Amarone Della Valpolicella - Drying Grapes and Raising Spirits
– a wine worthy of its own spotlight
If you enjoy my wine writing, appreciate the wine recommendations or the personal wine curation service I have provided you, consider upgrading to a paid subscriber!
You may recall the Valpolicella region post where the wines discussed were Valpolicella, Valpolicella Classico, and Valpolicella Ripasso. There we also had to discuss Amarone della Valpolicella as it is part of making the Valpolicella Ripasso, BUT to do Amarone justice it deserves its own post.
I am so glad we are continuing. I thought the Amarone story was cool!
There is a lot that is cool with Amarone.
Let’s go back to 1960’s when the Valpolicella sub-region was expanded beyond the historical Classico boundary and when the region’s wine laws were established. Neither impacted the Valpolicella wine quality positively. Rather, these factors incentivized producers to produce high yielding vines from the non-Classico zone, resulting in wines with less flavor concentration. By the late 1980s, Classico zone vineyards were being abandoned as they were no longer able to compete economically. These grapes are more expensive to produce due to lower yields and increased labor, reducing revenue.
Unintended consequences …
Indeed. But wait, there is a happy ending!
Amarone played a part in keeping the Classico zone alive.
Wow, that is a big deal!
It is, particularly considering it was not made commercially until the 1950s. By the 1980’s Amarone’s popularity boomed, increasing demand and wine price, and consequently profit. The Classico zone, which became profitable again, was revived to make up supply shortfall.
Gnarly, gag me with a spoon!
(pause)
(crickets)
Knock, knock
Who’s there.
The 80’s, they want their slang back.
That is where we were at in history – sheesh!
Fine, but I have a question. I read somewhere that the alcohol level of the Valpolicella and Valpolicella Classico are around 12% but the Amarone is 14% alcohol or more – confusing, considering it is the same grape blend from the same region?
Wow, someone is nerding out on wine theory these days!
As I mentioned in the last post, because the Amarone grapes are dried before the fermentation process begins, all the components in the grapes are concentrated, including the alcohol.
Right, I forgot about the drying part.
After being harvested, the grapes are hung or laid out on racks to dry. To prevent mold and to aid the drying process, air is circulated. The wine laws mandate drying until at least December 1 of the harvest year - typically 100 to 120 days. The grapes start to “raisin”, reducing water content and increasing the concentration of alcohol, tannins, flavor, and sugars.
This could lead to very high alcohol concentration (up to 16%), which may leave the wine out of balance. This is where the importance of quality producers comes in. As with any wine, not all Amarones are created equally. Some grapes will come from lesser sites, producing lesser wines with flavor concentrations that cannot match a higher alcohol wine. A well-made wine from quality grapes and quality winemaking will be balanced, making a powerful concentrated wine with rich flavors. Also note, not all Amarones will be 16% alcohol either.
I bet the featured wine is an Amarone …
This is up there with the best Amarones I have had. It is very balanced and does not have the boozy quality that some Amarones can have. Sometimes I find the fruit flavors, which will have some dried fruit character, are too concentrated without the structure to support them. Think of a poor quality fruit cake.
Not what I found in this wine.
My husband wanted the experience to be authentic so he did some research and found a traditional Venetian Braised Duck Leg recipe to pair with the Amarone. I must say it added to the experience. The braised liquid was in a low quantity to begin with so, just like the Amarone, by the end of the 2-hour cooking process it was also concentrated in flavor and sugars. This made for a complementary match in terms of regional background and character.
Gorgo Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2019 from Valpolicella, Italy
Style: Old World Full Body Red
Varieties: Corvina Veronese, Corvinone, Rondinella
This is a rich, refined wine with intriguing dynamically evolving fruit flavor. Dried black fruit (blueberries, dates, prunes), black cherry, black plum, stewed cherry, refined red cherry. Notes of wet cedar, sweet baking spice, leather, tobacco, kirsch, dark chocolate, vanilla, and cocoa add to the complexity. The high level of fine-grained high quality ripe tannins are well integrated adding to the overall balance and quality of this wine.
Best pairings: Venetian Braised Duck Legs, Braised Beef Short Ribs or Lamb Shanks, Game Meats such as Venison or Wild Boar, Rich Pasta Dishes such as Rich Ragu, Aged Italian Cheeses: Pecorino or Gorgonzola.
Serving Temperature: 16-18 degrees Celsius
Price: ~$71 (including 5% tax and shades of grape discount - for subscribers)
Serving Tips: Decant for 1 plus hours.
I have compiled all my wine recommendations in one place. I will do my best to keep this up to date. I also include the link(s) to the article in which the wine was featured.
Like what you are reading? Click on the ❤ to let me know it resonated with you!
SOURCES:
C.I.Q.P. et al. (no date) Amarone 101 " Italian wine central, Italian Wine Central. Available at: https://italianwinecentral.com/amarone-101/ (Accessed: 17 June 2024).
Consorzio Tutela Vini Valpolicella. (2023) Available at: https://www.consorziovalpolicella.it/en/ (Accessed: 27 May 2024).
Robinson, J. (2015) The oxford companion to wine. 4th rev. ed. Corby: Oxford University Press.
Wine & Spirit Education Trust (2021) D3: Wines of the World - An accompaniment to the WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wines. Version 1.2. London: Wine & Spirit Education Trust.
Love the food pairing. Where would you stay in this region if you were going?
Ha ha, great comparison with the "poor quality fruit cake"! A lot of people think all fruit cake is "poor quality" and not worth eating, and we might like it well enough but would hesitate to recommend it to an average eater. But then you find that above and beyond fruit cake and you desperately try to convince others to try *this* fruit cake! It's so perfectly balanced in all its flavors!
Personally, I love Ripasso the most out of all the Valpolicella wines. Amarone and non-Ripasso Classico I have to be int he right moods for the heavy or the light. But Ripasso is always straight-up interesting and middle-of-the-road in terms of its qualities. So, so good.