Amarone della Valpolicella: the appassimento labels of small Veneto growers
Amarone della Valpolicella is one of Italy's great meditation reds, born of a process with no equal: appassimento (partial grape drying). The grapes — Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella, often with a share of Oseleta — rest for months on the 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 degrees. On this page you'll find our selection of Amarone — 6 labels from 44,90 € to 145 € — together with a guide to denominations, ageing, food pairings and how to navigate the vintages.
These are not industrial wines: every bottle comes from small Veneto growers in the Valpolicella — from the Val d'Illasi to the Treviso plain — who tend historic vineyards, often organically. The labels you'll find here carry the Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG denomination, with one DOC-labelled Riserva, and span a broad range of vintages and formats, from the classic bottle to the magnum.
Amarone della Valpolicella at a glance
Our Amarone della Valpolicella labels
The Amarone della Valpolicella labels available on VaiGustando. Click a wine for the full details 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
Amarone della Valpolicella D.O.C. Riserva Cent'anni
€98,00
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 begins with the harvest, done by hand and with a strict selection of the best bunches. The grapes don't head straight to the cellar: they are laid out on drying racks or in crates, in airy, ventilated rooms, where they rest for two to four months, from September through to January in the longest versions. During this time the water evaporates, the bunch loses up to 50% of its own weight and what remains grows concentrated: sugars, colour, tannin and an aromatic range that shifts towards dried fruit and fruit in spirit.
Only once the appassimento is complete are the grapes pressed and fermented: the result is a dry yet warm wine, with alcohol levels that regularly touch 15-17% vol, and a body no other Veneto red matches. The ageing that follows, almost always in barrique or oak cask for two years or more, adds the notes of cocoa, tobacco and spice that complete the picture.
Amarone in the Valpolicella: zones and denomination
Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG is born in the Veronese, on the hills that stretch from the Valpolicella Classica to the Val d'Illasi, east of the city:
- Val d'Illasi — at the foot of the Monti Lessini, among historic vineyards such as Fondo Cereolo, Monte Tenda and Castello: this is where the Amarone of Tenuta Trabucchi and Comaroto are born, on limestone-clay soils that give bold structures.
- Valpolicella Classica — the historic zone of the denomination, where Italo Cescon crafts his Amarone under the Ca della Scala label.
The denomination is Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG, the summit of Valpolicella's quality pyramid (below it sit Valpolicella Superiore and Ripasso). The most refined versions and those from historic vintages may bear the wording Riserva, as with the Cent'anni of Tenuta Trabucchi.
Sensory profile: how to recognise it in the glass
In the glass Amarone shows a deep garnet red, often already evolved in hue even when young because of the appassimento. On the nose it is an exceptionally rich wine: cherry in spirit, morello cherry, dried figs, plum open the picture, followed by cocoa, tobacco, liquorice and leather in the more refined versions, with balsamic and spiced nuances.
On the palate it is warm, supple and of great structure, with a ripe tannin that is never aggressive and an alcohol level that often brushes 17% vol. The freshness, when well integrated, sustains a very long finish: aromatic persistence of over a minute is not unusual. It is a wine that demands time — in the glass and in the cellar — to express itself at its best.
Our Amarone della Valpolicella growers
Behind every label is a real winery, with a story and a territory. Here is who makes 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 →
- Comaroto (Illasi, eastern Valpolicella) — the label made by Dal Forno Bros, from 40-60-year-old vineyards on the highest hills of Illasi, with long ageing in new barrique. Discover the winery →
- Italo Cescon (Valpolicella Classica) — Veneto wine artisans since 1957; his "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 from the appassimento: the Valpolicella grapes — Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella — rest for months on the drying racks before being vinified, and from there comes a powerful, warm and supple red that often reaches 15-17 degrees. It is a wine of great structure, with a ripe, softened tannin and an aromatic range of dried fruit, plum in spirit, sweet spice and cocoa. All this power calls for equally important dishes: the suppleness and alcoholic warmth seek out fat and long cooking, while the aromatic richness stands up to concentrated sauces and deeply savoury meats. It is not a wine for delicate dishes, which it would smother without mercy. The rule is to have two protagonists of the same weight converse — or to leave it on its own, as a meditation wine, before a very mature cheese or a piece of dark chocolate.
- Braises, pot roasts and stews of long-cooked beef
- Game and furred quarry (wild boar, roe deer)
- Roasts and red meats of real substance
- Cheeses that are long- and very long-aged
- Dark chocolate, to end the meal or for meditation
We are in the Veronese, and the local cooking seems made expressly to stand up to this wine. The absolute classic is risotto all'Amarone, stirred with the same wine and often with Monte Veronese. On the Veronese table you'll also find bollito misto with pearà, the sauce of bread, marrow and black pepper that holds its own against the wine's warmth, as well as brasato braised at length in the Amarone itself. To finish, a well-aged Monte Veronese d'allevo rounds out the picture without any strain. These are all rich, fatty, concentrated dishes: exactly what a red of this power needs.
In short: Amarone is a red for great slow-cooked dishes and for the end of the meal, to be served not too cold and opened a little in advance, and when 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 bold reds (a "balloon" type), which gives the aromas room to develop. It is a wine that benefits from a little time in the air: uncork it a few hours ahead or decant it, especially in 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 given by the appassimento, Amarone holds up well even once opened: it can be enjoyed over the course of a few days, kept corked at a cool temperature.
Vintages and ageing: when to open it
Amarone is by definition a wine to wait for: the appassimento gives it, right from the start, the structure to age for a long time. How to find your way among our vintages:
- Ready but still young (5-10 years from harvest) — the Pianissimo by Italo Cescon, 2020 vintage, states an ageing capacity of 8-10 years: today it is in the fullness of its most expressive phase.
- At its peak (10-15 years) — the 2013 and 2015 vintages by Tenuta Trabucchi, and the Comaroto Amarone (2021 vintage, with 24 months in new barrique + 24 in bottle): bold structures that are reaching or have reached their best moment.
- A meditation wine, already evolved — the "Cent'anni" 2008 Riserva by Tenuta Trabucchi: a historic vintage, now tertiary, with notes of coffee, black truffle and graphite.
One sign for telling when an Amarone is ready: the colour shifts from a darker garnet to orange highlights, and the aromas move from ripe fruit towards tobacco, leather and dark spices. To keep it at its best until that moment, see how to serve and store.
Buying guide by price range
- Entry level (40-60 €) — the Pianissimo by Italo Cescon (44,90 €) and the 2013/2015 vintages by Tenuta Trabucchi (60 €): the most accessible way to get to know the denomination.
- Structure (90-140 €) — the "Cent'anni" 2008 Riserva by Tenuta Trabucchi (98 €) and the Comaroto Amarone made by Dal Forno Bros (136 €): more mature vintages or longer ageing.
- Special format (145 €) — the 2013 Magnum by Tenuta Trabucchi: 1,5 litres, the format in which Amarone evolves more slowly and for longer, ideal as a gift or for the cellar.
You'll find all the up-to-date prices and the buy button in the cards above.
Other Veneto reds to discover
Keep exploring the Veneto reds in our catalogue: Cabernet, Pinot Nero, Valpolicella, Ripasso, Merlot, Raboso del Piave and Refosco. Or browse all our red wines.