Amarone Wine Guide: A Look at Amarone Wine Production

Amarone della Valpolicella, or Amarone, is a rich red wine made from partially dried Corvina and Rondinella grapes, produced throughout the vineyards of Valpolicella (and its subregion Valpantena), a 95-square mile province of Verona.

Amarone wine began to adapt a technique created for Recioto della Valpolicella, a deeply concentrated dessert wine from the same area. According to local legend, Amarone resulted from an accidental, overly-long fermentation process of a barrel of Recioto: The yeast consumed most of the sugar content, resulting in a much drier wine with a higher alcohol by volume (ABV) percentage. The resulting wine—a comparatively “bitter” style—took off, and a new tradition was born.

Amarone is a showcase for a small handful of local grape varieties, including:

1. 1. Corvina Veronese: Corvina grapes, and the rarer Corvinone grape, are only grown in Valpolicella—on less than 12,000 acres—and they are the powerhouse majority behind most Amarone blends, bringing notes of black cherry, rose, and warm spices like cinnamon.
2. 2. Molinara: On the whole, Amarone is a low-acidity wine, but many winemakers choose to include a small percentage of tart Molinara grapes for a touch of brightness.
   
3. 3. Oseleta: A relative of Corvina and Rondinella, Oseleta is a rare red grape variety with bold tannins and notes of dark berries. In recent years, some Amarone producers have begun to replace Molinara with Oseleta in their blends.
4. 4. Rondinella: Rondinella is known as a high-yield red wine grape, notable for its output rather than flavor profile—making it a perfect candidate to fill out a blend with soft, herbal notes without overwhelming the main grapes. This Italian wine is also resistant to rot, an important quality for the drying process, thanks to its thick skins.

Amarone is notoriously labor-intensive and one of the trickiest wines to get right, thanks to its most crucial step: Drying the grapes. Drying concentrates the sugars in the fruit, resulting in the deep, raisin-y complexity and body for which the wine is known. Still, producers must constantly monitor the grapes for quality to prevent rogue flavors from imparting into the wine.
After the harvest, producers dry the grape clusters on traditional racks or mats called arele or plastic crates. This drying process, known as appassimento, lasts around 120 days, during which the grapes will lose about half of their moisture.

The partially-shriveled grapes are then pressed very slowly, and the juice is allowed to ferment for up to 50 days, then transferred to different oak barrels for aging; often, barriques made from Slavonian oak. The dried grape skins, or lees, are then recycled into Valpolicella Ripasso wines.

Amarone is produced in 16 designations throughout three main subregions of Valpolicella— Classico, Valpentana, and “Est” (extended zones)—and classified into three different styles: Normale, Riserva, and Recioto.

1. 1. Normale: Normale Amarone ages for a minimum of two years. These younger Amarones are fresher, with softer fruit notes.
2. 2. Riserva: Riserva Amarone ages for a minimum of four years. Riserva bottles are often based on the finest grapes of a winemaker’s harvest and fermented separately.
3. 3. Recioto: Recioto della Valpolicella DOCG halts fermentation halfway through the typical length of time used in the Amarone production, leaving more of the concentrated dried fruit sugars behind for a deeply sweet, low-alcohol wine.

Amarone predominantly tastes of rich, red fruits, deepening into notes of fig, tobacco, and spiced chocolate as it ages. While the wine doesn’t pair well with acidic, citrusy flavors or fried foods, which render it rough and bitter, it’s a perfect accompaniment to many savory dishes:

1. 1. Aged cheeses: Aged cheeses, like Parmigiano Reggiano and taleggio, or funky options like gorgonzola, enhance the bold flavor of Amarone.
2. 2. Game: The bold tannins in Amarone make it a strong match for complex game proteins, like bison, venison, and pheasant. Generally, these meats are quite lean since they are caught in the wild and eat varied, natural diets. When served with Amarone, game meat can provide a unique contrast of flavor.
3. 3. Mushrooms: From truffles to creminis, mushrooms enhance the earthy notes of Amarone.

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