Guided Wine Tasting with Local Food at Vini Clementi in Valpolicella Classica

Your visit to Vini Clementi begins in Gnirega, in the Valpolicella Classica area, where you'll be welcomed by Maurizio, Maria, or Bernardino Clementi. They will introduce you to the history of their family-run estate and its approach to winemaking, centered on the valley's native grapes: Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella, Molinara, and Oseleta.

The experience continues with a walk through the vineyards, followed by a visit to the fruttaio, the loft where grapes are left to dry using the *appassimento* method. You will then see the barrel cellar, or bottaia, where the wines age. The tour concludes in the estate's tasting room, a glass-walled space on the ground floor with views of the surrounding landscape.

Here, you will have a seated, guided tasting of five of the estate's wines, each presented one by one:
1. Valpolicella Classico DOC: A fresh, ruby-red wine with notes of cherry, representing the most immediate expression of the appellation.
2. Valpolicella Classico Superiore DOC: Aged in barrel for a more persistent and structured character, with a deeper profile.
3. Valpolicella Ripasso DOC: Made by re-fermenting the wine on Amarone pomace, which gives it intensity, color, and a silky texture.
4. Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG: A powerful, elegant red, defined by a four-month *appassimento* and over seven years of aging in wood.
5. Recioto della Valpolicella DOCG: A sweet dessert wine with notes of dried fruit and cherries, rooted in the region's oldest traditions.

The tasting is accompanied by a board of specialties from nearby Lessinia, featuring local soppressa and Monte Veronese cheese.