Paolo Cottini Scriba IGT Passito Veneto 2019

Paolo Cottini Scriba IGT Passito Veneto 2019 is an elegant sweet red from the heart of Valpolicella, crafted in a modern interpretation of the region’s classic passito style. Made in limited quantities and usually reserved for the local market, it offers a refined alternative to traditional Recioto with greater freshness and drinkability. The name “Scriba” honors the written and unwritten stories of winemaking passed down through generations of the Cottini family, now in its fourth generation.

Tasting Notes
In the glass, Scriba 2019 shows an intense, deep ruby-red colour with a rich, almost velvety hue. The nose is generous and complex, opening with a rush of dried and fully ripe red fruits: raisins, dates and blackberries at full maturity. Layer by layer, sweet spice notes emerge—cinnamon, sugar-dusted almonds, a hint of candyfloss—and subtle tones of toasted hazelnut that speak to its time in small oak barrels. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied and enveloping, with a luscious sweetness that never feels cloying. The core is packed with concentrated dark berry fruit and dried fruit flavours, framed by fine, warming spice and a gentle nuttiness. A fresh, well-judged acidity lifts the sweetness, keeping the wine poised and harmonious and leading to a long, smooth finish. Enjoyable now for its youthful richness and vibrancy, it also has the structure and balance to evolve gracefully for several more years in bottle, gaining additional complexity and integration.

Production
Scriba is produced from carefully selected grapes—Corvina (50%), Corvinone (30%), Rondinella (10%) and Rebo (10%)—sourced from Paolo Cottini’s high-quality vineyards in the historic Valpolicella area. The vines grow on hillside sites in the Negrar valley at around 580 metres above sea level and in Valgatara at about 250 metres, with south-west and south-east exposures that ensure excellent sun and cooling breezes, ideal for slow, even ripening and the development of aromatic concentration. The vineyards are trained in the traditional pergola system, and all grapes are harvested by hand to allow strict selection of only the healthiest, ripest bunches—essential for a passito wine. After harvest, the grapes are dried to concentrate sugars and flavours before a gentle pressing and a slow fermentation. The wine then ages for 24 months in small wooden barrels, adding layers of spice, toasted nut and texture, followed by a further 6 months of bottle refinement before release.

Food & Serving
This is a superb dessert wine to pair with traditional dry pastries and biscuits, almond cakes, cantucci, hazelnut tarts or shortbread. Its sweet fruit and nutty, spicy nuances also make it a beautiful partner for blue cheeses such as Gorgonzola, Roquefort or Danish Blue, where the saltiness and creaminess are perfectly offset by the wine’s richness and freshness. Serve slightly cool, at around 12–14°C, to highlight its aromatic complexity without muting the sweetness. A brief decant of 15–20 minutes, even from the 37.5 cl half bottle, can help the aromas open fully, especially if the wine has been stored cool.

Producer
The Paolo Cottini estate is a relatively young label, created in 2010 by husband-and-wife team Paolo and Sara, yet it stands on the solid foundations of four generations of winemaking in the Cottini family. Based in Castelrotto, a charming medieval hamlet in the commune of San Pietro in Cariano, the winery lies in the heart of classic Valpolicella, surrounded by historic vineyards that climb the hills around the remnants of the old castle. Their plots in Negrar and Valgatara, at differing altitudes and exposures, give them a diverse palette of terroirs from which to craft distinctive wines. While their DOC and DOCG bottlings honour traditional Valpolicella character, the IGT range—like Scriba—expresses Paolo and Sara’s personal vision of style, structure and ageing, offering wines that are both deeply rooted in place and distinctly individual, with a reputation for delivering remarkable quality for the price.

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