Choosing a bottle of wine to share with a group is a bit like being tasked with picking a movie or a restaurant for everyone to enjoy: it’s best to aim to choose an alternative that all or at least most of your companions will approve of.
You want to pick a wine that offers a happy medium. When it comes to reds, something that’s not too intense nor too light bodied, with balance and amiable tannins. But at the same time, you don’t want to just wing it and aim to the lowest common denominator, so grabbing a bottle that is a little bit different but not an eccentricity will do.
Musella Valpolicella Ripasso will give you that combination of agreeableness and complexity. This biodynamic beauty comes from Italy’s Valpolicella and as it’s often the case in the region, it’s a blend, in this case Barbera, Corvina and Rondinella.
Delightfully plump and juicy, it combines the aromas of ripe red fruit with a touch of toast and sweet spices.
It’s a perfect wine to transition between summer and autumn, rich in flavour but moderate in tannins, with a taste of dried cranberries, cherry preserve, cinnamon, clove and a cedary touch.
Musella Valpolicella Ripasso is available at O’Briens Wine at €19.95 (on offer from €21.95).
Gabriela’s passion for writing is only matched by her love for food and wine. Journalist, confectioner and sommelier, she fell in love with Ireland years ago and moved from Venezuela to Dublin in 2014.
Since then, she has written about and worked in the local food scene, and she’s determined to discover and share the different traditions, flavours and places that have led Irish food and drink to fascinate her.
Gabriela Guédez Gabriela Guédez