The late, great Giuseppe Quintarelli was a staunch traditionalist, farming and making his wines in the old, unhurried style, including drying grapes for his Amarone and then aging the wines for as long as necessary.

But he was "radical" too! In addition to working with regional grapes like Corvina and Rondinella, Quintarelli showed that Bordeaux varieties could also make incredible — and quintessentially Veneto — wines.

Giuseppe passed away a little over a decade ago. But if there was ever any question whether his cantina would survive his passing, it is long since answered. His family — his daughter, son-in-law and grandson, to be specific — are maintaining the traditions and making wines as beautiful and distinctive as ever. We have the latest releases of two wines today: ‘Primofiore’ and ‘Rosso del Bepi’.

Primofiore ("first flower") is Quintarelli’s baby wine. Like the name suggests, it is the first bottling to be released from a given vintage. But the name is also apt because of its subtle floral notes which mingle with the taste of red and black fruits.

In a way, it's crazy to call this a "baby wine": Quintarelli is a legendary Amarone producer and the Primofiore, though the easiest-going of the lineup, gives you a good sense of the depths and power Quintarelli wines can achieve. All those fresh flavors and aromas are girded by something richer. With air you'll get almost Bordeaux-like complexity from earth and leather and hints of smoke.

Only in exceptional years will Quintarelli produce Amarone. In ‘average’ years those grapes are instead used to make ‘Rosso del Bepi’. Since it’s typically produced in ‘lighter’ style vintages, the wine is less unctuous and perhaps more finessed than the Amarone. But it’s still made with Quintarelli’s best grapes, and gets the same treatment in the cellar as the Amarone would, so it’s unquestionably a world-class wine.

What’s interesting about the 2016 Bepi is that most wine critics consider the vintage to be very good. So while we think the wine is always a great value ( it often goes for about half the price of the Amarone ), that value is even better in a year like this.


Giuseppe Quintarelli, Veneto Rosso Primofiore, 2021 $82.99

Giuseppe Quintarelli, Rosso del Bepi, 2016 $229