Grandarella
⏳ Drinking Window
2018 - 2028
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Slow-cooked beef stews, roasted game meats such as venison, and aged, savory cheeses like mature Asiago or Pecorino.
✨ Technical Specifications
Masi's Grandarella is a fascinating testament to the Venetian art of appassimento, a traditional grape-drying technique pioneered and perfected by the Boscaini family. While appassimento is famously associated with Valpolicella's Amarone, Grandarella represents a bold, innovative application of this ancient method to Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso, an ancient indigenous grape of the Venetian regions, grown in the stony soils of the estate's vineyards. The hand-harvested grapes are laid out to dry on traditional bamboo racks, known as 'arele', during the dry autumn months. This natural dehydration process concentrates the sugars, acids, and tannins, resulting in a deeply colored, robust red wine. After fermentation, the wine is aged in oak casks, marrying the wild, rustic blackberry and plum notes of Refosco with sophisticated layers of sweet spice, cocoa, and velvety tannins. It is a brilliant bridge between historical regional grapes and time-honored winemaking craftsmanship.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1772 when the Boscaini family acquired premium vineyards in the small valley named 'Vaio dei Masi', Masi Agricola has grown into one of the most iconic and respected estates in Veneto's Valpolicella Classica zone. Managed for generations by the Boscaini family, the winery has become globally renowned for championing and modernizing the traditional appassimento method, transforming indigenous grapes such as Corvina, Rondinella, and Molinara into rich, age-worthy masterpieces. In addition to creating the revolutionary 'Supervenetian' Campofiorin in the 1960s and collaborating with the historic Serego Alighieri counts, Masi is celebrated worldwide for its benchmark Amarone della Valpolicella expressions, including the prestigious Costasera, Mazzano, and Campolongo di Torbe.