Amarone: the king of Veneto

Considered one of the best-known Italian wines around the world, Amarone della Valpolicella is a wine which is unique, elegant and complex to make. It's a Venetian red wine, a product which has been able to establish itself above all others in the Valpolicella area - the production area - over the last eighty years. 
 

Amarone della Valpolicella: history and origins

The most prestigious wine of Valpolicella, whose excellence and uniqueness are recognised all over the world, came about from an oversight. According to legend, in 1936 Adelino Lucchese, cellar manager of the Cantina Sociale Valpolicella, tasted a glass of Recioto tapped from a barrel which had been left in the cellar and declared: "This isn't an Amaro, it's an Amarone". And so Amarone was born, the name used by the winery to identify the Recioto Amaro. In reality, according to the protection consortium, Amarone actually came from a much slower evolutionary process based on trial and error influenced by market demand. 

Valpolicella: the production area and the harvest 

The production area of Amarone covers the entire foothills of the province of Verona, extending to Lake Garda, almost reaching the border with the province of Vicenza. The climate and the soil play a fundamental role in the production of this wine, in particular the proximity of the Lessini mountain range to the north and the lake, as well as the generally mild climate.
The lands of the "Valpolicella" vineyard have diversified exposures depending on the altitude they grow at, which can reach up to 500 metres above sea level, and on the basis of the hilly slopes they occupy.

Amarone is not a wine made from a single grape but is the product of a blend of grapes: Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella are the obligatory grapes. Other optional grape varieties which can contribute up to a maximum of 25% to the blend are Molinara, indigenous or international red grape varieties.

Amarone is also a DOCG wine (Controlled and Guaranteed Designation of Origin), which means that it must be produced respecting the parameters and requirements set by a regulation called production specification.

The harvest takes place in September strictly by hand for two reasons: the selection of the bunches, which only a human eye is able to do, and the grapes must be handled with delicacy and care to avoid breaking the skins
 

The winemaking process of the King of Valpolicella

The bunches collected are placed in wooden or plastic boxes, where they'll stay during the drying period, a distinctive feature of Amarone della Valpolicella, its true trademark. After three-and-a-half months of drying the grapes lose about 40% of their weight.  The vinification of Amarone, like for all red wines, takes place in contact with the skins which release the colour. Its duration can be up to thirty days, which is about double the average duration of other wines for two reasons. 

Before being sold, the wine must be aged for at least two years starting from the year following the harvest. The refinement traditionally takes place in large Slavonian oak barrels, to enhance the finesse and varietal notes of the vines, followed by a few months' refinement in the bottle. This is necessary to integrate the various components of the wine and to achieve the perfect organoleptic balance.
 

Amarone della Valpolicella: the organoleptic characteristics

Thanks to all the steps in the winemaking process, Amarone is a wine with a very rich bouquet. A great meditation wine with a high alcohol content, which is balanced out by its softness and its aromatic complexity. With a garnet red colour, the King of Valpolicella wine is characterised by a full, velvety and warm flavour. On the nose, notes of ripe fruit, black cherry jam and raspberries stand out. In the older ones you can also perceive hints of musk and tar. 
 

Amarone della Valpolicella: the perfect pairings

An elegant wine like Amarone could only have an equally important combination, like game and roast meat, but also cured meats, hard cheeses and typical Venetian dishes, like "pasta e fasoi" (pasta and beans) and risotto all'Amarone itself, one of the most important Veronese dishes.
Now that you properly know this red wine, you just have to choose the Amarone you prefer from among the bottles selected for you by Svinando's experts!