Giuseppe Quintarelli, Valpolicella Blend "Primofiore" Veneto IGT, Italy 2023

50% Corvina and Corvinone, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Cabernet Franc

Grapes are harvested during multiple passages through the vineyard for the optimum quality of the different grape varieties and for different styles of wine. The different wines do not correspond to unique parcels of vines. Primofiore means "first flower" and is the only red wine produced at Quintarelli that is not made from dried grapes or with ripasso technique.

This is the youngest red wine released by the estate. After harvest, grapes left in wooden boxes to continue ripening. After pressing and fermentation, wine is aged for several years in Slavonian oak barrels.

This red is the exception to the rule at Quintarelli. It is aged for only two to three years, as opposed to seven, and only the Cabernet is partially dried. The Corvina and Corvinone are pressed directly after harvest. The resulting Primofiore, which translates to “first flower” because it is the youngest red-wine release every year, is the freshest rosso of the bunch.

The late, great Maestro del Veneto, Giuseppe Quintarelli, succeeded in establishing his mythical and legendary estate during an amazing sixty-year career. All of the tradition, love, heart, and soul of crafting one of the world's finest wines continue at the Quintarelli home and winery in the hills north of Verona. Giuseppe's wife Franca, his daughter Fiorenza, his son-in-law Giampaolo, and his grandsons Francesco and Lorenzo are all keeping a close watch over the family's legacy.