Packaged in an accessible screwcap bottle, the 2017 Valpolicella Iperico would drink well with fried chicken or sweet and sour pork. This simple red wine is a blend of 65% Corvina, 25% Rondinella and 10% Molinara made without oak. Sour cherry and sun-dried raspberry appear on the snappy, easy close. Some 6,600 bottles were made.

Made with organically-farmed fruit, the 2012 Valpolicella Iperico presents a ruby red appearance, thin consistency and bright tones of candied cherry, crushed white pepper and dried Mediterranean herbs. The blend is 75-25 Corvina and Rondinella executed in a very informal style. Drink 2013-2015. Behind every great woman is a great man. Valentina Cubi and her husband Giancarlo Vason make a dynamic winemaking duo and have pursued their dream of making fine wines since the late 1960s. Their institutional knowledge of Valpolicella’s best single vineyards and microclimates is hard to beat. They represent a steady and composed “wiser generation” in this tightly knit winemaking community. Yet, despite all this, Valentina Cubi is an exciting, under-the-radar proposition that gets “discovered” by some stray wine writer with frequent recurrence. In my view, they deserve more credit. Along with other important names in Valpolicella, Valentina Cubi is a protagonist in the stylistic revolution that defines modern Amarone. Organic farming started in 2010. Importer: Votto Vines Importing, www.vottovines.com

Made with organically farmed grapes, this lively base Valpolicella presents a colorful aromatic playlist that includes dried apple skin, cookie dough, chocolate, graham cracker, sweet spice and candied fruit. There’s a touch of citrus or orange zest as well. ——M.L.(12/1/2011)—— 85