Valpolicella and Amarone: the red wines of Verona

The wine that defines the Verona hills

Amarone della Valpolicella is Italy’s most distinctly dramatic red wine. Not because it is the most expensive (Barolo and Brunello compete at the top) or the most complex (Burgundy has that argument), but because the appassimento method — drying grapes for three to four months before pressing — produces a wine unlike any other. It is intensely concentrated, dry despite its apparent weight, and structurally impressive in a way that most wines are not.

Understanding Amarone means understanding the specific hills northwest of Verona where Corvina, Rondinella, and Molinara grapes have been grown and dried since antiquity, and where the interplay of hillside microclimate, north-facing drying lofts, and the unique basket-pressing tradition produces wines that age for decades.

This guide covers the full Valpolicella wine family, how to visit from Venice, and where to drink Amarone honestly without paying San Marco prices.

The Valpolicella wine family

All wines in this family come from the same appellation zone (the hills northwest of Verona) and the same grape varieties, primarily Corvina Veronese (45–95% of the blend), Corvinone (a close relative, interchangeable with Corvina in varying proportions), Rondinella (5–30%), and sometimes Molinara, Oseleta, and other local varieties.

What differentiates the wines is the treatment of the grapes after harvest:

Valpolicella DOC: fresh grapes pressed immediately. The lightest wine in the family — light ruby, fruity, lower alcohol (11–12%), fresh with cherry and pepper notes. For everyday drinking, best served slightly chilled. €10–18 per bottle.

Valpolicella Superiore: Valpolicella with a minimum of one year aging. More structure but similar character. Sometimes labelled Classico (from the historical core zone, traditionally superior to the expanded DOC zone).

Valpolicella Ripasso DOC: base Valpolicella wine re-fermented over the pressed skins and pomace of Amarone or Recioto grapes, giving additional body, tannin, dried fruit character, and concentration. More complex than standard Valpolicella without Amarone’s full weight. €15–30 per bottle.

Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG: dried grapes (appassimento), pressed after 90–120 days, fermented to dryness. 15–17% alcohol, full body, extraordinary complexity. €20–100+ per bottle.

Recioto della Valpolicella DOCG: same dried grapes as Amarone but fermented less fully, leaving residual sugar. A sweet dessert wine. €15–40 per bottle.

The appassimento process

Understanding appassimento is understanding Amarone. After harvest (typically September), whole clusters of selected grapes are placed on bamboo racks (arele) or in wooden crates and moved to special drying lofts (fruttai) designed for maximum airflow. The grapes remain here, slowly losing 30–40% of their weight through evaporation over 90–120 days (through November and December into January or February).

During this time, sugars, flavours, and tannins concentrate. In ideal conditions — cool temperatures, good airflow, low humidity — a beneficial mould (Botrytis cinerea, the same mould that produces Sauternes) can appear and add complexity. Poor conditions (warm, humid) risk Botrytis going grey rather than noble, spoiling the fruit.

After drying, the grapes are pressed, fermented slowly (the high sugar concentration makes fermentation slow), and aged — typically 2 years in large oak barrels for standard Amarone, 4+ years for premium versions. The final wine is dry (all sugar fermented out) but has the weight and concentration that the drying process created.

What Amarone tastes like

Tasting notes for Amarone are inherently superlative because the process produces extreme concentration. A good Amarone from an established producer:

Colour: deep ruby to garnet, almost opaque when young, developing an orange-brick rim with age.

Aroma: dried cherries, blackcurrant, damson, dark chocolate, coffee, leather, tobacco, dried roses. With age (10+ years), forest floor, truffle, and complex tertiary notes.

Palate: full body, substantial tannin (firm but not harsh in good examples), very low acidity compared to standard Valpolicella, warming alcohol (15–17%), long finish. The impression is of richness without heaviness in the best examples — the flavour seems to expand rather than fade.

Best vintages recently: 2016, 2012, and 2011 are considered exceptional. 2018 is promising. 2017 was very warm — wines are powerful but can lack freshness.

What Amarone should cost: avoiding the tourist markup

Amarone is one of the wines most subject to tourist markup in Venice-area restaurants. A bottle that retails for €30 will appear on a San Marco restaurant wine list at €90–120. At an honest enoteca in Cannaregio or Castello, the same wine might be €50–70 on the list, or available by the glass at €10–12.

The guidance for drinking Amarone in Venice:

By the glass at an enoteca: €8–15 for a standard producer, €15–25 for prestige wines. Enoteca Mascareta (Castello) and Al Volto (San Marco area) both have serious Amarone selections by the glass.

By the bottle at a restaurant: wines should be marked up 2–2.5x retail at an honest restaurant, not 3–5x. A €30 wine appearing at €90 is a warning sign about the restaurant’s entire approach.

At the winery: the cheapest and most interesting option — see below.

Visiting Valpolicella from Venice

Valpolicella is in the hills northwest of Verona: the villages of Sant’Ambrogio di Valpolicella, Negrar, Marano, Fumane, San Pietro in Cariano, and a dozen smaller communes covering approximately 8,000 hectares of vineyards.

An Amarone wine tour and tasting from Venice covers transfer from Venice, a guided visit to the Valpolicella zone, and tastings including Amarone — the most practical way to combine Venice with the wine hills.

From Venice by train and taxi: Train to Verona Porta Nuova (65–80 minutes from Venice Santa Lucia), then taxi to Sant’Ambrogio or San Pietro in Cariano (15–20 minutes, €20–30). Within the zone, taxis between wineries are expensive; coordination in advance is important.

From Venice by guided tour: full-day tours typically include transfer from Venice, guided cellar visit at one or two producers, Amarone and Valpolicella tasting, and lunch. €90–150 per person depending on wine quality level and lunch format.

From Verona by guided tour: Verona is the closest base for Valpolicella. If you are spending a night in Verona (recommended — see the Verona day trip guide), a half-day wine tour from Verona is very efficient.

A Valpolicella and Amarone wine tasting tour from Verona includes transport from the city and visits to the classic zone with professional guiding — the right format if you are combining Verona with a Valpolicella visit.

The Valpolicella Classico zone

The Valpolicella Classico designation indicates wines from the historical production zone — the five original communes (Sant’Ambrogio di Valpolicella, San Pietro in Cariano, Fumane, Marano, and Negrar) as opposed to the Valpolicella DOC zone which was extended significantly in the 1960s to include lower-quality flat-land production. Classico wines are not necessarily superior to extended-zone wines from the best producers, but the Classico label is a reasonable filter for traditional-style production.

Key villages and their characteristics:

Sant’Ambrogio di Valpolicella: the home of Allegrini and Masi, two of the zone’s most important producers. The valley here produces structured wines with good aging potential.

Fumane: associated with Dal Forno Romano (in the sub-valley of Illasi, technically not Classico), Allegrini’s main vineyards, and several smaller producers. Limestone and clay soils producing powerful, aromatic wines.

Negrar: home to Bertani and several cooperatives. The slopes here face various directions, producing a range of styles.

Pairing Amarone with food

Amarone’s weight and concentration mean it needs food that can stand up to it:

Braised meats: osso buco, beef short rib, lamb shoulder. The richness of braised meat with the wine’s tannin and dried-fruit character is the classic pairing.

Game: wild boar (cinghiale), venison, hare. Strong flavours that match Amarone’s intensity.

Aged cheeses: Amarone alongside aged Parmigiano (4+ years), aged Asiago d’allevo, or a good Grana Padano is a classic Veneto pairing.

Risotto all’Amarone: risotto made with Amarone as the braising liquid — rich, complex, wine-infused. An unusual but traditional preparation found at restaurants in the Valpolicella zone.

Avoid: Amarone with light fish dishes, delicate pasta, or anything where the wine would simply dominate and eliminate the food’s flavour. Also avoid Amarone as an aperitivo wine — the weight and alcohol make it a dinner companion, not a standing-at-the-bar drink.

Frequently asked questions about Valpolicella and Amarone

Is Amarone the same as Valpolicella?

They are made from the same grape varieties in the same zone, but the appassimento drying process creates a completely different wine. Standard Valpolicella is light, fresh, and easy-drinking. Amarone is concentrated, full-bodied, and serious. The relationship is loosely analogous to the difference between a regular red and a port — same grapes, radically different result.

Why is Amarone so expensive?

The appassimento process requires: extended vineyard management to select only the best bunches; storage space and equipment for three to four months of grape drying; careful monitoring of humidity and temperature during drying; slow fermentation; and extended aging (minimum 2 years, typically 3–5 for premium wines). The dried grapes also lose 30–40% of their weight, meaning more starting material is needed per bottle of finished wine. All of these add cost.

What is the best value wine in the Valpolicella family?

Valpolicella Ripasso represents the best value — more complexity than standard Valpolicella, accessible at €15–30 per bottle, and a genuine expression of the zone without Amarone’s price. A good Ripasso from Allegrini, Zenato, or Tedeschi at €20 per bottle is an excellent everyday wine.

Can Amarone age?

Yes, significantly. Amarone from the best producers can age 20–40 years, developing extraordinary complexity. Entry-level Amarone from lighter vintages is best at 5–10 years from harvest. Premium Amarone from great vintages (like 2016, 2012, 2011) should be approached with patience — at 10 years they are beginning to develop; at 20 years they can be transformative.

Where is the best place to drink Amarone in Venice?

Enoteca Mascareta (Castello) and Al Volto (near Rialto, San Marco) both maintain serious Veneto wine lists with Amarone by the glass. Bacari generally do not carry Amarone — it is a wine-bar-and-restaurant product, not a standing-bar product. For the most honest by-the-glass price, seek an enoteca in Cannaregio or Castello rather than San Marco.

Is Ripasso the same as ‘baby Amarone’?

The “baby Amarone” label is reductive. Ripasso is its own wine with its own character — it is not simply a diluted Amarone. The re-fermentation on Amarone skins gives Ripasso additional body and dried-fruit complexity, but the result is a medium-bodied wine with its own personality. Good Ripasso at €20–30 does not taste like a watered-down €50 Amarone; it tastes like a richer, more structured version of Valpolicella with hints of the drying character. Excellent with grilled meat, pasta al ragù, and aged cheese.

Amarone and Venice: making the connection

Amarone is rarely the wine you order on arrival in Venice. The city’s aperitivo culture is built around lighter wines — Prosecco DOCG, Soave, spritz — and a full Amarone with 17% alcohol is a dinner companion, not an early-evening standing-at-the-bar drink. But in the context of a multi-day visit to the Veneto, Amarone earns its place.

The most satisfying sequence: visit the Prosecco hills on day one or two (see the Prosecco hills guide) for the light, fresh aperitivo wine of the Veneto. Visit Verona and Valpolicella later in the trip (see the Verona day trip guide) for the full red wine experience, including Amarone tasting at the winery. By the time you drink Amarone by the glass at a Venice enoteca on the last evening, you have a context for what you are tasting and where it comes from.

Without the day trip, Amarone is just a dark, powerful, expensive wine in a glass. With the context of the Valpolicella hills, the drying lofts, the old-vine Corvina vineyards, and the conversation with a producer who has made this wine for thirty years — the glass means something specific and the experience has a depth that tourism without movement does not provide.

This is the argument for building wine day trips into a Venice visit as genuine itinerary components rather than optional add-ons. The Veneto is not just Venice. The wine landscape is inseparable from the food culture, and the food culture is inseparable from what you eat and drink in Venice itself. The loop between the city and its hinterland is one of the Veneto’s great pleasures.

For the Verona-Valpolicella combination, see the day trips from Venice guide for logistics. For comparing the full range of Veneto wines, see the Veneto wine regions guide.

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