http://www.wine-searcher.com/m/2014/11/what-s-the-big-deal-about-amarone What's the Big Deal About Amarone?

© Masi Agricola | There is a long history of drying for Amarone. Amarone della comes from a small part of Italy's region, but it's made friends around the world, as Alfonso Cevola reports. Posted Tuesday, 25-Nov-2014

So, what is the big deal about Amarone?

In the 21st Century, Amarone's popularity has gone through the roof. With Amarone, winemakers in the Veneto are answering the call for rich, powerful, red that – compared to Napa or Burgundy – are still relatively affordable. The big deal is withered grapes, which dramatically reduce quantity and concentrate the clusters. This makes for scarcity and skyrocketing prices. Producers in Valpolicella are refurbishing their cellars and parking luxury cars in their new underground garages.

Amarone, that's on the Tuscan coastline, right?

Sad as it seems, folks sometime confuse a Maremma with Amarone wine. The Veneto – and Valpolicella in particular – has a branding problem. Most people don't realize Amarone comes uniquely from one patch of earth, within the Valpolicella DOC. However, that doesn't seem to stop "big wine" lovers from wanting more of it.

Who says it's a big deal?

Ripe, racy and unctuous, Amarone is hot on the world luxury wine stage. Big-name wine families from the Veneto are spending time and money in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Seoul and Tokyo, with good results. Once a quaint, regional wine with a special, rich character from dried grapes, this Corvina-dominant wine is supplanting more expensive (and rarer) wines from California and France on wine lists and in newer wine cellars. American tastes lean toward fuller and fruitier, especially among the trophy-wine crowd. And in a vintage like 2009, where wines like Araujo Napa Valley Estate "Eisele Vineyard" Cabernet Sauvignon and second-growth Bordeaux Château Cos d'Estournel approach the $300 mark, a highly regarded Amarone (like Masi) can be had for a fraction of that cost.

What makes Corvina so at home in the Veneto?

Corvina is to the Veneto as Pinot Noir is to Burgundy or to Piedmont. It's the dominant for Valpolicella and Amarone and has adapted over hundreds of years to the land and weather. You can find Corvina grown in other places (even Texas) but never with the same depth of flavor and finesse. The region Amarone comes from is one of the longest continuously producing areas since the time of the Greeks. Wine from the Corvina grape has found a perfect climate, soil and culture for the production of this unique creation.

I'm confused. Is Amarone sweet or dry?

Yes.

Oh, you want more? Historically, Amarone was sweeter, as were many red wines. Moving through the 20th Century, became drier to accommodate evolving tastes. Amarone producers kept their sweet wine, Recioto, in production for those who still wanted it. Costlier Recioto, from the outer ears of the grape clusters, is higher in sugar and made in minute quantities. While not officially a , Recioto definitely qualifies as a vino da meditazione, occasionally brought out at the end of a meal, hopefully in the colder months. But most Amarone is dry.

© Amarone Families | These 11 wine families have banded together to protect the integrity of Amarone.

What's this hullabaloo about dried grapes and the character of Valpolicella?

Part of the kerfuffle lies in the popularity of a second wine, Ripasso, which depends on the lees of Amarone for its production. In order for a winery to put the name Ripasso on the label, the wine, often mistakenly marketed as a baby Amarone, has to pass over the pressed grapes made into Amarone. Because of this, in order to produce the less-costly and highly popular Ripasso wine, the producers must increase the production of Amarone.

And what's the real story about this Ripasso business? One version is that Ripasso offers a cash-flow wine that slightly echoes the character of Amarone. Its increased production and faster turnover, though, has some important families questioning if that's good for the brand image. There's a lot of money at stake and plenty of competition from within the region, and interest from thirsty wine drinkers looking for a wine with fruit and good alcohol punch that's affordable for more than special occasions. That's the conflict – Amarone hasn't ever been considered a daily wine; Ripasso fits that bill. But they both need each other, legally and economically.

Who's in charge here? Who's minding the henhouse?

Eleven families have banded together to create "Le Famiglie dell'Amarone d'Arte", an association to protect the integrity of Amarone. They are Allegrini, Begali, Brigaldara, Masi, Musella, Nicolis, Speri, Tedeschi, Tenuta Sant'Antonio, Tommasi, Venturini and Zenato. Their collective strategy is to preserve the Amarone standard as one of excellence and luxury. As with many things Italian, there are winemakers outside that group who have their own ideas, along with the Consorzio Tutela Vini Valpolicella. Italians love a good opera, especially one with heightened drama. And this is where we sit at the moment.

Who are the star winemakers – the names I need to know?

The powerful family estates of Allegrini, Bertani, Le Ragose, Masi, Tedeschi and Tenuta Sant'Antonio are all capable of greatness, producing dependably classic wines. These are no longer boutique wineries, but they often make small-lot wines rivaling those anywhere.

Then there are the "cultists". Dal Forno offers a big, brawny, extracted, modern style. A great scorer, and priced for 1 percenters. Quintarelli's wines are also stratospherically priced, but restrained and still capable of showing how great Amarone can be. Giuseppe Quintarelli, who died in 2012, was considered the grandfather of Amarone.

The "upstarts" include L'Arco – Luca Fedrigo worked with Quintarelli before going out on his own. Look for his undervalued wines, which show great influence from Quintarelli. At Monte Santoccio, rising star Nicola Ferrari also chopped in the woodshed at Quintarelli. Retired school teacher Valentina Cubi upholds a strong female tradition initiated by trailblazers like Le Ragose's Marta Galli.

Sum the wines up in a few words

High-octane wine that’s rich, fruity, unctuous and powerful. Sexy, quintessential fruit-bombs.

© Wine-Searcher

What should I be buying right now?

We're up to the 2011 vintage. 21st-Century Amarone appears to be more supple (i.e. drinkable) than earlier. But a few years in a cellar won't hurt. 2006 to 2011 were all good to great. There will be little, if any, good or great 2014. 2012 and 2013 are months or years from being released, and prices could rise dramatically. Classic vintages like 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, and 2004 can still be found from the top producers from $60 to $400. Compared to Napa or Burgundy, this still looks like a bargain. Now is the time to take your Christmas bonus and stockpile these wines.

What are the best food matches?

For the locavores in the Veneto, Amarone matches up well with hearty meat: cow, pig, horse, donkey; ragus and stews of boiled meats, any and every part, doused with mostarda, salsa verde and chutney. Against the powerful flavors of the meats and spicy condiments, not just any wine will do. Amarone can stand up to the forceful and pungent assault of these native dishes.

For the backyard barbecuer or the steakhouse-goer, Amarone also issues a siren call. We're talking from sweet, smoked meat to moist beef brisket; from a pile of pork ribs to a 48-ounce porterhouse or Wagyu short-rib hamburger. The key is to match power to power. Amarone is a "big night" wine.

Alfonso's Amarones for amateurs:

Prices worldwide on Wine-Searcher (US$, ex-tax, per 750-ml bottle):

Wine Name Avg. Price

Tenuta Sant'Antonio Selezione Antonio Castagnedi, Amarone della $38 Valpolicella

Masi Costasera, Amarone della Valpolicella Classico $53

Allegrini Amarone della Valpolicella Classico $71

Bertani Amarone della Valpolicella Classico $129

Le Ragose Amarone della Valpolicella Classico $55

Giuseppe Quintarelli Amarone della Valpolicella Classico $370