Polpenazze Wine Fair Preview: Judgments on Garda 2000 Wines
52nd Polpenazze Fair: Rossi and Chiaretti Win in Commission Judgments
With only a week left before the start of the 52nd edition of the Fiera del Vino Doc Garda Classico in Polpenazze, initial indications about the quality of the competing productions are already emerging: insights clearly derived from the evaluations provided by the official tasting committees, who are working in these days to select the “Excellent” wines that, as tradition dictates, will be awarded during the usual inauguration ceremony on Sunday, May 27.
A task certainly not easy, given that this year’s official contest for the Consorzio Garda Classico features 62 wines (20 labels of Garda Classico Bianco Doc 2000, 24 of Garda Classico Rosso Doc 2000, and 18 of Garda Classico Rosso Superiore Doc 1999). Additionally, there are 27 Chiaretti and 22 Groppelli, vintage 2000, in the internal selection by the Fiera Committee (the official evaluations of these two products are reserved respectively for the Palio of Moniga and the Puegnago Fair).
Judgments and Expectations for the Wines
So, what is the expert assessment of this broadly representative sample of the 2000 Garda production? The oenologist Giuseppe Piotti is clear: despite a mediocre situation for the whites, “penalized by the dry and very hot weather conditions during the pre-harvest phase,” there is a remarkable situation both for the Chiaretti (over 50% of the samples passed the “Excellent” quality assessment) and, especially, for the reds, which include many wines of great structure, suitable for aging without problems.
This immediately raises expectations for the Superior Reds that will be tasted next year.
Current Situation and Expectations at the Fair
The snapshot provided by the Polpenazze committees perfectly reflects the profile of a sector that has now oriented its specialization precisely towards quality and structured reds (in Garda Classico, white production accounts for less than 10% of the total). While awaiting the final results of the Committees, including those of the Panel for Extra Virgin Olive Oil tasked with evaluating about twenty productions from the DOP Garda Bresciano, there is great excitement in Polpenazze to be punctual for the inaugural event on Friday, the 25th.
The local groups and associations (Cacciatori, Fanti, Valtenesi Sports Association, Carata, Polisportiva) have already been working feverishly for several weeks in support of the Fiera Committee, which oversees one of the most well-known and anticipated events in the entire Garda area.
