Amarone della Valpolicella

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The Lessini mountain range to the north, the proximity of Lake Garda, and the south-facing orientation of the hillside and valley-floor vineyards produce a mild, not overly rainy climate, close to Mediterranean in character, especially on the lower slopes and in the valley floor.
• Mean annual rainfall ranges between 850 and 1,000 mm and is not excessive except during the winter season.
• The soils of Valpolicella derive from the breakdown of calcareous-dolomitic formations, basalts, and morainic and alluvial deposits of volcanic origin, resulting in considerable variability in the water supply available to the vine.
• The vineyards are found at altitudes of up to 500 metres above sea level, with varying aspects depending on the elevation and the hillside slopes occupied.
• On the lower and middle slopes, which do not exceed 300 metres above sea level, the soils are sandy-gravelly and clayey.
• The higher slopes of the production zone feature soils of marly limestone, identified as Biancone and Scaglia.

• The earliest ancestor of Amarone was known as Acinatico, produced using a special appassimento technique that Cassiodorus required for the royal table of Theodoric.
• The grapes, harvested between late September and early October, remain in the drying lofts (fruttai) for 100 to 120 days, checked and turned every day, until they lose at least half their weight.
• Training systems have evolved from the double pergola veronese, also known as the tendone, to the single pergola and the pergoletta veronese, in order to improve grape quality.

• The wine has a very deep red colour with garnet notes and an aroma reminiscent of dried fruit, tobacco, and spice, deriving from the noble moulds that develop during appassimento.
• The palate is strongly fruity and dry yet very soft, with a full body, warming and invigorating character, and the wine can age for more than twenty years.

• The mild, not excessively rainy climate, warmer during the late-summer and autumn season, produces a fairly regular ripening of the blend, lending valley-floor wines a moderate alcohol level and floral notes.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.

All appellations in Italy

Sources

• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PDO-IT-A0435
• Official trade body site — Consorzio Tutela Vini Valpolicella