Italy — wine

Amarone della Valpolicella

Italy's most powerful, concentrated, and internationally celebrated dry red wine DOCG — the Verona hills northwest of the city producing Amarone from Corvina Veronese, Rondinella, and Molinara grapes dried on bamboo mats (appassimento) for 3-4 months before crushing, reducing water content by 30-40% and concentrating sugars, tannins, and flavours to extraordinary levels. The result is a wine of 15-17% natural alcohol, extraordinary concentration of dark fruit, dried fig, chocolate, and leather, with a finish that can last minutes. The finest Amarone — from Dal Forno Romano and Quintarelli — are among Italy's most sought-after and expensive wines.

Year Rating Notes
2019 Broadly considered the greatest Amarone vintage of the modern era; the ideal harvest conditions for appassimento produced wines of legendary concentration and balance.
2017 Outstanding vintage; warm harvest conditions produced well-dried fruit of excellent sugar concentration; wines of unusual approachability with good structure.
2016 Historic Amarone vintage; cool, dry drying conditions produced wines of extraordinary freshness within the typical Amarone power; 25+ year aging potential.
2015 Excellent vintage; generous, sun-blessed harvest produced Amarone of good concentration and the characteristic dark fruit power; developing well.
2012 The 2012 Amarone vintage is being compared to legendary 2001 and 1997; wines of extraordinary complexity now reaching their peak drinking window.