Brigaldara Review: From Soave to Amarone in Veneto

Six Brigaldara bottles lined up on the table, all wearing the same label. One family, one signature. Soave through to three Amarones; more than a century of Veneto winemaking in a couple of hours.

What landed

• Soave 2022, fresh starter
• Valpolicella Superiore Case Vecie
• Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso
• Amarone della Valpolicella Cavolo
• Amarone della Valpolicella Case Vecie
• Amarone della Valpolicella Classico

The six look like one library, not a row of unrelated experiments. Same livery, same intent, very different jobs.

Earlier encounters

I had crossed paths with Brigaldara before, mostly on the Amarone end. What stuck even then: tradition without the heavy makeup. Full fruit, smooth finish, none of the sticky-sweet drift that Amarone sometimes slides into.

That alone was reason enough to put the whole range side by side.

How I tasted

Started with the Soave, worked up to the Amarones, with a day or two between bottles to watch them open up. Some wines bloom on day two; others peak and shut down. Useful sieve for separating well-built wines from cosmetic ones.

My conclusion after those days: a producer that treats both the entry-level and the top tier seriously. That tells you something.

Sources

• Consorzio Tutela Vini Valpolicella: consorziovalpolicella.it