John Wilson: Looking for the perfect summer wine? The almost forgotten Valpolicella hits all the right notes

My apologies first to early boomers who will shudder at the mere mention of the word Valpolicella. It will bring them back to a time when the host at sophisticated drinks parties (all drinks parties were sophisticated back then, I suspect) offered their guests either Muscadet and Fleurie if they were Francophiles, or Soave and Valpolicella if they preferred Italian. As demand increased for these wines, quality fell, and all four became shadows of their former selves. There were always quality producers but too often they were ignored in the rush for cheaper wine.

I love basic Valpolicella, the good stuff anyway, and see it as one of the perfect summer wines. I may be in a minority, however, as none of the big supermarkets seem to offer one. Basic Valpolicella is light and refreshing with bright red fruits and low alcohol. Some can be a little too light and lack flavour but spend a few euro more and you will be rewarded with some very nice wines. Classico means the wine comes from the original high-quality mountainous region that usually produces better wines than basic Valpolicella. A Superiore must have 1 per cent more alcohol than regular Valpolicella and be aged for a year, usually in oak barrels.

Served cool, it goes perfectly with a wide range of summer dishes, including antipasti, mixed salads, cold meats and cheeses. And pizza. Or, as a previous generation knows, with nibbles at a drinks party. I will leave Valpolicella Ripasso and Amarone, both sort of souped-up versions of plain Valpolicella, for another time, although I feature one widely available Ripasso below.