Amarone Wine: The Complete Guide to Italy's Greatest Dried-Grape Red
Amarone della Valpolicella is Italy's most extraordinary red wine. Not its most expensive, not its most famous in the conventional sense, but its most extraordinary in a specific and irreplaceable way: no other wine in the world is made quite like Amarone, and nothing else tastes like it. A wine born from an accidental over-fermentation in a Veronese cellar — or so the legend goes — Amarone is the product of a technique so labour-intensive, so specific to its place and climate, and so demanding of patience that it could only have emerged from a winemaking culture rooted in centuries of accumulated knowledge about exactly these grapes, on exactly these hills, in exactly this weather.
This guide covers everything you need to understand Amarone: what it is, how it is made, why the appassimento process is the key to everything, what the best wines taste like, how to serve and pair it, and what distinguishes a natural or biodynamic Amarone from the conventional article.
What Is Amarone Wine?
Amarone della Valpolicella is a dry red wine from the Valpolicella zone of the Veneto, in northeastern Italy near Verona. It is made from partially dried red grapes — predominantly Corvina, with additions of Corvinone, Rondinella, and sometimes Oseleta — using the appassimento technique, in which harvested grapes are laid out to dry for 90 to 120 days before pressing. The drying concentrates the sugars, acids, and flavour compounds in the grapes; the resulting juice, when fermented fully dry, produces a wine of extraordinary intensity, weight, and complexity, typically reaching 15% to 17% alcohol. Amarone received its DOCG designation — Italy's highest wine classification — in 2010.
The name Amarone means "the great bitter" in Italian — not bitter in the negative sense, but the distinctive bittersweet quality of a wine fermented completely dry from very ripe, concentrated fruit. The name distinguishes Amarone from its sweet counterpart, Recioto della Valpolicella, which is made from the same dried grapes but with fermentation stopped early to retain residual sugar.
The Origin Story: Accident, Legend, and the Birth of a Great Wine
The Valpolicella region had long produced Recioto, a sweet or semi-sweet wine made from dried grapes — a style documented in the region since at least the 6th century CE, when the Ostrogothic king Cassiodorus praised the wines of Valpolicella in correspondence with a Roman official. Recioto was the prestige wine of the area, made by allowing harvested grapes to dry on woven mats for weeks or months before pressing.
The legend of Amarone's discovery holds that sometime in the 1930s, a cellar worker discovered a forgotten barrel of Recioto that had been left to ferment far beyond the point at which it should have been stopped. Expecting to find vinegar, he tasted instead something unexpected: a powerful, completely dry red wine, without the sweetness of Recioto, but with all of its concentration and intensity. He reportedly exclaimed "Questo non è amaro, questo è Amarone" — "this isn't bitter, this is Amarone" — coining the name. The first commercial bottles appeared in 1938, and Amarone did not achieve DOCG status until 2010.
The estate most associated with Amarone's founding is Villa Mosconi Bertani in Negrar, which claims to have been making the style since 1936. Whatever the precise origin, by the middle of the 20th century Amarone had established itself as the prestige wine of the Valpolicella — a wine that took years to make and demanded years of patience in the cellar before it was ready to drink.
The Valpolicella Zone: Where Amarone Is Made
Amarone can only be made in the Valpolicella zone, which encompasses the hills and valleys west of Verona and east of Lake Garda. The zone is divided into several sub-regions, the most important of which is Valpolicella Classico.
Valpolicella Classico — the original zone
The Valpolicella Classico zone encompasses five valleys — Negrar, Marano, Fumane, Sant'Ambrogio, and San Pietro in Cariano — carved into limestone and basalt hills between 100 and 500 metres above sea level. This is the historical heart of Valpolicella winemaking, and it produces the most refined, the most site-specific, and the most age-worthy Amarone. The limestone soils give the wines mineral precision; the altitude provides cool nights that preserve natural acidity even in concentrated dried-grape juice; the proximity of Lake Garda moderates temperatures and provides the drying winds essential to the appassimento process. The best biodynamic and natural Amarone producers — including Monte Dall'Ora, whose wines we carry — are based in the Classico zone.
The extended zone
The broader Valpolicella DOC encompasses a large area beyond the Classico sub-region, including much of the flat land east of the hills. Amarone from the extended zone is generally more commercial in character, made in larger volumes from more productive vineyards, and lacking the site specificity of Classico production. Much of the industrial, mass-market Amarone sold at lower prices comes from the extended zone.
Appassimento: The Process That Makes Amarone Possible
Appassimento is the heart of Amarone, and understanding it is the key to understanding why the wine tastes the way it does. The word means "withering" or "drying" in Italian, and it describes the process of partially dehydrating harvested grapes before pressing and fermenting them.
The harvest and selection
Amarone production begins with the harvest in late September and October — typically two to three weeks later than for standard Valpolicella. The grapes selected for appassimento are the best of the vintage: the ripest, most perfect bunches, with the thickest skins and the highest sugar concentration. Grapes with any damage or disease are excluded, because damaged fruit will rot rather than dry during the appassimento period. This selective harvesting is one of the most labour-intensive aspects of Amarone production and one of the primary reasons the wine is expensive.
The drying: 90 to 120 days in the fruttai
After harvest, the selected bunches are laid out in fruttai — traditional drying lofts, typically well-ventilated rooms in the winery or in separate dedicated structures. Historically, grapes were dried on traditional bamboo or reed mats; modern producers more commonly use wooden or plastic crates that allow better air circulation. The grapes remain in the fruttai for 90 to 120 days — from harvest through the winter, typically until January or February.
During this time, the grapes lose 30% to 40% of their weight through evaporation of water. The remaining juice becomes dramatically concentrated: sugars increase, acids increase, tannins and colour compounds in the skins become more concentrated, and the flavour profile shifts from fresh fruit toward dried fruit — raisin, prune, dried cherry, fig — with additional complexity from aromatic compounds that do not appear in undried grapes. The drying process is the most critical and most variable aspect of Amarone production. A warm, wet autumn can lead to mould and botrytis in the fruttai; a dry, cool winter with good ventilation produces the concentrated, healthy fruit that makes great Amarone.
Pressing and fermentation
After drying, the concentrated grape must is pressed slowly and transferred to fermentation vessels. The fermentation of Amarone is one of the longest and most challenging in red winemaking — the must is very high in sugar, and the fermentation must run to completion if the wine is to be genuinely dry. Fermentation can last 30 to 50 days; some traditional producers allow it to continue for even longer. After fermentation, Amarone undergoes mandatory aging: the DOC regulations require a minimum of two years in wood for Normale wines, four years for Riserva. The best traditional producers age their wines considerably longer.
The Grape Varieties of Amarone
Corvina Veronese: The primary grape, typically 45–95% of the blend. Thick-skinned, late-ripening, indigenous to Valpolicella. Complex red and dark fruit aromatics, medium-to-high acidity, moderate tannins that become very firm when dried. The structural backbone of Amarone.
Corvinone: A relative of Corvina, permitted as a substitute for up to 50% of the Corvina component. Even thicker skin, darker, more structured, higher tannin. Adds colour and body.
Rondinella: A high-yield variety with thick, disease-resistant skin that makes it valuable for appassimento. Adds aromatic freshness and herbaceous notes. Most producers use it in smaller proportions (5–30%), primarily for its agronomic reliability.
Oseleta: A rare indigenous variety nearly extinct until its rediscovery in the 1980s. Produces wines of very high tannin, deep colour, and distinctive mineral and earthy character. Monte Dall'Ora's Stropa, which we carry, includes Oseleta as a component that adds structure, complexity, and longevity.
Natural and Biodynamic Amarone: A Different Philosophy
The question of whether Amarone is compatible with natural wine philosophy is genuinely interesting. Appassimento is, after all, an intervention: the winemaker is dramatically altering the character of the fruit before fermentation through a deliberate process of dehydration. Is a wine made from partially dried grapes really "natural" in the sense that a pét-nat or an unfiltered Georgian qvevri wine is natural?
The honest answer is that appassimento is a traditional technique specific to this place and these grapes — a technique as old as Valpolicella itself, as old as the Recioto tradition that Amarone grew out of, and as bound to the terroir and climate of the region as the Champagne method is bound to the chalk soils and cool climate of northern France. Natural wine producers in the Valpolicella do not reject appassimento. They embrace it as the traditional expression of their terroir while applying natural wine principles to every other aspect of production: organic or biodynamic farming, indigenous yeast fermentation, no additions in the cellar, no industrial fining or filtration, no manipulation of the appassimento process with climate-controlled drying chambers.
Natural Amarone is Amarone made as it was made before industrialisation: grapes grown organically on the best hillside sites, dried naturally in traditional fruttai in mountain air, fermented with indigenous yeasts, aged in large Slavonian oak botti rather than new French barriques, and bottled without filtration or fining. Monte Dall'Ora, whose Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Stropa 2013 we carry, is the reference producer for this approach in Valpolicella Classico.
Amarone Styles: Normale, Riserva, and Valpolicella Ripasso
Amarone Normale: The standard classification, requiring a minimum of two years of aging. The most immediately approachable Amarone wines, though "immediately approachable" means six to ten years after the vintage for the best examples.
Amarone Riserva: Must be aged a minimum of four years before release. Made from the finest grapes of a producer's harvest, often from specific vineyard parcels, and intended for very long aging — fifteen to twenty years or more for the greatest examples.
Valpolicella Ripasso: Not technically Amarone, but made by fermenting standard Valpolicella wine on the grape skins and lees left over from Amarone production. This adds richness, colour, and complexity, creating a middle style between Valpolicella and Amarone. Sometimes called "baby Amarone" — an imprecise but useful description.
Amarone Vintages
Vintage variation in Amarone is significant because the character of the appassimento period depends heavily on autumn and winter weather. The ideal conditions are a warm, dry September producing fully ripe grapes, followed by cool, dry conditions in the fruttai that allow the grapes to dehydrate slowly and cleanly.
Outstanding recent vintages: 2019 and 2018 are widely regarded as exceptional — great concentration, freshness, and balance. 2015 was a landmark year of unusual richness and power. 2012 and 2011 are excellent with good aging potential.
When to drink: Amarone is among the longest-lived wines in Italy. Entry-level Normale wines benefit from 8 to 12 years of cellaring from the vintage; the best Classico and Riserva wines may not reach their peak for 20 to 30 years. Drinking Amarone young — before the tannins have softened and the complexity has had time to develop — is one of the most common mistakes made with the wine. If you must open one early, decant it for at least two hours.
How to Serve Amarone
Serve Amarone at 18°C to 20°C — slightly warmer than most red wines, because the wine's concentration of flavour and tannin benefits from the additional temperature. Always decant it: young Amarone (under ten years from the vintage) needs at least two to three hours. Old Amarone (over fifteen years) should be decanted carefully to separate any sediment. Use a large, wide-mouthed Burgundy-style glass that allows the wine's complex aromatics to develop. Resist the temptation to open Amarone too young.
Amarone Food Pairing
Amarone's weight, concentration, and tannin make it a wine that requires substantial food. Light dishes and delicate fish are overpowered. The wine demands richness and weight.
Braised and slow-cooked meats: Braised beef, osso buco, slow-roasted lamb, game birds. The long, slow cooking that breaks down collagen and fat creates exactly the richness and savoury depth that Amarone's tannin and dried-fruit concentration wants.
Aged cheese: Parmigiano-Reggiano aged 36 months or more, aged Pecorino, Grana Padano, and aged Gouda. The crystalline texture and intense savoury complexity of aged hard cheese matches Amarone's weight without fighting it.
Game: Venison, wild boar, pheasant, and other game meats. The gamey, mineral quality of well-cooked wild meat complements the dried fruit and tobacco complexity of the wine.
Dark chocolate: A piece of 70%+ dark chocolate at the end of a meal, alongside old Amarone, is one of the great simple pleasures. The bitterness of the chocolate echoes the wine's own slight bittersweet quality.
What to avoid: Light fish, salads, acidic tomato-based pasta sauces, and fresh cheeses. Amarone is a specific wine for specific occasions and specific food.
From Our Valpolicella Cellar
The everyday Valpolicella — start here
Corte Adami Valpolicella Superiore 2020 · Valpolicella · $24
The everyday wine that Veronese families drink at the table. Corvina, Molinara, Rondinella; round, elegant tannins; red fruit, blackberries, wood, and sweet oriental spices. Natural, food-friendly, and outstanding value. Understand Valpolicella first — it's the foundation for understanding what Amarone achieves with the same grapes dried and concentrated.
The accessible Amarone — the entry point
San Cassiano Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG 2018 · Valpolicella · $51
Corvina, Corvinone, and Rondinella dried slowly, fermented dry, aged 24 months in French oak followed by 12 months in bottle. 2018 was an outstanding vintage in Valpolicella. Raisins, plums, dark chocolate, leather, ground pepper. 16% ABV of considerable elegance. Decant for at least one hour.
The icon — biodynamic Amarone Classico with a decade of age
Monte Dall'Ora Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Stropa 2013 · Valpolicella Classico · $150
The most important bottle in our Valpolicella range. Monte Dall'Ora — the estate of Carlo and Alessandra Nerozzi in Castelrotto, in the heart of Valpolicella Classico — is the reference point for natural, biodynamic Amarone from the historical zone. Biodynamic farming, traditional fruttai without climate control, indigenous yeast fermentation, large Slavonian oak botti. The Stropa is their flagship Amarone, made from the oldest vines on the estate, including the rare Oseleta variety. The 2013 is now at the beginning of its mature phase: intense ruby, dried cherries, plum, undergrowth, black pepper, spice, balsamic hints, extraordinary persistence. Decant for two to three hours. A wine that deserves a special occasion — and then repays it generously.
Browse all Valpolicella wines →
Frequently Asked Questions About Amarone Wine
What is Amarone wine?
Amarone della Valpolicella is a dry red wine from the Valpolicella zone of the Veneto, northeastern Italy. Made from partially dried grapes (predominantly Corvina) using the appassimento technique, in which grapes are laid out to dry for 90–120 days after harvest. The drying concentrates sugars and flavours dramatically; fermented fully dry, the resulting wine reaches 15–17% alcohol with extraordinary intensity and complexity. Amarone holds Italy's highest wine classification, DOCG, awarded in 2010.
What does Amarone taste like?
Amarone tastes of concentrated dried fruit — raisins, prunes, dried cherries, dark plum — with underlying notes of chocolate, coffee, tobacco, leather, spice, and earthy mineral depth. With age, it evolves toward fig, dried flowers, tar, and forest floor. Full-bodied, 15–17% alcohol, substantial tannins that soften considerably with age, and a distinctive bittersweet finish. Nothing else tastes quite like it.
What is appassimento?
Appassimento is the process of partially drying harvested grapes before pressing and fermentation. In Amarone production, Corvina and companion grapes are laid out in traditional drying lofts (fruttai) for 90–120 days after harvest. The grapes lose 30–40% of their weight through water evaporation, concentrating their sugars, acids, tannins, and flavour compounds dramatically. Appassimento is specific to the Valpolicella tradition and has no direct equivalent anywhere else in the wine world.
How do you serve Amarone wine?
Serve Amarone at 18–20°C. Always decant it: young Amarone (under 10 years) needs at least two to three hours; older Amarone should be decanted carefully to separate sediment. Use a large, wide-mouthed Burgundy-style glass. Never serve Amarone too young — the wine is not ready to drink until at least 8–10 years after the vintage, and the best Classico and Riserva wines may not peak for 20–30 years.
Is Amarone a dry wine?
Yes. Amarone is fermented to complete dryness — all of the concentrated sugars from the dried grapes are converted to alcohol during the long fermentation. The high alcohol (15–17%) is the result of this process. Amarone should not taste sweet. Its sweet counterpart — made from the same dried grapes but with fermentation stopped early — is Recioto della Valpolicella.
What food goes with Amarone?
Amarone's weight and tannin require substantial, rich food: braised and slow-cooked meats (beef, lamb, wild boar, venison), aged hard cheeses (Parmigiano-Reggiano aged 36+ months, aged Pecorino), and game birds. It pairs beautifully with dark chocolate at the end of a meal. Avoid delicate dishes, light fish, and acidic tomato-based sauces, which fight rather than complement Amarone's concentration and tannin.
What is the difference between Amarone and Valpolicella Ripasso?
Valpolicella is the base red wine of the zone — lighter, easier-drinking, without the appassimento process. Ripasso is made by re-fermenting standard Valpolicella on the grape skins and lees left over from Amarone production, adding richness and complexity. Amarone is the full expression: grapes fully dried and fermented dry, producing extraordinary concentration, power, and longevity. Ripasso sits between the two in weight and complexity. All three styles work best with food.
What is the best Amarone vintage?
Recent outstanding vintages include 2019 (exceptional balance and concentration), 2018 (rich and structured, great freshness), 2015 (very warm year, wines of unusual richness and power), and 2012 (classic elegance and aging potential). The most important thing about Amarone vintage selection is patience: whatever vintage you choose, wait at least eight years from the harvest before opening it.
How much does Amarone cost?
Genuine Amarone from quality producers in Valpolicella Classico ranges from approximately $40–60 for entry-level Normale wines, $80–150 for serious single-vineyard or biodynamic Classico expressions, and considerably more for legendary producers. The prices reflect the labour-intensive production process — selective hand-harvesting, 90–120 days of drying, long fermentation, and mandatory minimum aging. Cheap Amarone (under $25) is almost always from the extended zone, made from mediocre grapes with shortcuts in the drying process.
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