Mai Dire Mai
⏳ Drinking Window
2024 - 2040
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Slow-braised beef cheeks, wild boar ragù with pappardelle, or mature, savory cheeses like Parmigiano-Reggiano.
✨ Technical Specifications
Hailing from the rugged, high-altitude slopes of Montevegro in the Val d'Illasi, Pasqua's 'Mai Dire Mai' (meaning 'Never Say Never') represents a bold, modern masterpiece of the Veneto. This iconic red, most famously rendered as a monumental Amarone della Valpolicella, is crafted from a classic blend of Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella, and Oseleta. The vineyard's unique terroir—marked by chalky, clay soils rich in volcanic basalt—imparts an extraordinary mineral tension and vibrant acidity to the wine. The name itself is a testament to the Pasqua family's determination to produce an uncompromising, world-class wine from a challenging, wind-swept site once deemed too difficult to cultivate. Following the traditional appassimento process, where the hand-harvested grapes are dried for several months to concentrate their sugars and aromatics, the wine undergoes slow fermentation and extensive aging in French oak. The result is a majestic red of immense depth, boasting dark cherry, cocoa, wild herb, and earthy complexity, balanced by a remarkably fresh, structured backbone.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in Verona in 1925 by the Pasqua brothers, Pasqua Vigneti e Cantine has evolved across three generations into one of the Veneto's most daring and innovative producers, epitomized by its self-styled 'House of the Unconventional' philosophy. Anchored in Valpantena and eastern Valpolicella, the estate's primary vineyards—including parcels around Mizzole and the Cecilia Beretta research property—span clay, limestone, and volcanic basalt soils at altitudes of 200 to 350 meters, cooled by Alpine breezes from the Monti Lessini. Viticulture blends certified Equalitas sustainability with targeted certified organic vineyard management. Winemaking marries classical Venetian techniques with bold experimentation, balancing traditional appassimento regimens with contemporary multi-vintage blending. Benchmark releases include the flagship Amarone della Valpolicella Mai Dire Mai, the multi-vintage Bianco Veneto Hey French, 11 Minutes Rosé, and the Passione e Sentimento range, alongside expressive single-varietal expressions of Garganega, Corvina, and international cultivars.
🍇 Grapes
Corvina (45-95%), Corvinone, Rondinella