1968 Bertani Recioto della Valpolicella
This historic firm was founded in 1857 at Quinto di Valpentena by brothers Giovanbattista and Gaetano Bertani. This Recioto, among the world’s longest-lived wines, owes its strength and power to the same method used to make the dry Amarone (grapes picked at optimal ripeness and dried on straw mats in special outbuildings, then pressed and fermented). In this case, however, the resulting wine stops its fermentation early thereby preserving its sweetness. At the table, it acts like your finest vintage port, though with less brut alcoholic strength and a more pronounced fruitcake/raisin aroma. This is also tremendous with old and bleu cheeses.