DOC Red

Bertani Valpolicella Ripasso Valpantena

Bertani

Grapes
Corvina, Rondinella, Corvinone
Denomination
Valpolicella Ripasso DOC
Region
Veneto
ABV
13.5%
Drink
Now to 2033

A Valpantena red from Bertani, who have made wine in this valley since 1857. The young Valpolicella is fermented again on drained Amarone skins, which brings cherry, chocolate and a warm savoury finish. Good with ragu, roasts and aged cheese.

Best price
£17.10 Save 25%

2023 · 75cl · checked 25 Oct · Delivery usually £16.90, free over £129

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Vintages 2023 2022

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Where to buy Valpolicella Ripasso Valpantena

£17.10 best price · 4 retailers in stock · checked 25 Oct 2026

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Vino.com Best price Save 25% 2023 · 75cl · checked 25 Oct · Delivery usually £16.90, free over £129 Code WINE6R8T: £17 off your first wine order with £180 minimum spend, until 13 Jan 2028
Read from the retailer's page once a day. Confidence is low, so treat it as a guide and confirm at the retailer.
£17.10 was regular price £22.80 £22.80/L
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XtraWine Best price 2023 · 75cl · checked 25 Oct · Delivery charge shown at checkout
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£18.00 £24.00/L
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The Great Wine Co. Best price Save 15% 2022 · 75cl · checked 25 Oct · Delivery £8, free on 5 bottles
Read from the retailer's page once a day. Confidence is low, so treat it as a guide and confirm at the retailer.
£22.00 was regular price £26.00 £29.33/L
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Great Wines Direct Best price 2022 · 75cl · checked 25 Oct · Delivery £7.95, min 6 bottles
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£22.10 £29.47/L
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Stock status is read from each retailer’s page once a day and may lag.

Tasting Notes

What a Bertani Ripasso tastes like

Bertani grow this wine in the Valpantena, then ferment it a second time on the drained skins of their own Amarone. That second pass is where the cherry, the chocolate and the warmth come from.

Tasted by
ItalianWines editorial
Tasted on
4 September 2026
Source
Drinker consensus · confidence Medium
Typical of Corvina
Body Light / Full
Tannins Smooth / Grippy
Sweetness Dry / Sweet
Acidity Soft / Crisp
Nose

Cherry and undergrowth lead, with spice and chocolate behind them, just as Bertani's own note has it. Red fruit is far and away the main note, ahead of oak, vanilla and tobacco. There is a touch of clove in the same glass.

Black cherryBlack cherry
CherryCherry
PlumPlum
RaspberryRaspberry
TobaccoTobacco
Forest FloorForest Floor
SpicySpicy
ChocolateChocolate
Palate

The feel in the mouth is the whole point of a ripasso. Bertani start the young wine fermenting again in January or February, on skins drained from their own Amarone, and it comes back fuller and warmer. The tannin grips without drying, and a savoury, almost salty edge runs behind the fruit.

Finish

Chocolate on a long finish. Decanter's James Button gave the 2020 vintage 92 points and found exactly that.

Overall

A well-liked everyday red, and drinkers rate the 2022 the best recent year. It is warm and meaty, and costs about half what Bertani's Amarone from the same valley does.

Drink now Best by 2032
Live UK pricing

What sits behind an £18.20 Bertani Ripasso

Two fermentations instead of one, a spell in big casks, and a rule that blocks any sale before January of the second year after picking. All of that lands in the shelf price.

Best price · 75 cl · 2023 £17.10 at Vino.com
Price spread · 75cl · 2023 £17.10 - £18.00 Across 2 UK retailers with 75cl · 2023 in stock
Retailers · 75cl · 2023 2UK 2 in stock
Vintages live 2023 · 2022 Current release: 2023
Per-litre (75cl · 2023 basis) £22.80 Lowest current 75cl · 2023 offer
Last checked 25 Oct 2026 Refreshed once every 24 hours
Other vintages and formats: 1 price line

75cl · 2022: £22.00 - £22.10, 2 UK retailers

Wine fit score

Where a Bertani Ripasso fits

A well-liked red whose main note is plain ripe cherry. It is a midweek red that can still hold a Sunday roast.

Best with food 8.8/10

Medium-bodied and savoury with real acidity behind the warmth, so it copes with ragu, roasts, mushrooms and aged cheese. Bertani's own food list runs to five different dishes.

Best intro to this style 8.5/10

Warm, fruity and soft-edged, with cherry and chocolate as the main notes and red fruit above all. There is no sharp tannin and nothing odd to get used to.

Best value 7.8/10

UK shops list it at £18.20 to £26, against £39 and up for Bertani's Amarone from the same valley. A well-liked red, strong for the money.

Best everyday bottle 6.8/10

It drinks well the day you buy it. Give it twenty minutes in a big glass and it is ready. At £18.20 to £26 it is a midweek bottle for a good dinner rather than the cheapest weeknight red.

Best for an occasion 5.5/10

A well-known Verona name and a proper Ripasso, but a DOC rather than one of Italy's top-tier reds. Right for a good dinner at home, a step below Bertani's Amarone for a big night.

Best for cellar 5.0/10

It holds well, but it is not a wine to hide away. Decanter gave the 2020 until 2032, while the DOC rules ask for no cask ageing at all, only a delayed release.

Scoring is rule-based and deterministic. The model and weightings are documented in our Wine Fit Score methodology.

Denomination Compliance Snapshot

Valpolicella Ripasso in five fields

A compact view of what the Valpolicella Ripasso denomination actually requires, and how this bottle sits inside it. Pulled from the official Italian disciplinare.

Allowed grapes
3 varieties listed
This bottle: Corvina, Rondinella, Corvinone.
Minimum ageing
No statutory minimum
Producers release on their own schedule; 4 to 6 months in steel is typical.
Region / area
The zone covers 19 towns around Verona under three names: Classico for the five western communes, Valpantena for the valley north-east of the city, and Valpolicella for the rest. No bottle is sold before January of the second year after picking.
Source: Disciplinare.
Style
DOC · Valpolicella Ripasso
Minimum ABV at this colour: 12.5%.
Classification
DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata)
What that means →
Vintages

How the 2022 and the 2023 differ

2022 was hot and dry until August rain rescued it, and drinkers rate it the best recent year for this wine. 2023 was wetter and much harder work in the vineyard, and the wine came out fresher and lighter.

2023 Current release
Best price
£17.10
Retailers
2 in stock
ABV
13.5%
Window
Drink now through 2033

A wet, difficult season with heavy mildew pressure and a crop about 5% smaller, picked from 13 September. The wine came out fresher and lighter than the 2022, and Vivino drinkers score it a little lower at 3.7.

2022 Previous release
Best price
£22.00
Retailers
2 in stock
ABV
13.5%
Window
Drink now through 2032

A hot, dry summer that August rain rescued, with picking about a fortnight early and clean, healthy fruit. Vivino drinkers rate it the best recent year for this wine, 4.0 out of 5 from 521 ratings.

2023 Current release
Best price
£17.10
Retailers
2 in stock
ABV
13.5%
Window
Drink now through 2033

A wet, difficult season with heavy mildew pressure and a crop about 5% smaller, picked from 13 September. The wine came out fresher and lighter than the 2022, and Vivino drinkers score it a little lower at 3.7.

Drink-now / hold guidance reflects general style cues for this wine, not a forecast for a specific bottle. Where vintage-level editorial notes exist, they appear above.

The disciplinare, the place, the label

The rules behind Valpolicella Ripasso

Ripasso only exists because Amarone does. The rules let a producer make at most twice as much Ripasso as the wine that came off the Amarone skins they used.

01

DOC, DOCG, IGT: what the badges mean

Italian wine law sorts bottles into a pyramid. DOCG sits at the top: tightly drawn boundaries, prescribed grapes, mandatory ageing, government tasting before release. DOC is the same idea with looser thresholds. IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) is broader still, requiring only that 85% of the grapes come from the named territory.

Valpolicella Ripasso is in the DOC tier. That is not a quality verdict, it is a description of how much freedom the producer has at vinification and ageing.

02

The denomination rules, in detail

  • Allowed grapes. 3 varieties listed in the disciplinare
  • Yield ceiling. 12.0 tonnes per hectare
  • Minimum ABV. 12.5% vol
  • Minimum ageing. No statutory minimum - producers release on their own schedule
  • Tasting panel. No mandatory pre-release tasting
03

Region and area context

Valpolicella Ripasso falls within Veneto, covering The zone covers 19 towns around Verona under three names: Classico for the five western communes, Valpantena for the valley north-east of the city, and Valpolicella for the rest. No bottle is sold before January of the second year after picking.. The denomination is further divided into 2 sub-zones.

Valpolicella Ripasso DOC zone Wine routes in the zone

Made at Bertani, Arbizzano di Negrar.

Wine routes in the zone: Valpolicella Classico Loop, Strada del Vino Soave.

04

Reading the label

  • BertaniProducer / estate
  • Corvina · Rondinella · CorvinoneGrape varieties
  • Valpolicella Ripasso DOCGeographic indication and quality tier
  • 2023Vintage (year of harvest)
  • 13.5% volAlcohol by volume
05

What sits behind the price of Valpolicella Ripasso Valpantena

Tracked from
£17.10
Direction
Mostly cost up
Drivers
4 up / 2 down
Main factor
Amarone skins limit how much can be made
  1. 01

    Amarone skins limit how much can be made

    Cost up

    The rules let a producer bottle at most twice as much Ripasso as the wine that came off the Amarone skins they used. Bertani use skins from their own Amarone Valpantena, a bottle that starts at £39 in the shops we track against £18.20 here.

  2. 02

    Two fermentations, not one

    Cost up

    Bertani ferment the young Valpolicella in autumn, then start it again in January or February on the drained Amarone skins. That is two rounds of work and two spells of tank time for a single wine.

  3. 03

    Casks first, then a delayed release

    Cost up

    The wine rests in big wooden casks and concrete vats, then three months in bottle. The DOC also blocks any sale before 1 January of the second year after picking, so the producer waits over a year to be paid.

  4. 04

    UK duty and VAT

    Cost up

    At 13.5% alcohol, UK duty is £3.10 a bottle, and 20 per cent VAT sits on top. On the cheapest bottle we track, £18.20, that is close to £6.10 gone before the wine, the glass or the shipping.

  5. 05

    Valpantena costs less than Valpolicella Classico

    Cost down

    The fruit comes from the Valpantena, one of Valpolicella's three named zones and the cheaper one on UK shelves. Bertani's own Ripasso from the Classico zone, Catullo, lists at £29 to £37 against £18.20 to £26 here. Their cellar has stood in this valley since 1857.

  6. 06

    Ripasso is Valpolicella's volume wine

    Cost down

    Valpolicella filled 59 million bottles in 2024 and nearly half of them were Ripasso. That scale is why a wine made twice over still costs £18.20 to £26 here, while Bertani's Amarone from the same valley starts at £39.

01

Amarone skins limit how much can be made

Cost up

The rules let a producer bottle at most twice as much Ripasso as the wine that came off the Amarone skins they used. Bertani use skins from their own Amarone Valpantena, a bottle that starts at £39 in the shops we track against £18.20 here.

Perfect Pairings

Dishes that go with this wine

Torta Barozzi on stoneware bowl with Almond, Butter, Chocolate

Torta Barozzi
Red Leicester, plated

Red Leicester
Food Pairing

What to eat with Bertani Valpolicella Ripasso

Bertani point this wine at porcini risotto, pasta with meat sauce, grilled meat and medium-aged cheese. The warm, savoury finish is what makes those work.

Acidity matching Strong match

Pasta with a long-cooked meat sauce

A ragu that has sat on the stove for hours turns rich and a little heavy. This Valpolicella Ripasso, a medium-bodied red from the hills above Verona, has the acidity to cut back through it and enough dark cherry fruit to sit beside the meat. Bertani name pasta with ragu on their own food list.

Try with: Ragu alla bolognese · Lasagna · Agnello Ragu Lucano · More pairings →

Aromatic bridge Strong match

Porcini and other mushroom risotto

Mushrooms bring an earthy, woodland smell to the plate, and this wine already carries one. There is undergrowth on the nose, with earthy and mushroom notes behind it. Put the two together and each one gets deeper. Porcini risotto is first on Bertani's own list.

Try with: Porcini mushroom risotto · Truffle risotto · Radicchio risotto · More pairings →

Tannin softening Strong match

Roast beef and anything off the grill

Fat and protein from a rare joint soften the grip of a tannic red, so the wine tastes rounder next to meat than it does alone. This Ripasso is warm and meaty enough to keep up, which is why Bertani list roasts and grilled meat. It is a medium-bodied Italian red, not a heavyweight.

Try with: Sunday Roast Beef · Roast Lamb with Mint Sauce · Beef wellington · More pairings →

Body matching Good match

Game and slow-cooked stews

A stew that has cooked all afternoon needs a wine with some weight, or the wine simply disappears. Ripasso picks up body and warmth from that second fermentation on Amarone skins, so it meets the dish instead of hiding under it. Drinkers most often reach for beef, veal and venison here.

Try with: Beef stew · Venison Stew · Roast pork · More pairings →

Salt balance Good match

Hard cheese with a few months on it

Salt in an aged cheese makes a red taste softer and fruitier, and the cheese loses its sharp edge in return. Bertani suggest medium-aged cheese for exactly that reason. Stop short of the very old, crumbly ones, which will outgun a medium-bodied red like this.

Try with: Pecorino sardo e pan carasau · Cheese board · Strong cheddar cheese

Avoid Clash

Skip the hot chilli dishes

Chilli heat feeds on alcohol and tannin, and at 13.5% this wine has plenty of both. The burn gets louder and the fruit vanishes. Pour something soft and low in tannin instead, such as Bardolino, the light, juicy red grown just west of here beside Lake Garda.

Skip with: Pizza Diavola · Crispy chilli beef · Szechuan beef · Pairing guide →

Drinking + cellar

How long a Bertani Ripasso keeps

Decanter gave the 2020 a window out to 2032. Put more simply: drink it now, or leave it five years and it will still be good.

Drinking window
2025 → 2033

Best in the years above; holds without falling over either side.

Decanting
30 minutes

A short splash decant softens the first-pour edge and opens the aromatics.

Serving temperature
16-18°C

Aim for the cooler end on a warm day; warmer end opens up more aromatics.

Cellar potential
Medium

It holds well, but it is not a wine to hide away. Decanter gave the 2020 until 2032, while the DOC rules ask for no cask ageing at all, only a delayed release.

Buy now or wait?
Buy now

£17.10 for a 75cl bottle of the 2023, at Vino.com, is the best price we track, and we have no signal of further discounting.

Sources & trust

The sources behind this Bertani page

Prices & stock

Read directly from each retailer’s public product page once a day. Last refresh: 25 Oct 2026, 04:42 BST. We do not hold stock and we do not accept payment for placement.

Confidence · High
Tasting notes

Drawn from published drinker ratings, summarised in our own words. A crowd read across many tasters, not a single critic.

Confidence · Medium
Appellation rules & ageing

From the official Italian disciplinare for this denomination, cross-checked against the Ministry of Agriculture register.

Confidence · High
Why it costs what it costs

Our reading of the price, drawn from the disciplinare, public UK duty rates, and typical landed-cost benchmarks. Not a quote from the producer or a retailer.

Confidence · Medium
Drink window & cellar potential

Style guidance for this kind of wine at this price point. Treat it as advice, not a forecast for the bottle in your hand.

Confidence · Medium
Related

More from Valpolicella and from Bertani

Producer
Bertani Veneto
Grapes
Corvina Rondinella Corvinone
Denomination
Valpolicella Ripasso DOC
Region
Veneto Region guide
Cuisine
British Cuisine 1 dishes paired Italian Cuisine 1 dishes paired

Common Questions

It means the young wine was fermented a second time on the skins left over from Amarone. Bertani do this in January or February, using skins from their own Amarone made in the same valley. The wine comes back fuller, warmer and darker than a plain Valpolicella.

Yes. The DOC rules block any sale before 1 January of the second year after picking, so every bottle in the shops has already had time to settle. Decanter gave the 2020 a drinking window out to 2032, so a bottle you keep will hold.

Pasta with meat sauce, porcini risotto, grilled meat, roasts and medium-aged cheese. That is Bertani's own list. Drinkers reach for much the same, mostly beef, veal and game.

It is a valley just north of Verona, running up into the Lessini hills, and one of the three named zones of Valpolicella. Bertani's cellar has stood there since 1857. The soil mixes clay and limestone with old volcanic rock.

Amarone is made from grapes dried for months before pressing. Ripasso is an ordinary Valpolicella given a second fermentation on those dried skins, once the Amarone has been drawn off. It also costs a lot less: £18.20 to £26 here against £39 and up for Bertani's Amarone from the same valley.

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