The Coati family's base Valpolicella from the Rugolin hamlet above Valgatara, the cheapest way into a cellar better known for its Amarone.
Tip: The SanGiorgio Classico Superiore sits around EUR 18 to 26 and is the bottling to take home if you have room for one.
Straightforward Valgatara red from the Degani family, sour-cherry driven and made for the table rather than the cellar.
Tip: Degani are on the Via dell'Artigianato at Valgatara, an easy stop between Marano and San Pietro in Cariano.
Cotti family Valpolicella from Fumane, described by the estate as harmonious and savoury with an intense nose, and the opening pour of the First Impressions flight.
Tip: Scriani ship from their own online shop, useful if you are travelling with hand luggage only.
Pier Paolo and Stefano Antolini's base red from the high Marano terraces at Prognol, a cooler site that keeps the acidity firm.
Tip: Persegà, the Classico Superiore, runs around EUR 18 to 26 and shows what the Marano altitude does with a longer ageing.
The Galli family's entry Valpolicella from the hillside above Arbizzano, from vineyards the family replanted from the 1960s onward.
Tip: Le Sassine, the Classico Superiore, is the next step at roughly EUR 20 to 30 and drinks well at five years.
Certified organic Valpolicella from the Vaona cellar at Valgatara, priced in the same band as the uncertified reds around it.
Tip: The label carries the organic certification mark. Ask at the cellar which parcels on Via Paverno went into the vintage.
Certified organic Valpolicella from the Casterna slope above Fumane, named after the Saint John's wort that grows in the vineyard.
Tip: The operating cellar is at Via Casterna 60 in Fumane even though the registered office is in San Pietro in Cariano.
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