Located in the heart of the Valpolicella region in northern Italy, Zýmē (http://www.zyme.it/en/winery/) offers a rather unique wine tasting adventure. First, though, the name needs explanation. Zýmē is a Greek word for “yeast”, which aside from being a critical ingredient in wine is, according to the winemaker, Celestino Gaspari, a symbol of naturalness, a leading value of this winery. It’s pronounced ZEE-may and is located in the village of San Pietro in Cariano, not far from Verona.
We have to be truthful and say that the winery you will visit is not the same one we did. Zýmē has recently opened a new winery, very modern on the outside and ancient in the interior. When we visited not very long ago, it was literally a hole in a hill and the winery itself was in a cave. The cave-like atmosphere is still maintained but it is now carved out of an 15th century limestone quarry. Like the prior winery, walking through the cavern is a unique and rather thrilling experience. The pictures accompanying this article, courtesy of Zýmē, are very reminiscent of what we saw and give some idea of the impact of a visit there.
The décor provides the wine tasting experience, but it would matter little if the wine weren’t interesting as well. Power Tasting does not review wines as such, but we can say that Zýmē makes excellent wines in the Valpolicella style from the corvina, corvinone and rondinella grapes. These are only to found in the Valpolicella region. But Zýmē goes further, making wines from rarely encountered grapes as well as more common ones not usually found in that region.
This level of quality might be expected once one knows the background of the winemaker. Signore Gaspari worked for many years at Quintarelli, thought by many to be the premier Amarone maker. In fact, Giovanni Quintarelli was his father-in-law. Zýmē’s wines have a different character than Quintarelli’s but you can tell in a simple tasting that they are made with craft and pride.
In addition to the traditional wines of the region, Zýmē makes a wine called Oseleta, from 100% grapes of the same name. According to Wine-Searcher, there are less than 20 hectares of these vines anywhere in the world, almost all grown near Lake Garda. Once almost extinct, Zýmē now makes this unique wine, keeping a distinctive taste, unlike anything else we have tasted, alive for future generations.
Another special wine made by Zýmē is Kairos, a Greek word (again) for “the opportune moment”. This wine is a power hitter, weighing in at 15% alcohol and is made from the kitchen sink of grapes: Garganega, Trebbiano toscano, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Syraz, Teroldego, Croatina, Oseleta, Sangiovese and Marzemino. There has to be something in this wine to please everyone…or no one.
The Valpolicella region is not exactly unknown, but is generally not as well-regarded as Tuscany and the Piedmont. That’s a shame, because there are some really spectacular wines to be tasted there. And if you do go, you really should not miss a visit to Zýmē.