Amarone if often referred to as the King of Italian wines and is a big, bold, fruity and super smooth wine that we believe is worthy of this title.
Amarone, is a fairly unique red wine that is made by drying out the grapes after they’ve been harvested.
To produce Amarone, also known as Amarone Della Valpolicella, very specific rules and standards (DOCG) are put into place to ensure consistently high-quality wines across the board.
Firstly, the only grapes permitted in the wines are three native Italian grapes, Corvina, Molinara and Rondinella. These grapes are then picked as whole bunches and laid down for 100 days to dry out and concentrate the sugar and flavour.
Traditionally, this process (Appassimento) was done on straw mats, but today they are laid on mats or hung from the ceiling with sufficient ventilation to prevent mould, usually in the ventilated attics in the wineries.
Once dry, the wines are pressed slowly and fermented until dry, they are then matured in oak barrels for several years to develop further. Depending on the winemaker, this barrel-maturation can range from between two to five years.
Amarone wines are rich, vibrant, full-bodied and powerful. This is thanks to their protracted drying, fermenting and ageing process. This process gives the wine a more concentrated taste and ABV of between 15% an 17%.
Amarone is widely considered a ‘Fine Wine’. Rightly so.