Amarone della Valpolicella: appassimento wines from small Veneto producers
Amarone della Valpolicella is one of Italy's great meditation reds, and it comes from a process like no other: appassimento, the partial drying of the grapes. The grapes (Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella, often with a share of Oseleta) rest for months on drying racks before vinification, losing up to half their weight in water and concentrating sugars, aromas and structure. The result is a powerful, warm and velvety wine that often reaches 15-17% alcohol. On this page you'll find our selection of Amarone (8 wines from €44.90 to €145) along with a guide to the appellation, aging, food pairings and how to choose among the vintages.
These are not industrial wines: every bottle comes from small Veneto producers in the Valpolicella, from Valpolicella Classica to Valpantena and on to eastern Valpolicella, who farm historic vineyards, often organically. The wines here carry the Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG appellation, including two Riservas, and cover a wide range of vintages and formats, from the standard bottle to the magnum.
Amarone della Valpolicella at a glance
Our Amarone della Valpolicella wines
The Amarone della Valpolicella wines available on VaiGustando. Click a wine for the full product page and to buy.
Pianissimo Amarone della Valpolicella D.O.C.G.
€44,90
Amarone della Valpolicella D.O.C.G. 2013
€60,00
Amarone della Valpolicella D.O.C.G. 2015
€60,00
Tenuta Scajari Monte Serea Amarone della Valpolicella D.O.C.G.
€75,00
Amarone della Valpolicella D.O.C. Riserva Cent'anni
€98,00
Tenuta Scajari Amarone della Valpolicella Riserva D.O.C.G.
€104,90
Amarone della Valpolicella D.O.C.G.
€136,00
Amarone della Valpolicella D.O.C.G. Magnum 2013
€145,00What appassimento is and why it makes Amarone unique
It all starts with the harvest, done by hand with a strict selection of the best bunches. The grapes don't go straight to the cellar: they are laid out on drying racks or in crates, in airy, well-ventilated rooms, where they rest for two to four months, from September through January for the longest versions. During this time the water evaporates, the bunch loses up to 50% of its weight and what remains becomes concentrated: sugars, color, tannin and an aromatic range that shifts toward dried fruit and brandied fruit.
Only at the end of appassimento are the grapes crushed and fermented, producing a wine that is dry yet warm, with alcohol that regularly reaches 15-17% vol and a body no other Veneto red can match. The aging that follows, almost always in barriques or large oak casks for two years or more, adds the notes of cocoa, tobacco and spice that complete the picture.
Amarone in the Valpolicella: zones and appellation
Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG comes from the Verona area, on the hills that stretch from Valpolicella Classica to the Val d'Illasi and the upper eastern Valpolicella, east of the city:
- Val d'Illasi: at the foot of the Lessini Mountains, among historic vineyards such as Fondo Cereolo, Monte Tenda and Castello. This is where Tenuta Trabucchi and Comaroto make their Amarone, on limestone-clay soils that give wines of real structure.
- Upper eastern Valpolicella: in Campiano, between 400 and 550 meters, where Gini organically farms the Tenuta Scajari vineyards on red scaglia limestone, tuff and volcanic lapilli. The result is fresh, savory, mineral Amarone.
- Valpolicella Classica: the historic heart of the appellation, where Italo Cescon makes his Amarone under the Ca della Scala label.
The appellation is Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG, the top of Valpolicella's quality pyramid (below it are Valpolicella Superiore and Ripasso). The longest-aged versions from historic vintages may carry the term Riserva, as with Tenuta Trabucchi's Cent'anni and Gini's Riserva Scajari.
Tasting profile: how to recognize it in the glass
In the glass Amarone shows a deep garnet red, often with an evolved hue even when young, a result of appassimento. On the nose it is remarkably rich: brandied cherry, sour cherry, dried figs, plum come first, followed by cocoa, tobacco, licorice and leather in the longer-aged versions, with balsamic and spicy hints.
On the palate it is warm, smooth and full-bodied, with ripe tannins that are never aggressive and alcohol that often approaches 17% vol. When well integrated, its freshness carries a very long finish: aromatic persistence of more than a minute is not unusual. It is a wine that needs time, in the glass and in the cellar, to show its best.
Our Amarone della Valpolicella producers
Behind every wine is a real winery, with its own history and its own land. Here are the producers behind the Amarone you'll find here:
- Tenuta Trabucchi (Illasi, Val d'Illasi): an organic estate on the historic vineyards of Fondo Cereolo, Monte Tenda and Castello; it makes three vintages (2013, 2015), the "Cent'anni" 2008 Riserva and the 2013 Magnum. Discover the winery →
- Gini (upper eastern Valpolicella): winegrowers since 1570. At Tenuta Scajari, in the hills of Campiano, they make the Monte Serea 2015, from a single vineyard at 500-550 meters, and the Riserva Scajari 2011, both aged for many years in large casks and bottled unfiltered. Discover the winery →
- Comaroto (Illasi, eastern Valpolicella): the label made by Dal Forno Bros, from 40- to 60-year-old vines on the highest hills of Illasi, with long aging in new barriques. Discover the winery →
- Italo Cescon (Valpolicella Classica): Veneto wine artisans since 1957. Their "Pianissimo", from the Ca della Scala line, blends Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella in classic balance. Discover the winery →
Food pairings: what to eat with Amarone
To understand what to drink Amarone with, you have to start with appassimento: the Valpolicella grapes (Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella) rest for months on drying racks before vinification, and the result is a powerful, warm and smooth red that often reaches 15-17% alcohol. It is a wine of great structure, with ripe, softened tannins and an aromatic range of dried fruit, brandied plum, sweet spice and cocoa. All this power calls for dishes of equal weight: the smoothness and alcoholic warmth look for fat and long cooking, while the aromatic richness stands up to concentrated sauces and very flavorful meats. It is not a wine for delicate dishes, which it would mercilessly overpower. The rule is to match it with food of equal intensity, or to let it stand alone as a meditation wine, with an extra-aged cheese or a piece of dark chocolate.
- Braises, pot roasts and stews of slow-cooked beef
- Game meats (wild boar, venison)
- Roasts and red meats of real substance
- Cheeses, aged and extra-aged
- Dark chocolate, to end the meal or simply to savor
We are in the Verona area, and the local cooking seems made to stand up to this wine. The absolute classic is risotto all'Amarone, finished with the same wine and often with Monte Veronese cheese. Veronese tables also feature bollito misto with pearà, the sauce of bread, bone marrow and black pepper that holds its own against the wine's warmth, and brasato, beef braised for hours in Amarone itself. To finish, a well-aged Monte Veronese d'allevo completes the picture effortlessly. These are all rich, fatty, concentrated dishes: exactly what a red this powerful needs.
In short: Amarone is a red for long-cooked dishes and for the end of the meal, served not too cool and opened a little in advance; when it is very evolved, it is at its best on its own, as a meditation wine.
How to serve and store Amarone
Serve Amarone at around 18 °C, in a large glass for full-bodied reds (a "balloon" glass), which gives the aromas room to open up. It benefits from some time in the air: uncork it a few hours ahead or decant it, especially the younger, more concentrated vintages.
In the cellar, keep it lying down, in the dark, at a constant temperature (12-14 °C). Thanks to its high alcohol and the concentration from appassimento, Amarone holds up well even after opening: it can be enjoyed over a few days if recorked and kept cool.
Vintages and aging: when to open it
Amarone is by definition a wine worth waiting for: appassimento gives it the structure to age for a long time right from the start. A guide to our vintages:
- Ready but still young (5-10 years from harvest): Italo Cescon's Pianissimo, 2020 vintage, has a stated aging potential of 8-10 years and is now in its most expressive phase.
- At its peak (10-15 years): Tenuta Trabucchi's 2013 and 2015 vintages, Gini's Monte Serea 2015 (four years in large casks, able to age up to 25 years) and the Comaroto Amarone (2021 vintage, with 24 months in new barriques + 24 in bottle): wines of real structure that are reaching, or have reached, their best moment.
- A meditation wine, already evolved: Tenuta Trabucchi's "Cent'anni" 2008 Riserva, a historic vintage, now tertiary, with notes of coffee, black truffle and graphite. Alongside it, Gini's Riserva Scajari 2011, which after many years in wood combines cocoa, licorice and tobacco with a freshness that is still very much alive.
One sign that an Amarone is ready: the color shifts from a darker garnet to orange highlights, and the aromas move from ripe fruit toward tobacco, leather and dark spices. To keep it at its best until then, see how to serve and store.
Buying guide by price range
- Entry level (€40-60): Italo Cescon's Pianissimo (€44.90) and Tenuta Trabucchi's 2013/2015 vintages (€60), the most accessible way to get to know the appellation.
- Structure (€75-140): Gini's Monte Serea 2015 (€75), Tenuta Trabucchi's "Cent'anni" 2008 Riserva (€98), Gini's Riserva Scajari 2011 (€104.90) and the Comaroto Amarone by Dal Forno Bros (€136): more mature vintages or longer aging.
- Special format (€145): Tenuta Trabucchi's 2013 Magnum, 1.5 liters, the format in which Amarone evolves more slowly and for longer, ideal as a gift or for the cellar.
You'll find all current prices and the buy button in the product cards above.
Other Veneto reds to discover
Keep exploring the Veneto reds in our catalog: Cabernet, Pinot Nero, Valpolicella, Ripasso, Merlot, Raboso del Piave and Refosco. Or browse all our red wines.