Amarone is unique. The grape varieties of which it is composed only thrive in the lush hills around Verona. It's method of production - the semi-drying of the grapes before pressing is hardly used anywhere else for making fine dry red wines, and is certainly not employed for a wine produced in commercially viable quantities like Amarone. Its concentrated aromas and flavours are full and attractive when the wine is first released yet are equally immediate and appealing after decades of bottle ageing. Though produced - in a more haphazard version - for centuries, Amarone was only commercially bottled for the first time in 1953. With the exception of passionate connoisseurs intent on collecting winemaking oddities, it remained largely a wine for local consumption. The real revolution came with the exceptional 1990 vintage. Buyers, having emptied producers' cellars of other fine, full-bodied Italian reds, such as Barolo and Brunello di Montalcino, started to look around for alternatives. Amarone was swept up into an international whirlwind. Suddenly Amarone was everywhere: on every wine list, in every shop. Its popularity grew at such a rate as to overshadow its historical significance and traditions, giving rise to misunderstandings based on vague, half-digested snippets of poorly translated information. In addition, the insistent and unpredicted demand for the wine has led to some re-evaluation within the zone itself: new drying techniques, the introduction of other indigenous varieties and the very confines of the zone itself are being hotly debated.Amarone starts life as a sweet wine but is transformed into a full-bodied bitter-tasting wine by lengthy fermentation and a period of at least 2 years' refinement. The fermen¬tation continues in the bottle, with a 0.5° residual alcohol content. The color is ruby red, the scent is marked and spicy and the taste is full, soft and heady. Minimum alcohol content: 14° with a net dry extract of at least 22/1000. BEST PERIOD: Remains at its peak for up to 20 years. BEST WITH: Roasts, game and seasoned cheeses. All the information on Amarone della Valpolicella here
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