As we discover the key features of this wine, let\u2019s look at some bottles that deserve applause:<\/p>\n
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- Amarone: grape varieties and production<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n
- The history of Amarone<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n
- Amarone della Valpolicella 2016 and 2015<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n
- Zenato, Quintarelli, Romano Dal Forno<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\nAmarone: grape varieties and production<\/h2>\n
Corvina and Rondinella are the native grapes of the Verona area that give life to Amarone della Valpolicella, two varieties typical of the area and essential as the base of this wine. However, the production rules for Amarone della Valpolicella allow them to be blended with other grapes from non-aromatic red varieties, also grown in the province of Verona. Both the growing of the grapes for Amarone and the production of the wine are restricted to 19 municipalities<\/strong> in this area.<\/p>\n
Corvina<\/strong>, Rondinella<\/strong>, and usually also Corvinone<\/strong> and Molinara<\/strong>, processed according to a precise method, produce this exceptional red wine. The technique that sets Amarone\u2019s production apart is appassimento \u2013 drying the grapes \u2013 which is generally used for sweet passito wines. The grapes destined for Amarone della Valpolicella are left to dry for several months<\/strong> so that they reach a special aromatic richness, a real treasure that comes through in the wine\u2019s intense flavours and aromas.<\/p>\n
![\"Amarone](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/blog\/uve-amarone-della-valpolicella.webp\")
<\/p>\nVinification is usually longer<\/strong> than for other wines, while ageing lasts at least 2 years starting from the year after the harvest, generally in large Slavonian oak casks, which give the wine very light hints of wood and enhance the finesse and varietal notes of the grapes. In recent years the use of French and American oak has also become more common, for a more modern version of Amarone.<\/p>\n
The result is always remarkable: a great red<\/strong> whose alcohol is perfectly balanced by suppleness and aromatic complexity.
<\/strong><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/div>\nThe history of Amarone<\/h2>\n
According to most, the birth of such magnificence was the result of a mistake<\/strong>: the Recioto, a sweet passito wine from the province of Verona, was left to ferment completely. The slip is said to have turned all the sugars into alcohol, producing a drier wine with a higher alcohol content which, when tasted after the forgotten cask of Recioto was found, surprised the tasters. This was in the 1930s, when Recioto was considered the most prestigious wine of Valpolicella; it took several decades for Amarone to establish its worth in Italy and around the world.<\/p>\n
Another story, however, attributes the birth of Amarone della Valpolicella to the Bertani brothers<\/strong>, who decided to use a quantity of Recioto that had turned bitter \u2013 which happened when fermentation did not stop at the right point \u2013 to produce a new type of wine. With the help of the oenologist Barbiero, they decided to improve the residual sugar and acidity of that wine, obtaining great potential. After the first unsuccessful years, the opening of a bottle of the new wine brought a fantastic discovery: the new creation needed time, needed to age, to acquire great structure, body and complexity.<\/p>\n
Whatever its true origin, the fact remains that in the years when Amarone was born, people were used to enjoying sweet wines, and in the Verona area nothing gave more satisfaction than Recioto. What\u2019s more, to express itself at its best, Amarone needed the right ageing time.<\/p>\n
It took years for its value to be understood<\/strong>, a value that today is beyond question.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\nAmarone della Valpolicella 2016 and 2015<\/h2>\n
2015 and 2016 were two special vintages, each decisive in its own way for the Amarones produced, shaped first and foremost by the weather over the seasons.<\/p>\n
2016<\/strong> had a cold but dry winter, a spring with plenty of rain until May, a summer that was not too hot and a mild, well-ventilated autumn. Autumn was indeed the most favourable period, making up with below-average temperatures for the various problems of the previous seasons. For Amarone, 2016 was a difficult vintage, but the wine responded magnificently with aromatic breadth and balance on the palate.
In Amarone della Valpolicella 2016<\/strong> the fruity markers, spices and balsamic notes stand out; the palate shows a complex structure and a warm, enveloping sip.<\/p>\n2015<\/strong>, on the other hand, is remembered for its long hot season, with scarce but regular rainfall, so it was not arid. This ensured steady growth for the vines, and the bunches reached full ripeness. As a result, Amarone della Valpolicella 2015<\/strong> achieved elegance and a mature, exclusive aromatic style. A persistent, rich wine that is at the same time fine and elegant: 2015 is a vintage to remember.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\nZenato, Quintarelli, Romano Dal Forno<\/h2>\n
Zenato is among the most popular Amarone producers online, a Veneto winery that stands out as a perfect fusion of the heart of Valpolicella and the soul of Lugana. Among Zenato wines<\/strong>, the Amarone della Valpolicella is a superb example of winemaking skill and experience in the service of quality and prestige. The winery has several Amarone della Valpolicella labels, including the Amarone Riserva Sergio Zenato, available in both the 2015 and 2016 vintages.<\/p>\n
\n![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/blog\/amarone-della-valpolicella-sergio-zenato.webp\")
<\/a><\/div>\n\nAmarone Riserva Sergio Zenato<\/a> is made from Corvina (80%), Rondinella (10%), Oseleta and Croatina (10%) grapes, from the oldest vineyards in the area<\/strong>. It is an Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG, a red of great structure made by drying and crushing the bunches, slow fermentation on the skins, and ageing in oak casks for 4 years and in the bottle for at least a further 12 months. It is a classy wine, made only in certain vintages, with a full taste and an intense, deep and bright ruby red colour.<\/p>\n
Amarone Riserva Sergio Zenato fully expresses its land of origin with an elegant, spicy nose. Well kept, it is a wine that can be enjoyed even after 20 years!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Exceptional and supreme, Giuseppe Quintarelli<\/strong> embodies Valpolicella in every way, conveying its soul and worth through labels of truly incomparable value. A few hectares under vine, for the area\u2019s most important grapes, and just a few thousand bottles produced; Quintarelli wines are built for ageing and surprise with their vitality and their ability to reveal their full greatness sip after sip. Naturally, the best representative of this style is the Amarone della Valpolicella.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/blog\/amarone-della-valpolicella-quintarelli.webp\")
<\/a><\/div>\n\nSeveral vintages are available online for this wine from Negrar, in the heart of Valpolicella Classica. A superb red for meditation, Amarone Quintarelli<\/a> is garnet red, with many hints of cherry, morello cherry, plum and dried fruit, great structure and suppleness. The great aromatic intensity this wine shows in the glass is also the result of the vinification developed by the estate, which preserves the varietal character of the grapes. It starts with drying and crushing, followed by slow fermentation and 7 years of ageing in oak casks and at least one year in the bottle.<\/p>\n
The grapes used are: Corvina, Rondinella, Cabernet Sauvignon, Nebbiolo, Croatina and Sangiovese. Giuseppe Quintarelli\u2019s Amarone della Valpolicella is powerful, warm and harmonious, a long-lived wine.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
We have also discussed the price of this iconic wine and the value consumers place on it in our in-depth article: Amarone Quintarelli: is the price worth the experience?<\/a><\/p>\n
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Another exceptional interpreter of Valpolicella wines is Romano Dal Forno<\/strong>, a champion of nature and its laws. On his estate everything works around what already exists: no inventions, only work and dedication, together with a great sense of responsibility and the ambition to achieve the best \u2013 perfection.
Romano Dal Forno\u2019s is a historic winery in the Verona area, where the aim has always been wines of a quality beyond any dispute, starting with painstaking care of the vineyard. Dedication, patience, sacrifice, attention to detail and skill are the pillars of a production philosophy that has contributed to the success of Valpolicella with highly prestigious labels.\u00a0<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
- The history of Amarone<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n
![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/blog\/amarone-della-valpolicella-romano-dal-forno.webp\")
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