Pasqua estate traces its history back to 1925, when it was founded by the Pasqua brothers in Verona, northern Veneto.
Pasqua grew throughout the mid-20th century with great commercial successes both on the domestic Italian market and internationally, expanding its vineyard holdings and adding a bottling plant.
Pasqua Vigneti e Cantine is an Italian wine estate that specializes in producing wines from its region of origin: Veneto in Northern Italy. It has been recognized for the quality of its Valpolicella, Amarone, Soave and Prosecco wines in particular.
The History of Pasqua Family
The history of Pasqua Vigneti e Cantine begins in 1925, when the first generation of the Pasqua brothers came to Verona and established a new business devoted to the trade of wines from their homeland, Apulia. From wine trade and retail, they decided to become a real winery. In a few years, with the acquisition of new vineyards in the Verona area, the company progressively gained importance and visibility.
During the 60s, the second generation of the family entered the business, bringing about an opening to export and an orientation toward quality. The constitution of Cecilia Beretta in the 80s, the agricultural estate and innovative research center for vines, grafting techniques and vineyards, is the symbol of the family’s constant quest for excellence.
In the mid 2000’s the company made a huge investment, testifying to the deep bond connecting the company and the family with the territory, with the creation of a new headquarters and manufacturing plant in San Felice, in the heart of the family vineyards.
When the third generation, composed by Riccardo, Alessandro, Cecilia and Giovanni, started to lead the company, the international market orientation boosted to a peak in 2009, with the foundation of Pasqua USA LLC in New York. The company now sells wines in 50 countries worldwide.
Watch the Wine Review of Pasqua Amarones in Video
Wine Reviews & Tasting Notes of Pasqua Winery Vinos
2016 PassioneSentimento Romeo & Juliet Veneto IGT Rosso
Score: 90/100 points
The bottle was born out of the Pasqua family’s passion for wine, its long-standing tradition and its strong link with its city of origin, Verona, with its history, culture and beauty. If wine “is the Poetry of the Earth to the Heavens”, as Mario Soldati said, it is also a story, and this wine tells the love story that made Verona famous all over the world, that of the sweethearts Romeo and Juliet.
A legend, a place, a myth that attracts thousands of tourists every day to visit one of the most romantic places and invites them to leave and exchange messages of love in the courtyard of “Juliet’s house”- An original photograph of the Juliet’s courtyard by photographer Giò Martorana, has become the only look for these wines, an unmistakable element of their identity.
Vinification: Founding wine and starting point of the Romeo&Juliet project; red like love and passion. A blend of Corvina and Croatina grapes with a percentage of Merlot, which the drying period renders velvetier still. The grapes are picked by hand and left to dry in wooden crates in the drying loft.
There, by means of humidity control and air circulation, the grapes lose around 30% of their water content and achieve a high sugar concentration. Given that the grapes have differing ageing times, vinification takes place separately in steel tanks; the blend being created only after this.
PassioneSentimento is aged in oak tonneau barrels for 3 months.
Overall Review Notes & tasting Impressions
A nice dens color, with a bright and relatively dark red color.
Romeo & Juliet’s Passimento wine feels a little shy and tight at first, so give a good half an hour of breathing before serving, preferably after decanting.
The nose bursts with juicy fruity character, fresh blackberry and cherry. A pungent aromatic profile mixing spices and fruit, with dark cocoa and chocolate.
This is dry wine with the relative savoriness that is typical of Amarone (although this is not per se an Amarone DOCG wine, but rather a Veneto Rosso IGT because the grapes are sourced from a different area). Yet, it remains fresh and relatively light to drink, with crisp and concentrated acidity.
A wine with all the goodness of an Amarone, without the overwhelming concentration and powerful, still fruity and easy to appreciate.
2013 Famiglia Pasqua Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG
Score: 91/100 points
Famiglia Pasqua Amarone della Valpolicella is the classic Amarone, archetypical of the brand. It is made from grapes sourced from vineyards located on the hillside areas of Valpantena, the north eastern part of Valpolicella.
Soils here are calcareous, limestone-rich with flaky debris and prevalently pebbly soil.
The blend of grapes includes classic Valpolicella blend: Corvina, Rondinella, Corvinone, Negrara.
As for winemaking, this Amarone is made from a selection of the best bunches harvested by hand
and left to dry up and concentrate in wooden crates for about 4-5 months. After raisining, the grapes increase in sugar content, and aromas and flavor concentration by 25-30%.
At the end of January, the dried grapes are pressed and fermented for 25-30 days. Then, the grapes are pressed and racked in steel tanks where malolactic fermentation takes place. For maturation, the wine is
placed in small oak barrels where it refines for 18-20 months before bottling. The Amarone is aged in bottle for 3-4 months at the winery before release.
Overall Review Notes & tasting Impressions
An Amarone with a rather dense color, as expected from the style, but not overly dark for a Passito wine. Featuring a dark yet shiny-bright deep red color.
The nose is intense, bursting with ripe dark cherry and blackberry scents, elevated by a heap of spicy white pepper notes and herbal scents of fennel and peppermint. A touch of earthiness, with black olive and dark cocoa deepen the smelling experience. Pleasing, interesting, and tempting to smell at!
On the palate, this is a wine with solid body, dense tannins that are present and granulous yet smooth overall. The striking feature is the explosion of ripe red berry jam lifted by a chili-like spiciness, loads of black pepper, licorice and coffee.
A warm and comforting wine that delights with its aromatic intensity allying fruit and spices of all sorts, and it flavor concentration, dense tannins, solid acidity, rich body, and warming alcohol.
Such a performance that everything comes through so pungent and explosive, yet balanced and relatively delicate.
2015 Pasqua Villa Borghetti Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG Classico
Score: 92+/100 points
From the Villa Borghetti vineyards we also obtain traditional Valpolicella, in which we maintain the typical grape mix including Molinara, which confers freshness to the wine, and more intense and tannic Corvina grape.
The wine is pumped over the skins several times during vinification in order to favor the extraction of their coloring substances and tannins, before maturing in wood for 5-6 months.
Overall Review Notes & tasting Impressions
A single estate wine with a very dark deep color filled with vibrant blue/purple hues.
The nose is deep but feels fresh and lively, featuring notes of ripe berries but also fresh and juicy once, raspberry and blueberry. Loads of spices, lifted spicy white pepper and herbal notes of acacia leaves and slight peppermint for a captivating, complex but vibrant aromatic profile.
A large ample body, concentrated tannins, body and acidity come with an explosion of flavors on the palate, in a typical Amarone fashion.
Yet, the elegance of the fresh fruity expression, the acidic tension all along the tasting, and the salivating salty finish, make for a deep and layered wine with the genuine expression of the fruit it was made from, a signature herbal character that reminds you of a walk in a vineyard on a warm day. A rare trait to have in a wine.
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