2012 Zenato Ripassa

My husband chose this 2012 Zenato Ripassa to pair with his cassoulet that we shared with our friends this weekend. It was inky purple in color, full bodied with a hint of spice and dried fruit flavors. The wine brought up a discussion regarding how Ripasso is made. My husband knew that it was the passing of the juice over the pressed Amarone grape skins but that still felt a little vague so I did a little searching on the Internet to educate myself.
The first thing to know is that Ripassa is made in the Veneto region located in northeast Italy.¹

Ripasso is a blend of three regional native red grape varieties, Corvina, Rondinella and occasionally, Molinara. This blend is called Valpolicella. Ripasso comes from adding the basic Valpolicella wine into the cask containing the skins and lees left over from recently fermented Amarone wines. The resultant Ripasso has both the freshness and lightness of the Valpolicella, but also has some of the characteristics of Amarone such as flavors of blackberries, dried fruit such as raisins and black currents with a hint of spices.
My husband said this wine was less than $20.00, so I'll put it under my "Wines Under $20" tab.
References:
1. Map of Italian Wines Region is from Better Tasting Wine.
2. RIPASSO WINES - FOR THOSE WHO LOVE BIG REDS BUT CAN’T ALWAYS AFFORD AMARONE