In short: Amarone
Amarone is from Veneto, Italy. More precisely, Valpolicella. Valpolicella is located in the Veneto region. An Amarone wine can consist of three types of grapes: Corvina, Rondinella, Molinara (this is less common).
The alcohol percentage of the wines is at least 14% but is often around 15% alcohol.
Amarone della Valpolicella Wines
Amarone wine, you've probably heard of it, but what exactly is Amarone wine?
Italy has one of the oldest wine cultures in the world and has several different types of wines. Light and fresh in Friuli, complex and firm in Piedemonte, and refined from Bolgheri. You can go in all directions with Italian wines!
The Amarone wines come from the Veneto region in Italy.
The grapes used for the Amarone wines are Corvina grapes and Rondinella grapes. Less commonly used is the Molinara grape.
The harvest usually takes place in early October, and only the ripe grapes are picked. After the harvest, the grapes are placed on reed mats, and the grapes are dried for 120 days. This method is called appassimento.
During this process, the moisture evaporates from the grapes, and they lose almost half of their volume. This process makes the grapes extra concentrated, and they obtain an extremely high sugar content.
Sugar is converted into alcohol during the fermentation process, which is why Amarone wines have a high alcohol percentage!
After the grapes have dried, the end product is far from ready. Amarone wines have to mature for a long time in wood, at least two years!
There are different degrees in the ripening process:
- Amarone: at least 24 months (2 years) on wood
- Amarone Riserva: at least 48 months (4 years) on wood
There are, in general, three styles that dominate Amarone's current production:
- A simpler version, usually with less wood aging, shows its friendlier side. Many believe that Amarone is the best drunk on its 10th anniversary when the wine is still mainly about roundness, smoothness, and harmony.
- Smaller batches of a wine grower's very best fruit are fermented separately and often given additional wood aging; this 'premium' or Riserva version can last up to 20 years in the bottle.
- Finally, the more 'modernist' interpretation of Amarone includes a more concentrated, longer-lasting, and less oxidative style of wine through the use of smaller (225L or 500L) new oak barrels.
What do you eat with Amarone wine?
Why is combining Amarone with food such a challenge? While pairing wine and food, the goal is to ease each bite with one sip. Amarone wines have a complex nature. So rich food is needed to balance the wine and food.
Amarone combines nicely with typical local dishes such as Pasta e Fasoi, risotto all'amarone, Bigoli co l'anara, Pastissada de Caval, and many other dishes from the Veneto.
For dishes with meat, an Amarone wine goes well with beef, game, and stews such as steak, horse meat, lamb, veal, rabbit, wild boar, and venison.
Fish dishes and Amarone are not a recommended match.
Amarone wines can also be nicely combined with aged cheeses such as Parmigiano Reggiano, Pecorino vecchio and old Gouda. Also with blue cheeses such as: Gorgonzola, Stilton and Roquefort.
At what temperature should I drink Amarone?
Amarone tastes best in large round wine glasses and the best serving temperature is between 18°C ​​and 20°C.
Amarone Vintages
- 2016 – This year was a relief for growers. They were spared the extremes of wet and cold versus the drought and heat of 2014 and 2017. After slightly below average temperatures in July and August, September brought ideal weather leading up to harvest. The 2016 vintage should offer plenty to enjoy.
- 2015 - A long, hot, and dry summer produced large, ripe, and rich wines with good phenolic maturity. Potentially excellent wines that above all need to be preserved.
- 2014 – A notoriously wet and cool year: Many wines are perfectly drinkable but recommended to drink young.
- 2013 – A cooler than average summer was followed by warm and sunny autumn. The wines are particularly aromatic and show real finesse. Drink from 2020.
- 2012 - The weather conditions became changeable after an intensely hot summer. These big, generous wines are starting to drink well.
- 2011 – A highly regarded vintage that produces balanced wines approaching their peak.
- 2010 – A cooler than average vintage: although the wines may have no flesh, they have good aromas and are mainly fully aged.
Try Amarone wines
Would you like to try these special wines yourself? No problem! Below is a small selection of our Amarone wines.
Bolla is one of the oldest Amarone houses, and more than 130 years later, the winery Bolla has grown into a world-renowned winery with a wide range of wines.
The Le Poiane Amarone is only made in the top years and matures longer than the standard Amarone. Therefore, it is recommended to set a few bottles aside. The bottle also comes in a luxurious paper sleeve, a piece of jewelry on the table.
This Aristocratico Amarone is a beautiful deep ruby ​​red and very aromatic. Rich aromas of ripe fruit, spices, tobacco, and cherry jam. The wine has soft tannins and is round, with a multitude of ripe fruit flavors.
After harvesting, the grapes are dried, which ensures a rich and full taste. Then the grapes are slowly fermented; contact with the grape skins lasts about two months. Finally, the wine matures for 24 months in oak barrels.
This wine is given all the time in large oak barrels for at least 36 months. Then the wine is bottled for another two years before this top Amarone is released on the market.
At Rubinelli, they make authentic Amarones with a nice freshness in which fruit predominates and not sugars. It is a well-structured wine supported by good acidity.
Of course, this list is not complete without the well-known Quinaterlli.
From the famous 2009 vintage, Quintarelli has kept one keg that was bottled 11 years later, hence the Riserva version. It is almost indescribable what this very long aging (11 years) does to this wine. This is a wine with 30+ years of aging potential.
Quintarelli has a total of only 11 hectares of vineyard. The wine is very intense ruby ​​red, with a powerful bouquet of red fruit, cherries, plums, complemented by cocoa, licorice, and vanilla.
The palate is full-bodied, intense with enormously refined elegance and a remarkably long powerful finish, and unparalleled complexity.