A unique specialty of the northeastern Veneto region of Italy’s Verona province, Amarone is unique in that it is made by drying ripe grapes for up to four months before pressing them. As a result, Amarone is never cheap - if you're losing 40 percent volume from drying your grapes, you almost have to double your price! At its most basic, Amarone was originally considered a vino da meditazione — a “wine for meditation”. In Italian, the name Amarone literally means "the Great Bitter" - originally, this was to distinguish it from the Recioto produced in the same region, which is sweeter in taste.
The essence of Pinot Noir is direct and thoughtful; it’s a medium-bodied, complex wine which has ample fine grained, mouth-coating tannins and a long lingering finish. Black cherry and raspberry with herbs, dark spice, and earthy notes. Silky texture and balanced acidity make this very food-friendly. Brimming with fresh red cherries, strawberries, fresh cut roses and a little bit of wet earth, with age Pinot Noir also develops complex earthy and mushroom characteristics.
The three red wine grapes of the Veneto region that create Amarone — Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara — were chosen for their ability to maintain character throughout the drying process, which is called appassimento. The result is a big wine with good depth and a surprising balance. Rich aromas of dark fruit and spice with layers of cherry, plum, mocha, dried fruit flavours, warm oak and a firm, lingering finish. It is always better to decant the Amarone a few hours in advance so that the wine can breathe and reveal its true potential.
Rich dishes such as stews and risottos are great with Amarone, as well as more plain foods, like quality sausages or even gourmet burgers. Ultimately, a great Amarone is best enjoyed with simple fare - try a plate of cheese and nuts drizzled with truffled honey at the end of a meal. Amarone is also known to be quite enjoyable on its own, as you sit by the fire!
Amarone was born by mistake around 1940 by the winemaker Adelino Lucchese, who forgot a barrel of Recioto wine during its fermentation. The yeasts present in the wine continued to ferment and subsequently transformed all the sugar into alcohol, turning the normally sweet Recioto into a much drier wine. When Lucchese tasted that barrel, he was expecting a sweet wine but it was so dry that he said: ” Oh this is an Amarone!”.
A unique specialty of the northeastern Veneto region of Italy’s Verona province, Amarone is unique in that it is made by drying ripe grapes for up to four months before pressing them. As a result, Amarone is never cheap - if you're losing 40 percent volume from drying your grapes, you almost have to double your price! At its most basic, Amarone was originally considered a vino da meditazione — a “wine for meditation”. In Italian, the name Amarone literally means "the Great Bitter" - originally, this was to distinguish it from the Recioto produced in the same region, which is sweeter in taste.
The three red wine grapes of the Veneto region that create Amarone — Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara — were chosen for their ability to maintain character throughout the drying process, which is called appassimento. The result is a big wine with good depth and a surprising balance. Rich aromas of dark fruit and spice with layers of cherry, plum, mocha, dried fruit flavours, warm oak and a firm, lingering finish. It is always better to decant the Amarone a few hours in advance so that the wine can breathe and reveal its true potential.
Rich dishes such as stews and risottos are great with Amarone, as well as more plain foods, like quality sausages or even gourmet burgers. Ultimately, a great Amarone is best enjoyed with simple fare - try a plate of cheese and nuts drizzled with truffled honey at the end of a meal. Amarone is also known to be quite enjoyable on its own, as you sit by the fire!
Amarone was born by mistake around 1940 by the winemaker Adelino Lucchese, who forgot a barrel of Recioto wine during its fermentation. The yeasts present in the wine continued to ferment and subsequently transformed all the sugar into alcohol, turning the normally sweet Recioto into a much drier wine. When Lucchese tasted that barrel, he was expecting a sweet wine but it was so dry that he said: ” Oh this is an Amarone!”.