Valpolicella

Valpolicella is a red wine zone north of Verona in the Veneto, north-east Italy. It produces a range of styles from the light and cherry-fresh to the immensely powerful Amarone, all from the same core group of local grapes.

Where Valpolicella is

Valpolicella lies in the hills between Verona and Lake Garda. The lake is a significant moderating influence, and the hillside sites — the historic Classico zone in the west, and Valpantena to the east — give better drainage and cooler nights than the valley floor.

The region's identity rests less on climate than on a technique: appassimento, the drying of grapes after harvest.

The grapes

• Corvina — the backbone. Sour cherry fruit, high acidity, moderate tannin, and thick skins that make it ideal for drying.
• Corvinone — long thought to be a Corvina clone but a distinct variety, adding structure and darker fruit.
• Rondinella — reliable and disease-resistant, contributing colour and bulk.
• Molinara and Oseleta appear in smaller amounts, the latter adding tannin and colour.

The four styles, in ascending order of intensity

This is the crucial thing to understand, because the same appellation covers wines that could hardly be more different.

1. Valpolicella — the base wine, made conventionally from fresh grapes. Light-bodied, pale, high in acidity, tasting of sour cherry and almond. Best served slightly chilled, and often compared to Beaujolais in its role.

2. Valpolicella Superiore — higher alcohol and a period of ageing. More substance, still fresh.

3. Valpolicella Ripasso — the "half-way" wine and often the best value in the region. Finished Valpolicella is re-passed over the leftover skins from Amarone production, restarting a light fermentation. It picks up extra colour, alcohol, body and dried-fruit character, ending up medium to full-bodied with cherry, raisin and chocolate notes.

4. Amarone della Valpolicella — the flagship. Grapes are dried on racks for several months, losing much of their water and concentrating everything. The shrivelled fruit is then fermented dry. The result is enormous: full-bodied, 15–16% alcohol or more, with dried cherry, fig, raisin, chocolate, tobacco and a bittersweet finish. Amarone means "the great bitter one", distinguishing it from Recioto della Valpolicella, the sweet version where fermentation is stopped early.

What it tastes like

At the light end: pale ruby, high acidity, sour cherry, a bitter almond twist on the finish, low tannin.

At the Amarone end: deep garnet, very full body, high alcohol, soft ripe tannin, and a dried-fruit intensity closer to Port in weight, though fully dry.

Ripasso sits in between and is the style most people find easiest to place with everyday food.

Food pairings

Valpolicella (base): charcuterie, pizza, tomato-based pasta. Serve slightly cool, around 14°C.

Ripasso: roast meats, mushroom risotto, aged cheeses.

Amarone:

• Braised beef and rich stews — the local dish is beef braised in Amarone itself.
• Aged Parmigiano-Reggiano or Monte Veronese.
• Game and venison.
• On its own after dinner, which is how many Italians drink it.

Amarone overwhelms delicate food entirely. Do not pair it lightly.

What to buy

Ripasso is the sweet spot for value — a genuine step up from base Valpolicella at a fraction of Amarone's price, and far more versatile at the table.

Amarone is expensive and worth trying once for the experience, but its alcohol and concentration make it a wine for occasions rather than for Tuesday. Look for Classico on the label for the historic hillside zone.

If you have written Valpolicella off because of thin, industrial bottlings, a Classico Superiore from a good producer is a different wine entirely.

Serve base Valpolicella at 13 to 15°C, Ripasso at 16°C, Amarone at 17 to 18°C.