.png)
Alcohol content: 15% | Vinification: Appassimento Method | Serving temperature: 18-20°C
Amarone
Amarone is a wine produced by fermenting dried grapes from the typical Valpolicella varieties: Corvina (45–95%), Rondinella (5–30%), and Corvinone (up to 50% as a substitute for Corvina). The production area of Amarone DOCG spans the entire foothill zone of the province of Verona, from Lake Garda nearly to the border with the province of Vicenza.
The appassimento process lasts around three months, and fermentation may begin no earlier than 1 December. Traditionally, grapes were dried on arèle — racks originally used in silk production. Today, modern wineries use ventilated drying rooms (fruttai) where grapes rest in shallow plastic crates, protected from humidity and mould.
From September, the wine is racked into oak barrels where it matures for at least two years (starting from the January after harvest, making it effectively three calendar years). Amarone Riserva requires a minimum of four years’ ageing, calculated from November of the harvest year.
Total planted area (Italy): 8,600 ha
The Corvina Vine
-
Leaf: Medium-sized, five-lobed; upper side smooth and deep green, lower side light grey-green with prominent veins
-
Petiole: Short, medium thickness, smooth and pinkish
-
Bunch: Medium-sized, pyramidal, winged, compact
-
Berry: Medium, ellipsoidal
-
Skin: Thick, firm, heavily pruinose, deep blue-violet
-
Ripening: From the third week of September to mid-October
-
Pulp: Sweet and simple in flavour
-
Yield: Excellent and consistent
-
Vigour: Good
-
Disease resistance: Moderate
