Meditation wine: moments of pure pleasure and deep relaxation

Meditation wine, let’s try to understand its meaning and how to choose it. What is meant by the term meditation wine? When buying a bottle of wine, one often thinks about pairing it with a particular dish or menu. But if one wants to taste a glass of wine just for the pleasure of it, how to choose the most suitable wine?

For such occasions, for a convivial evening or after a meal, there are meditation wines. The term meditation wine refers to those structured wines that do not need to be paired with dishes and meals and can therefore be enjoyed on their own. First used by the famous journalist and oenologist Luigi Veronelli, this definition embraces different types of wine, from sweet raisin wines, to full-bodied reds, to fortified wines. These are wines that are aged for a long time, intense and structured, but often snubbed, and to which the journalist sought to give greater prominence.

Meditation wine: features and specifications

Ideal for leisurely sipping, meditation wine is distinguished by its intense but predominantly sweet flavor and aroma. This characteristic comes mainly from the forced drying to which the grapes are subjected. For a set period of time, the grapes are left in a wooden box with a humidity of around 60 percent and at a temperature of around 30°C. In this way, mold begins to form, which then transforms the sugars in the berries and dries out the water. A consequence of this procedure is a higher alcohol content than in table wines.

Meditation wines have an intensity and history that makes them generally difficult to place in a meal. Also because in order to fully appreciate their characteristics and nuances, they must be sipped leisurely. They are mostly sweet, velvety and sugary wines with a high alcohol content and warm to the taste. Although they are best suited for tasting outside meals, this does not mean that wine-food pairing with them is impossible.

Passiti, for example, go well with almond paste desserts or cookies such as cantucci. In general, they go well with a particular chocolate, but the pairing of wine and blue or aged cheese is also possible. A good red meditation wine, such as Chinato wine for meditation, is also often suitable when paired with foie gras.

Tasting wine for meditation

To taste meditation wine, it is necessary to have the right tools and therefore to have the right glasses. The shape and material of the glass can make a difference in enhancing the color, aroma and organoleptic characteristics of the wine. Thin glass or crystal is undoubtedly the best material of meditation wine glasses. Transparent, smooth, long-stemmed and to be washed strictly by hand with warm water.

The most suitable goblet models are:

• grand ballon, for structured and long aging wines;
• sauternes, perfect for meditation and sweet wines;
• small tulip, for passito and sweet wines.

To taste meditation wine, you can fill the goblet up to a third of its capacity for small glasses and up to a quarter for larger glasses. Finally, the environment in which the tasting takes place is also important.

The ideal environment for tasting a meditation wine is a place immersed in quietness, where it is possible to take a meditative break to enjoy even the most hidden characteristics. Therefore, it is best to engage in this activity in the evening, after dinner, in a calm and relaxing environment.

Meditation wine: Amarone della Valpolicella

Amarone wine for meditation? Amarone della Valpolicella classico is a complex, velvety, elegant wine characterized by a deep ruby red color with garnet highlights. Made from dried Negrara, Corvina and Rondinella grapes, Amarone meditation wine pairs well with meat dishes, game, braised meats and aged cheeses.

To make it, the grapes are harvested by hand in boxes around early September and are then left to rest for months, until January/February to allow the water in the berries to evaporate. This drop in weight gives it that great concentration that allows Amarone to keep for more than twenty years. Excellent alternatives to classic Amarone as a meditation wine are Amarone Grazie and Raffaello.