Alpha Zeta Valpantena Valpolicella 2023
£14.25
The wine
Complex and intense with fine tannins, underpinned by the freshness that marks out good Valpolicella. This is what Corvina can do from the best sites.
The wine came out of Matt Thomson's long observation that Corvina grown higher up develops a more expressive aromatic profile. Selected sites are vinified separately in small batches, and around a third of the blend is fermented whole bunch with the stems included, a method rarely used in traditional Valpolicella. It gives the Corvina a fresher, more complex frame than destemming alone allows.
The producer
Alpha Zeta
View all Alpha Zeta winesAlpha Zeta is a clever idea, beautifully executed. Founded in 1999 by the Master of Wine David Gleave and the acclaimed New Zealand winemaker Matt Thomson, the project set out to prove that the Veneto could deliver modern, characterful wines at genuinely everyday prices.
The approach is refreshingly direct. Rather than buying in finished wine, Alpha Zeta works hand in hand with growers in the hills around Verona, in the Valpantena and Alpone valleys, lowering yields and picking later for riper, cleaner fruit. Cool air spilling down from the foothills of the Dolomites keeps the grapes fresh and aromatic.
The name says it all. From A to Z, each wine is labelled by a single letter and made to show its grape and its place as clearly as possible: the crisp S Soave, the melon-scented C Chardonnay, the juicy V Valpolicella and the rich A Amarone at the summit. Most are sealed under screwcap to keep them bright and free of fault.
The result is a range that punches far above its price, fresh, honest and true to the Veneto. Proof that great everyday drinking and real quality need not be at odds.
