Ripasso and Amarone are two typical wines from the northern Italian wine region of Valpolicella. Ripasso is generally less well known than Valpolicella and Amarone wines even though it shares some features of both wines.
The term “Ripasso” means “repassed.” In its production process regular, fermented Valpolicella – a blend Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara – is added to a cask containing the skins left over from fermented Amarone wines. The process of adding (or “repassing”) the lighter Valpolicella wine over the remainders of the big n’ bold Amarone wine gives additional texture and flavor to the Valpolicella wine. Also, it induces a second fermentation of the wine that increases the wine’s alcoholic content.
Here it is a quick explanation of the winemaking methods of Ripasso and Amarone. Cheers!