Buglioni il Vigliacco Brut Rose 2018

One of the three big grapes of Valpolicella is Molinara, which traditionally made up a healthy percentage of both Ripasso and Amarone blends. The grape is pretty unique in the wine world. It’s a super light red grape, not able to extract dark colors in wine – no matter how long the skins are left in contact with the wine. But the acidity is delightful, almost perfect and the grape provides a lip-smacking savory that made great Amarone unforgettable.

Bowing to an international palate preference for super-dark, rich, over-the-top wines (thank you Mr. Parker), the Valpolicella Consortium limited the amount of Molinara allowed into traditional Valpolicella wines.

Many wineries just shrugged it off, but not Buglioni. Instead, the family made a sparkling rose from 100% Molinara, named it ‘il Vigliacco’ or ‘the coward’ and dropped off the very first case on the doorstep of the Consortium.

I guess like many of the best wines in the world, adversity was the mother of invention. It turned out that Molinara was the perfect grape for Sparkling Rose. This one is a beauty, and at the price… I went all in.