Amarone is the favorite Christmas wine.
Barrels from Viinitalo Tommasi’s cellar. Amarone matures in oak barrels for at least two years. Eeva Paljakka
Amarone is the first thing that comes to mind for many when they talk about Christmas time wines. And no wonder, because the wine has Christmas aromas, shades of dried fruit and Christmas spices like cinnamon.
Amarone’s sales jump wildly at Christmas.
Amarone or more officially DOCG Amarone della Valpolicella is the wine pride of the Valpolicella region in northern Italy.
Amarone’s home is in northeastern Italy in the province of Veneto. It comes from the almost 8,000-hectare vineyard of Valpolicella. Eeva Paljakka
Amarone is considered one of the finest red wines in Italy, and perhaps in the whole world. It is the queen of the Valpolicella Classico wine region.
12 wine producing families have jointly founded the association “Famiglie dell’Amarone d’Arte”, whose mission is to protect and maintain the traditional production of wine and spread its reputation around the world.
Amarone is described as a plump red wine, the special quality of which lies in the dried grapes after harvesting.
During drying, a lot of water evaporates from the grapes, so they lose a third or more of their weight. Because of that, more bunches of grapes than usual have to be used in the wine.
While the water evaporates, the wine’s sugars and aromas condense. The wine has a higher than usual alcohol content (about 15 percent) and a lot of aroma.
High-quality Amarone is made with piety, largely by hand. The grapes are also picked by hand. Eeva Paljakka
Amarone started to become popular since the 1950s, but it only really started to rise to the global consciousness of wine lovers in the 1990s.
Since then, production has multiplied. Today, Amarone is the flagship of Veneto and was awarded Italy’s highest DOCG quality wine status in 2009.
Amarone and other Valpolicella wines are mainly made from the region’s own traditional grape varieties. The most important and most prestigious of them is Corvina.
Amarone is produced on the east side of Lake Garda (shown in the picture). The hills located northwest of Verona form the historical core of the wine region, whose products are allowed to carry the classico designation on their labels. Eeva Paljakka
The production of Amarone differs in many ways from the average wine production.
The grapes are always picked by hand, because the bunches must be intact and healthy during drying.
The drying that started at the time of harvest lasts at least until December, often even until February. This used to happen on the vines in wind-ventilated sheds, but today wineries have condition-controlled warehouses designed for the purpose.
Tommasi’s family business was founded 115 years ago. Pierangelo Tommasi is the fourth generation. His job is to make wines known worldwide. Eeva Paljakka
The skins of the crushed Amarone grapes are allowed to remain in the fermentation vessels for a particularly long time, up to 40 days. During that time, they release a lot of flavor into the juice.
Fermentation is followed by a long maturation in oak barrels. Amarone is aged in them for at least two years, often longer. Amarone riserva must be aged in barrels for at least four years.
Alberto Zenato runs the winery Zenato together with his sister. Eeva Paljakka
Many top-level red wines are so tightly tannic when young that they don’t necessarily feel pleasant in the mouth yet. However, Amarone has already acquired its softness from the drying process of the grapes, so cellaring is not necessary and the wine can be opened immediately after purchase.
The grapes are dried by the fans. Eeva Paljakka
The grapes dry for several months. Eeva Paljakka
Three good Amarones:
Masi Costasera Amarone Classico 2017 (€43.98)
Zenato Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2018 (€46.49)
Tommasi Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2018 (€43.48)
Source: Alko.fi