of "Mediterranean enclave" at the foot of the Pre-Alps - which make it unique and naturally suited to the production of extraordinary quality rosé wines.
THE COSTARIPA ROSÉS
Costaripa RosaMara
Made with Groppello, Marzemino, Sangiovese, Barbera grapes, RosaMara stands out for its very light color of a freshly bloomed rose, almost pearly, characteristic of a very soft and delicate vinification. It is characterized by an inviting, spicy, subtle scent in the most vertical elegance; from fruity notes of peach and small red fruits, from a light hint of hawthorn flowers, black cherry and pomegranate. On the palate it has a silky texture; it is harmonious, ample, rich in excellent persistence and sapidity. It has a dry finish with no residual sugar, very light with exotic fruit and bitter almonds. The vinification is "teardrop": the must is separated from the skins through the action of gravity, thus concentrating the yields only on the extraction of the most noble part of the grape. It has a longevity of 2-4 years and goes well with fish raw white, amberjack, red snapper, seared scallop, mussel pepper and all the Mediterranean salads.
Costa Ripa Molmenti
Groppello, Marzemino, Sangiovese, Barbera are the grapes that give life to the most representative of the Costaripa rosés: Molmenti. A wine with a light, shiny pink gold color, with soft peach-colored reflections. It is distinguished by a rich and complex perfume; of sweet white flowers and small red fruits. It is able to gather nuances of light vanilla and consistent iodized notes over time. On the palate it has a perfect taste-olfactory correspondence: it has an enveloping structure, it is broad and complex with a very original sapidity and persistence and a crunchy freshness that stimulates drinking. Also in this case the vinification is "teardrop" and the longevity is 10-15 years. It goes well with Mediterranean foods, shellfish, cooked and raw tuna, swordfish marinated in citrus fruits, but also with veal carpaccio or white meat in seasonal truffle cream, with risotto with vegetables and shellfish.
Costaripa Palm Argentina
Made with Groppello and Marzemino grapes with a small addition of Moscato rosa, PalmArgentina is a sweet wine that has a vivid and brilliant coral pink colour. It is persuasive to the nose with notes of fresh summer fruit, firm hints of melon, apricot, cherry, pineapple and strawberry and raspberry jam.
On the palate, the moderate alcohol content returns a sweet perception very well governed by the freshness and delicate notes of candied fruit. It goes perfectly with desserts with berries, ice cream, eggnog whipped with summer fruits such as peach, apricots and melon.
