Recioto

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Recioto della Valpolicella or Recioto is a winemaking technique where grapes are left to partially dry. The drying is done on racks in the slopes of the valleys in the Venetian (Veneto) region of Italy.

The technique results in two types of wine, the sweet Recioto and the dry Amarone. The Recioto is a sweet red wine that is the best companion to chocolate deserts because of the high acidity in cocoa. The Recioto generally arises as a result of a stuck fermentation in the production of Amarone. This can result from a number of factors including low nutrient levels, high alcohol or Botrytis metabolites. This partially completed ferment leaves a high level of unfermented sugars, thus creating a sweet wine known as Recioto.

When the grapes are left to dry they are divided into two areas. The ones left near the bottom of the valley are sometimes exposed to noble rot, or what the French call pourriture noble. These grapes makes the Recioto and gives the wine a distinct character. The grapes used for Amarone are the ones dried higher in the slopes, and are not exposed to noble rot.