If you decide to spend at least a week in any of our flats, you will always find a bottle of "Il Rosa del Garda" waiting for you on your arrival. The famous Chiaretto, also known as "the wine of a night".
Or rather, to be precise, of the Rosa Valtenesi (not to be confused with Bardolino Chiaretto).
You simply cannot miss the opportunity to taste a wine with ancient roots and yet so suited to modern tastes, and what is more, only produced here.
ROSA VALTENESI, ROSÉ WINE PAR EXCELLENCE
The Valtenesi is distinguished by the typical microclimate of Lake Garda (temperate Mediterranean, never too cold in winter nor too sultry in summer) and a soil of morainic and fertile origin.
The regulations for this DOC rosé wine stipulate the use of at least 50% Groppello grapes and this is undoubtedly the main characteristic that distinguishes it from Bardolino Chiaretto, which is still pink but produced with other grape varieties. Be careful, therefore, when you ask a restaurant for a Garda rosé wine.
The Groppello grape is a typical variety of the area, indigenous to the western shore of Lake Garda, whose name since ancient times has indicated grape varieties that differ from each other but share a common characteristic: a compact bunch with tightly packed berries, similar to a 'groppo', which in the various dialects of the Po Valley means 'knot'. The other grapes used in Chiaretto Valtenesi in varying percentages are Marzemino, Barbera, Sangiovese and Rebo, another red grape variety characteristic of the area. There are also productions of pure Chiaretto Valtenesi Groppello.
The typical light colour is obtained by a method that consists of very gently crushing the grapes and then leaving the must in contact with the skins for only a few hours. This is the so-called 'one-night wine'. The racking must then be carried out immediately afterwards otherwise the wine takes on the most intense red colour.
ROMANTIC ORIGINS
Rosa Valtenesi is one of the oldest Italian rosé wines.
The actual Chiaretto, however, was born in the 19th century (in 1896, to be precise) thanks to the passion for wine of Pompeo Molmenti, a lawyer, art history teacher, Venetian senator and mayor of Moniga del Garda at the time.
Legend has it that it all started thanks to a love story, that of Molmenti, precisely, and the Garda noblewoman Amalia Brunati. In order to follow his beloved, the senator decided to move to Lake Garda, where he perfected the technique of making rosé wine, the method still followed today and known as the "Molmenti method".
And, apparently, Rosa Valtenesi seems to be the wine of lovers: the DOC was recognised in 2011 and presented to the public on Valentine's Day the following year.
Could this be why I have a soft spot for this wine?
CHARACTERISTICS AND PAIRINGS
It is an intoxicating, delicate and elegant wine that I like to enjoy with aperitifs because of its scent of flowers and (forest) fruits.
The classic pairing is with grilled fish (from the lake of course, but also from the sea) and it also goes well with typical soft cheeses from Brescia, soups, omelettes and cured meats. Some people do not disdain enjoying it with pizza.
It is drunk chilled, not cold. And it goes down a treat.
Spend your holidays in one of our flats: I can't wait to let you taste it.</p
