1987 Bolla Valpolicella Classico Superiore

Bolla was established in 1883, when Abele Bolla, who owned a well-known inn and restaurant, built a cellar in Soave, south of Verona. He started producing wine and was soon winning awards for winemaking. In the early 20th century his entrepreneurial sons opened fashionable bars in Venice and elsewhere to help market the family wine, and they opened a second winery in Valpolicella. The family’s flair for marketing helped make the Bolla brand popular in foreign markets such as the U.S. In 2006 Bolla was purchased by Gruppo Italiano Vino, an Italian wine conglomerate. Today the estate includes nearly 900 acres and produces about 10 million bottles annually. Bolla produces a broad portfolio of wines, but is most noted for its Veronese classics such as Bardolino and Valpolicella, and its Soave and Amarone wines. Gambero Rosso praises Bolla wines, and notes that Bolla makes “consistent, traditional interpretations” of classic regional wines.

Valpolicella DOC near Verona, in Veneto, earned appellation status in 1968. Viticulture has thrived in the region since the ancient Greeks first planted vineyards, and the tradition of using partially dried grapes to produce the concentrated red wine we now call Amarone is attributed to the Greeks. The fertile soils of the area combined with relatively mild climate in the shadows of the Alps has made Valpolicella a major wine producing region throughout history. Valpolicella is made from a blend of the Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara grapes, and can also contain small amounts of other red grapes. Valpolicella Superiore must be aged a minimum of one year. In 2008 and 2009 smaller appellations for Ripasso della Valpolicella and Amarone della Valpolicella were added to the district.