Amarone: New Releases
BY IAN D’AGATA |
Amarone della Valpolicella is about as distinctive as red wine gets. Of the world’s major reds sought out by consumers and collectors, Amarone is the only wine that is made by air-drying the grapes for months prior to pressing them. It’s the air-drying, or appassimento, of grapes that gives Amarone many – but not all – of its distinctive qualities.
A view from the Quintarelli terrace, Negrar
A Word About the Appassimento Method
Clearly, the air-drying process by which Amarone is made brings about changes in the grapes that result in a wine with distinct characteristics. First, thanks to the dehydration of the berries and the loss of water, appassimento creates luscious, concentrated wines that are often characterized by slight residual sweetness and high alcohol. However, truly great Amarones are essentially dry wines; in fact, most estates report that their finished wines contain less than five or six grams per liter of residual sugar. Rather than actual sweetness, the best Amarones offer what Sandro Boscaini of Masi calls “an illusion of sweetness” that results from the increase in glycerol molecules during the air-drying process (and even more so in vintages in which the grapes are affected by noble rot). It is these molecules that typically give Amarones their luscious, tactile mouthfeel.
Recent research studies tell us that the appassimento process is far more complex than initially believed. Most competent producers have long been aware that appassimento is not about air-drying just any grapes. For example, air-drying physiologically unripe grapes is of no interest whatsoever, as this would concentrate both the green elements in the grapes as well as the sugars and other flavor molecules present, inevitably leading to the production of powerful but unbalanced wines marred by a vegetal streak. Research has shown air-drying to be especially well-suited to Corvina, the grape variety that makes up roughly 70% of the typical Amarone blend (especially nowadays, as Corvinone is being used less and less). However, it has also shown the process to be much less suited to Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, which explains why air-drying grapes does not quite yield the same magical results when used with other grape varieties outside of Veneto.
Subscriber Access Only
or Sign Up
Amarone della Valpolicella is one of the world’s truly unique red wines, made by air-drying the grapes prior to pressing them. While this very popular category is enjoying strong worldwide sales, there are huge differences in the styles and the quality levels of Amarones on the market.
Show all the wines (sorted by score)
Producers in this Article
- Aldegheri
- Allegrini
- Bertani
- Bolla
- Brigaldara
- Brunelli
- Buglioni
- Ca’ la Bionda
- Ca’ Rugate
- Corte Sant’Alda
- Dal Forno
- Degani
- Gamba
- Giusti
- Guerrieri Rizzardi
- I Campi
- Le Ragose
- Le Salette
- Lorenzo Begali
- Marion
- Masi
- Mazzi
- Michele Castellani
- Monte Faustino
- Nicolis
- Novaia
- Pieropan
- Pra'
- Quintarelli
- Remo Farina
- Roccolo Grassi
- Santi
- Sartori
- Speri
- Stefano Accordini
- Tedeschi
- Tenuta Sant’Antonio
- Tommasi
- Tommaso Bussola
- Trabucchi
- Venturini
- Villa Spinosa
- Viviani
- Zenato
- Zonin
- Zýmē
Related Articles
2024
2023
2022
2021
- Italy's Food and Wine Epicenter: Emilia-Romagna (Nov 2021)
- Against all Odds: Vie di Romans Sauvignon Blanc Vieris (Oct 2021)
- Cellar Favorite: 2006 Quintarelli Amarone della Valpolicella Classico (Mar 2021)
- Valpolicella & Soave: The Times, They Are A Changin’ (Feb 2021)
- Friuli Venezia Giulia – In Constant Motion (Jan 2021)
2020
- Italy’s Sparkling Advantage: Prosecco and Franciacorta (Dec 2020)
- Trentino & Alto Adige: Worlds Apart (Nov 2020)
- The Grand Vin of the North: San Leonardo (Jul 2020)
- Nebbiolo in Its Many Guises: Alto Piemonte & Valtellina (apr 2020)
- Venica & Venica Friulano Collio Ronco delle Cime 1990–2017 (Mar 2020)
- Schiopetto Friulano: 1992-2017 (Mar 2020)
- Alto Adige: On a Roll (Feb 2020)
- Volpe Pasini Pinot Bianco Zuc di Volpe: 1999-2017 (Feb 2020)
- Valle d’Aosta: Micro Productions, Mega Quality (Jan 2020)
- Friuli Venezia Giulia: The New Releases (Jan 2020)
2019
2018
- Franciacorta: Bring In The Holidays With Italian Bubbles (Dec 2018)
- The Wines of Alto Adige (Dec 2018)
- Vinous Table: Langosteria, Milan, Italy (Oct 2018)
- Les Crêtes Fumin: 1994 - 2015 (Sep 2018)
- The Last Frontier: Nebbiolos of Alto Piemonte & Valtellina (Jun 2018)
- Mountain Magic: The Wines of Valle d’Aosta (Jun 2018)
- Friuli Venezia Giulia: A Wine Smorgasbord (May 2018)
- Vinous Table: Le Bar à Vin, Aosta, Italy (May 2018)
- In Memory of Leonildo Pieropan (Apr 2018)
- Vinous Table: Osteria Mondodoro, Verona, Italy (Apr 2018)
- Emilia-Romagna New Releases: Something For Everyone (Jan 2018)
- Nals-Margreid: Pinot Bianco Sirmian 1986 – 2016 (Jan 2018)
2017
- Vinous Table: Campamac – Osteria di Livello, Barbaresco, Italy (Dec 2017)
- Ronco del Gelso Pinot Grigio Sot lis Rivis 2006 – 2015 (Oct 2017)
- Prà Soave Classico Monte Grande: 1998 - 2015 (Sep 2017)
- Vinous Table: Taverna del Colleoni Dell’Angelo, Bergamo, Italy (Aug 2017)
- Harnessing the Potential of Soave (Jun 2017)
- Vinous Table: La Siriola, San Cassiano, Italy (Jun 2017)
- Ronchi di Cialla's Schioppettino di Cialla: 1982-2010 (Jun 2017)
- Vinous Table: Osteria Alle Testiere, Venice, Italy (Jun 2017)
- Vinous Table: Dal Pescatore, Canneto sull'Oglio, Italy (Jun 2017)
- Italy Odds & Ends - 2017 (May 2017)
- Vinous Table: Aquila Nigra, Mantova, Italy (Apr 2017)
- Tramin Pinot Grigio Unterebner: 2002-2015 (Mar 2017)
- Miani: New Releases & More (Mar 2017)
- Manni Nössing Sylvaner: 2008-2015 (Feb 2017)
- Köfererhof Kerner: 2006-2014 (Feb 2017)
- Cantina Terlano Pinot Bianco Vorberg: 1959-2014 (Jan 2017)
- Cellar Favorite: 2002 Quintarelli Veneto Rosso del Bepi (Jan 2017)
- Miani’s Friulano Filip and Buri: 1991-2014 (Jan 2017)
2016
- Bubbles Ahoy!: Prosecco and Lessini Durello, Veneto’s Knockout Sparklers (Dec 2016)
- Remembering Stanko Radikon (Sep 2016)
- Alto Adige's Challenging 2014s and Promising 2015s (May 2016)
- Italy’s 2015 Rosatos: Full-Bodied and Luscious (Apr 2016)
- Nebbiolo’s Northern Lights: Alto Piemonte & Valtellina (Apr 2016)
2015
- Cellar Favorite: 2011 Miani Malvasia (Jul 2015)
- Italy: Odds & Ends (Jul 2015)
- Friuli: It Is What It Is, Part 1 (Jun 2015)
- Looking at Italy Through Rosé Tinted Glasses: Cerasuolo, Rosato, Ramato and Chiaretto (Jun 2015)
- Alto Adige: A Pause for Thought (May 2015)
- Cellar Favorite: 2009 Miani Sauvignon Saurint (Jan 2015)
2014
2009
2008
- Vinous Table: Ristorante Cracco, Milan, Italy (Sep 2008)
- Vinous Table: La Ciau del Tornavento, Trieste, Italy (May 2008)
- Vinous Table: L’Aquila d’Oro, Dolegna Del Collio, Italy (May 2008)
- Vinous Table: Al Cacciatore - La Subida, Friulu, Italy (Apr 2008)
- Vinous Table: Le Dune, Friuli (Apr 2008)
- The Best Whites from Italy's Northeast (Mar 2008)
2007
2006