🍷 Amarone

Amarone della Valpolicella is a dry red DOCG wine from the hills of Valpolicella in the province of Verona. It is made from Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella grapes dried for 100–120 days in airy lofts called fruttai, then fermented almost to dryness, to at least 14% alcohol. The producers' consortium calls it Valpolicella's most prestigious wine. ¹²⁶

From acinatico to amaro. The specification traces the story to a letter from Cassiodorus, minister of King Theodoric. He asked Valpolicella landowners to send the royal table a wine from dried grapes, acinatico, which he called "winter must, the cold blood of the grapes". The Edict of Rothari severely punished damage to vines, and after the year 1000 wine was used to pay feudal dues. A land survey of 1503 calls the valley rich and famous for its wines. In the 18th century Scipione Maffei proposed the word "amaro" for this wine. ²

From family bottles to DOCG. The first unlabelled bottles of Amarone appeared in the early 20th century for family and friends, and the first bottle was sold in 1953. In 1968 it was recognised as a type of the Valpolicella DOC. ² On 24 March 2010 Amarone became a DOCG in its own right. ¹² In the EU register its number is PDO-IT-A0435. ³

Foothills shaped like a hand. The area covers the foothills of the province of Verona from Lake Garda almost to the border with Vicenza: valleys and hills that reach into the plain like the fingers of a hand. The Lessini mountains shelter it from the north, and Lake Garda softens the climate. Rainfall is 850–1000 mm a year, soils are limestone-dolomite, basalt and moraine, and vineyards climb to 500 m. ² On the valley floor Amarone comes out lower in alcohol, with floral notes and a delicate colour. On low hills up to 300 m with sandy-gravelly and clay soils the grapes are rich in malic acid and anthocyanins, and on limestone ridges especially rich in anthocyanins and polyphenols. On the marly limestones of Biancone and Scaglia high on the slopes sugar builds up best, and the wines are deeply coloured, with floral and red berry notes. ² The Classico zone is Sant'Ambrogio, San Pietro in Cariano and the valleys of Fumane, Marano and Negrar. The Valpantena valley is set apart, and to the east lie the valleys of Illasi, Tramigna and Mezzane. ⁶

Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella. Corvina and/or Corvinone make up 45–95% of the grapes, Rondinella 5–30%, and other red varieties of Verona up to 25%. ¹ Since 2019 Corvinone may fully replace Corvina, whereas before it was limited to 50%. ⁴ In Valpolicella's vineyards Corvina covers 56%, Rondinella 19% and Corvinone 18%. ⁶ Vines must be at least in their fourth growing season, trained on wires or on the Veronese pergola, and the yield may not exceed 12 t/ha. ¹ The double Veronese pergola, the "tendone", was gradually replaced by the single pergola and the "pergoletta", whose frequent cane renewal and lower yield per vine give better grapes. ²

A hundred days in the fruttaio. Bunches are picked from late September to the first week of October and laid in a single layer in crates or on bamboo racks. They are then moved to spacious, airy fruttai above the cellars. There they rest for 100–120 days until they lose at least half their weight, and they are checked every day. Acidity falls, while polyphenols and glycerol build up. ² Climate control is allowed only at temperatures like those of traditional drying, and dehumidifying with heat is banned. The grapes may not be processed before 1 December. ¹

A slow winter fermentation. The dried grapes are made into wine in winter, and a slow fermentation gives a dry, strong wine. ⁶ The grapes may yield no more than 40% wine, and after drying they must reach at least 14% potential alcohol. ¹ Residual sugar may not exceed 9 g/l at 14% alcohol, with a small allowance for each tenth of a percent above that. The limit was lowered from 12 g/l in 2019, when the official method of measuring sugar changed. ¹⁴

Years in wood and the bottle. Amarone ages for at least two years from 1 January after the harvest, and the Riserva for at least four years from 1 November. The vintage on the label is mandatory, and words such as "extra", "fine" or "scelto" are banned. ¹ The word "vigna" with a vineyard name may be used only if its grapes were dried, fermented and aged separately. The wine must be bottled within the production area. ¹ The wine matures for a long time in wooden vessels and then further in the bottle. ² Since 2023 bottles of up to 15 litres are allowed and only a flush cork, with a screw cap only for bottles up to 0.25 litres. ⁵ In 2024 Amarone and Recioto made up 23% of Valpolicella's 59 million bottles. ⁶

Why it matters to you. Amarone is one of Italy's longest-lived wines and can keep for over twenty years. It goes with meat, game and aged cheeses, or can be sipped on its own as a "meditation wine". ² The colour is deep red, turning garnet with age, and the taste is full, velvety and warm; acidity is at least 5 g/l and dry extract at least 28 g/l, or 32 g/l for the Riserva. ¹ The aroma recalls dried fruit, tobacco and spices, owed to the noble moulds that form during drying. ² The consortium adds notes of red berries, balsamic hints and coffee. ⁶ On the label look for DOCG and the vintage. "Classico" or "Valpantena" means grapes from a historic subzone. ¹