Did you know that Amarone wine is a lucky blunder?
The history of Amarone wine is nothing more than a barrel of “Recioto” (sweet Italian wine) that was forgotten by one lucky winemaker (Adelino Lucchese).
The undisturbed wine continued to ferment until all sugar was transformed into alcohol, turning the sweet “Recioto” into a powerful, dry wine, high in alcohol, full-bodied, complex, sensual and captivating! And just like that, the great Amarone wine came to life!
The name “ Amarone” is derived from the Italian adjective “amaro” meaning “bitter”, but Amarone is anything but bitter; it is a wine that engages all your senses, a wine that could travel with you through the ages and take you to the land of love and the birthplace of Romeo and Juliette!
It is called Amarone della Valpolicella, because it is produced only in Valpolicella, an ancient Roman town, north-west of Verona. According to The Oxford Companion of Wine, the name Valpolicella is derived from a mixture of Latin and Greek, which translates to: “ the valley of many cellars”; in a way, the name seems appropriate as Valpolicella produces a wide range of wine styles due to the various production techniques used.
Valpolicella Classico, which is a simple and fruity wine with light tannins and aromas of red cherry, is rarely oaked and typically produced for immediate consumption.
Valpolicella Ripasso is produced in the “ripasso” technique by using grape skins from fermenting Amarone della Valpolicella. The Valpolicella remains in contact with
This Article was originally published on Wines and Vines
