Amarone Wine
Amarone for Collectors: 24 Bottles to Buy and Keep
The Amarone we would put in a collector's cellar today: Bertani 2015, Quintarelli 2018, Dal Forno 2011, riservas to lay down, bottles under €200, mature vintages and magnums.
Best Amarone 2026: Top Rated Bottles You Can Order Today
Thirteen Amarone della Valpolicella that the critics scored highest for the exact vintage we sell, all in stock at All’Amarone in Venice, from Brigaldara Cavolo under €40 to Romano Dal Forno Monte Lodoletta.
Benedetti La Villa and the Roman Mosaic Beneath Its Vineyards in Negrar
Archaeologists found an extensive Roman villa from the third century under the vineyards of Benedetti La Villa in Negrar di Valpolicella, with mosaic floors across a large residential and working complex. It is direct evidence that wine was being made on these slopes almost two thousand years ago.
Amarone 101: everything you wanted to know
The short answers: Amarone is a place, not a grape. It is dry, not sweet, despite tasting of dried fruit. It is not fortified, the alcohol comes from drying the grapes. The name means the big bitter one. Everything below is the long version, question by question.
Every Detail Counts: The “Italesse” Glass Designed for Amarone
Italesse built the T-Made 76 AV specifically for Amarone after two years of work and hundreds of tastings. The bowl is wide enough to let 16% alcohol blow off and tall enough to hold the dried fruit aromatics above it. We pour every Amarone tasting in Venice from it.
The Valpolicella End of Year Report 2024
The Valpolicella year in 2024: which vintages were released, what the critics scored highest, how the harvest went and what shifted in the region. Written from the shop in Venice at the end of the year, where most of what the valley makes crosses the counter.
Amarone Bertani 2015 – James Suckling’s Wine of the Year 2024
James Suckling named Bertani Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2015 his Wine of the Year for 2024, scoring it 100 points. Bertani has made Amarone since 1857, ages it in large Slavonian oak and releases it many years late. The 2015 was one of the two best vintages of the century.
Giuseppe Quintarelli
Giuseppe Quintarelli is the benchmark of traditional Amarone. Long drying, wild yeast, years in large Slavonian casks, released when the wine is ready rather than when the law allows, with handwritten labels. He died in 2012 and the estate continues in the same way under his family.
The best Amarone of 2023? We consult the critics
The critics who matter for Amarone are Gambero Rosso with its Tre Bicchieri, Bibenda with its 5 Grappoli, James Suckling, Wine Spectator and Decanter. They rarely agree. This gathers what each of them rated highest in 2023 and says where the overlap is.
Wine, Food, Science and Valpolicella – In Depth
Wine and food work together through acidity, tannin, fat, salt and sugar. Acidity cuts fat, tannin binds to protein, sweetness must outrun the dish or it tastes sour. This applies that to the Valpolicella wines and explains why Amarone wants braised meat and aged cheese.
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