Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG

The wine's history begins in the fourth century AD. Cassiodorus, minister of King Theodoric, wrote to Valpolicella landowners asking for the royal table a wine made with a special grape-drying technique, called Acinatico and described as "mosto invernale, freddo sangue delle uve". The record also includes the Edict of Rotari, which set severe penalties for damaging vines, a 1503 estimo describing a valley rich and famous for its wines, and Scipione Maffei, who proposed the word "amaro" for the wine. The first unlabelled bottles of Amarone appeared only in the early 1900s, for family use or for friends, and the first commercial bottle of Amarone della Valpolicella dates from 1953. Legend has it that Amarone was born after a Recioto fermentation was left too long, and traditionalists may view the style as a product of the 20th century; Amarone has only commonly been labelled as such since World War II. The first production rules and DOC recognition came in 1968, and ministerial decrees of 24 March 2010 made the four types, Valpolicella, Valpolicella Ripasso, Recioto della Valpolicella and Amarone della Valpolicella, autonomous.

• A first meeting was held on 9 November 1924 in San Pietro in Cariano to set the basis for a consortium for the defence of the typical wines of Valpolicella, and the Consortium for the Defence was formally constituted on 9 February 1925
• Michael Garner's book Amarone and the fine wines of Verona records that, among producers, Recioto is accepted as "the true mother of Veronese red wines"
• The first commercial bottle of Amarone della Valpolicella dates from 1953
• The DOCG disciplinare was approved by DM of 24 March 2010 (G.U. 84 of 12 April 2010) and modified by decrees of 2011, 2014, 2019 and 2023

The production zone covers the whole foothill strip of the province of Verona, from Lake Garda almost to the border with the province of Vicenza, made up of valleys and hills that enter the plain in the "forma di una mano", the shape of a hand. It takes in 19 communes, in whole or in part: Marano, Fumane, Negrar, Sant'Ambrogio, San Pietro in Cariano, Dolcè, Verona, San Martino Buon Albergo, Lavagno, Mezzane, Tregnago, Illasi, Colognola ai Colli, Cazzano di Tramigna, Grezzana, Pescantina, Cerro Veronese, San Mauro di Saline and Montecchia di Crosara. With the Lessini mountains to the north, Lake Garda nearby and south-facing hill and valley-floor land, the climate where the vines grow is mild overall and not too rainy, approaching the "Mediterraneo" in the low hills and valley floor. Across Valpolicella as a whole the climate is classed as continental or sub-continental, with Lake Garda mitigating both winter minimum and summer maximum temperatures. Annual rainfall is given as 850 to 1000 mm in the disciplinare and 900 to 1100 mm by the Consorzio. The soils derive from calcareous-dolomitic formations, basalts, and morainic and fluvial deposits of volcanic origin, and vineyards can reach 500 metres above sea level. Temperatures are cooler in the west near Lake Garda and may rise by as much as 4°C towards the eastern limits. In Michael Garner's assessment for Decanter (2018), Amarone from Classico tends to be the most elegant and aromatic, Valpantena versions lighter and fruitier, and the extended zone richer and more muscular with a higher alcohol level.

• Classico: five areas, Sant'Ambrogio, San Pietro in Cariano and the valleys of Fumane, Marano and Negrar; Fumane is one of the coldest of the five, and the Marano hills have basaltic soils called "Toari"
• Valpantena: lying between the Classica and the eastern zone, the valley narrows from Grezzana upwards, with remarkable temperature variations between day and night
• Eastern valleys: Mezzane, Illasi and Cazzano di Tramigna; Illasi is the longest of the valleys that cut the Veronese mountains to the east
• Soils: white and white-pink marly limestone (Biancone and Scaglia Rossa) is typical of the Valpolicella hills, alongside basaltic volcanic outcrops

Amarone comes from vineyards planted with Corvina Veronese (Cruina or Corvina) and/or Corvinone at 45 to 95% and Rondinella at 5 to 30%, with up to 25% of other red varieties in total. Corvina is the backbone of the blend of Valpolicella wines, giving structure, aromas and softness, and the aromas and flavours of Amarone are determined by Corvina and, to a lesser extent, Corvinone. The grapes are picked between the third ten-day period of September and the first week of October, laid in a single layer in wooden or plastic crates or on bamboo cane racks, and moved to airy fruttai above the cellars, where they stay for 100 or 120 days until they lose at least half their weight, checked and turned every day. During drying, acidity falls, the ratio of glucose to fructose changes, polyphenols concentrate and glycerine rises considerably. Drying may use climate-control systems only at temperatures similar to traditional drying, excluding any heat-driven dehumidification, and the grapes may not be vinified before 1 December, although the Regione Veneto, on a documented request from the Consorzio, may authorise an earlier start when climatic conditions make it necessary. Fermentation may not begin until January or February and can last more than a month. Valpolicella Ripasso is made by refermenting Valpolicella on the residual pomace of Amarone and Recioto.

• Corvina Veronese: the backbone of the blend; Michael Garner (Decanter, 2018) names elegance and perfume, "especially a telltale note of freshly ground black pepper", as its hallmarks
• Corvinone: very spicy hints of morello cherry, aromatic complexity and structure; next to Corvina it has deeper colour, more tannins and tobacco-like aromas
• Rondinella (5 to 30%): very resistant to bad weather and diseases, giving colour and flavour to the wine
• Assisted drying: most Amarone uses 'assisted' appassimento, often in communal facilities with giant fans and dehumidifiers, while hillside fruttai manage air circulation by opening and closing large windows

Michael Garner, writing for Decanter in 2018, names Allegrini, Bertani, Masi, Quintarelli and Romano Dal Forno as standard-bearers in the UK market and adds Speri and Tedeschi to that list. Masi's Costasera and Tedeschi are examples of Amarone blended from different vineyard locations. Amarone spends a minimum of two years in wood, and up to nine or 10 in rare cases (Quintarelli, Zyme), in barrels ranging from French and Slavonian oak to chestnut, cherry and acacia. The maximum grape yield is 12 tonnes per hectare, of which no more than 65% may be set aside for drying, with the remainder eligible for Valpolicella and Valpolicella Ripasso; the grape-to-wine yield may not exceed 40%. Drying, vinification and ageing must take place within the production zone, and bottling within those zones, with individual authorisations for those who traditionally bottled outside them. At release the wine needs a minimum total acidity of 5.0 g/l and a minimum non-reducing extract of 28.0 g/l, or 32.0 g/l for Riserva. Maximum residual sugar is 9 g/l at 14% vol actual alcohol, with a further 0.1 g/l allowed for each 0.10% vol above 14% up to 16% vol, and 0.15 g/l for each 0.10% vol above 16% vol.

• Vineyards: vines trained only on spalliera or the inclined single or double pergola veronese; grapes from vineyards in at least their fourth growing cycle; forcing banned, emergency irrigation allowed
• Labelling: the vintage is mandatory; 'vigna' followed by its place name is allowed under conditions; qualifiers such as 'extra', 'fine' and 'scelto' are banned
• Bottles: traditional glass bottles of no more than 15 litres, closed with a 'tappo raso bocca' stopper; long-skirt screwcaps allowed only for bottles up to 0.250 litres
• Ageing: two years minimum from 1 January after the harvest, Riserva 4 years from 1 November of the harvest year; vinification is followed by at least 2 years of maturation in wooden containers

The Consorzio Tutela Vini Valpolicella, founded in 1925, has its administrative centre at Villa Brenzoni Bassani in Sant'Ambrogio di Valpolicella and represents more than 80% of the producers using the Valpolicella name. Its Amarone Opera Prima event was listed for 31 January and 1 February 2026 at the Gallerie Mercatali of Veronafiere, and the 58th Vinitaly was scheduled at Veronafiere for 12 to 15 April 2026. In the Classico, Marano sits at the end of an amphitheatre of terraced vineyards on the historical marogne, or dry stone walls, and the hill of Castelrotto (172 metres above sea level) rises in San Pietro in Cariano. At the table, Amarone goes with meat dishes, game, braises and stews, and matured cheeses, or can be served on its own as a meditation wine.

• Amarone Opera Prima: event listed for 31 January and 1 February 2026 at the Gallerie Mercatali of Veronafiere
• Marano di Valpolicella: an amphitheatre of terraced vineyards on the historical marogne (dry stone walls)
• Serving: 16 to 20°C, with one-piece natural cork the most commonly used closure
• Figures: the Valpolicella wines totalled 59 million bottles in 2024, 23% of them Amarone and Recioto della Valpolicella DOCG

Primary sources (MASAF and the Consorzio Tutela Vini Valpolicella): https://www.masaf.gov.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeAttachment.php/L/IT/D/1%252Ff%252F6%252FD.507dfbac5b16903e5472/P/BLOB%3AID%3D20309/E/pdf?mode=download, https://www.consorziovalpolicella.it/tipologie-di-vini-della-valpolicel/amarone-della-valpolicella-docg/, https://www.consorziovalpolicella.it/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/DisciplinareAmarone-della-Valpolicella.pdf, https://www.consorziovalpolicella.it/en/wines/amarone-della-valpolicella-docg/, https://www.consorziovalpolicella.it/en/the-varieties/, https://www.consorziovalpolicella.it/en/the-area/climate-of-valpolicella/, https://www.consorziovalpolicella.it/en/the-area/valpolicella-soils/, https://www.consorziovalpolicella.it/en/the-area/zona-classica-della-valpolicella/, https://www.consorziovalpolicella.it/en/the-area/zona-valpantena/, https://www.consorziovalpolicella.it/en/the-area/zona-doc/, https://www.consorziovalpolicella.it/en/consorzio/. Secondary sources: https://www.decanter.com/magazine/amarone-buyers-guide-382500/, https://www.decanter.com/learn/advice/what-s-the-difference-between-amarone-and-recioto-della-valpolicella-51636/, https://magazine.wein.plus/news/five-million-bottles-of-amarone-less-than-in-2021-production-in-2024-over-25-lower-than-in-the-record-year. Last verified 2026-10-05