Valpolicella (wine)
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Valpolicella (, , ) is a viticultural zone of the
province of Verona The Province of Verona ( it, Provincia di Verona) is a province in the Veneto administrative region of Italy. On its northwestern border, Lake GardaItaly's largestis divided between Verona and the provinces of Brescia (Lombardy region) and Trenti ...
, Italy, east of Lake Garda. The hilly agricultural and marble-quarrying region of small holdings north of the Adige is famous for wine production. Valpolicella ranks just after Chianti in total Italian '' Denominazione di Origine Controllata'' (DOC) wine production.J. Robinson (ed) ''"The Oxford Companion to Wine"'' Third Edition, pp. 19, 726. Oxford University Press 2006 . The red wine known as Valpolicella is typically made from three grape varieties: Corvina Veronese, Rondinella, and
Molinara Molinara is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Benevento in the Italian region Campania, located about 80 km northeast of Naples and about 20 km northeast of Benevento. Molinara borders the following municipalities: Foian ...
. A variety of wine styles is produced in the area, including a '' recioto'' dessert wine and Amarone, a strong wine made from dried grapes. Most basic Valpolicellas are light, fragrant table wines produced in a ''
novello Novello may refer to: Places * Novello, Piedmont, a ''comune'' in the Province of Cuneo, Italy * Novello Theatre, a theatre in the City of Westminster, London, England People Given name * Clara Novello Davies (1861–1943), Welsh singer, named af ...
'' style, similar to Beaujolais nouveau and released only a few weeks after
harvest Harvesting is the process of gathering a ripe crop from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper. On smaller farms with minimal mechanization, harvesting is the most labor-i ...
. Valpolicella Classico is made from grapes grown in the original Valpolicella production zone. Valpolicella Superiore is
aged Ageing ( BE) or aging ( AE) is the process of becoming older. The term refers mainly to humans, many other animals, and fungi, whereas for example, bacteria, perennial plants and some simple animals are potentially biologically immortal. In a ...
at least one year and has an alcohol content of at least 12 percent. Valpolicella Ripasso is a form of Valpolicella Superiore made with partially dried grape skins that have been left over from
fermentation Fermentation is a metabolic process that produces chemical changes in organic substrates through the action of enzymes. In biochemistry, it is narrowly defined as the extraction of energy from carbohydrates in the absence of oxygen. In food ...
of Amarone or ''recioto''. Winemaking in the region has existed since at least the time of the ancient Greeks. The name "Valpolicella" appeared in charters of the mid-12th century, combining two valleys previously thought of independently. Its etymology is likely from the Latin ''vallis pulicellae'' ("valley of river deposits"). Today Valpolicella's economy is heavily based on wine production. The region, colloquially called the "pearl of Verona", has also been a preferred location for rural vacation villas. Seven '' comuni'' compose Valpolicella:
Pescantina Pescantina is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Verona in the Italian region Veneto, located about west of Venice and about northwest of Verona. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 14,096 and an area of .All demographics ...
,
San Pietro in Cariano San Pietro in Cariano ( vec, San Piero in Carian) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Verona in the Italian region Veneto, located about west of Venice and about northwest of Verona. It is located in the geographical region of Valp ...
, Negrar,
Marano di Valpolicella Marano di Valpolicella is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Verona in the Italian region Veneto, located about west of Venice and about northwest of Verona. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 2,975 and an area of .All de ...
,
Fumane Fumane is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Verona in the Italian region Veneto, located about west of Venice and about northwest of Verona. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 3,908 and an area of .All demographics and o ...
,
Sant’Ambrogio di Valpolicella Sant'Ambrogio di Valpolicella ( vec, Sant’Anbroxio) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Verona in the Italy, Italian region Veneto, located about west of Venice and about northwest of Verona. Sant'Ambrogio di Valpolicella borders ...
and
Sant’Anna d’Alfaedo Sant'Anna d'Alfaedo is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Verona in the Italian region Veneto, located about west of Venice and about north of Verona. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 2,544 and an area of .All demographi ...
.A. Domine (ed) ''Wine'', pp. 390–391. Ullmann Publishing 2008 . The Valpolicella production zone was enlarged to include regions of the surrounding plains when Valpolicella achieved DOC status in 1968. In December 2009, the production of Amarone and ''recioto'' dessert wines within the Valpolicella DOC received their own separate '' Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita'' (DOCG) status.D. Furer '
Amarone promoted to DOCG
'' Decanter Magazine, 4 December 2009.
VinoWire News '
Amarone and Recioto DOCG approved by Italian government
'' 1 December 2009.


History

Viticulture has been used in the Veneto region since at least the time of the ancient Greeks, though the exact period of cultivation for the Valpolicella area is not precisely known. The tradition of using partially dried-grapes (seen today in the modern Valpolicella wines of Amarone) was known as the "Greco" or "Greek style" of winemaking, with its origins likely dating back to this period.H. Johnson ''Vintage: The Story of Wine'', p. 422. Simon and Schuster 1989 . In the 6th century AD, the Roman writer Cassiodorus notes that the sweet wines of the area were favorites in the courts of the Ostrogothic Kingdom of Italy. Since the 8th century AD, the Republic of Venice was long a vital trading port in the Mediterranean, linking the Byzantine Empire with the rest of Europe. Merchants records shows that one of the items regularly traded through Venice was local wines produced in Verona province in the hills west of Venice.K. MacNeil ''The Wine Bible'', pp. 360–365. Workman Publishing 2001 . During the 15th and 16th century, struggles with the
Ottoman Turks The Ottoman Turks ( tr, Osmanlı Türkleri), were the Turkic founding and sociopolitically the most dominant ethnic group of the Ottoman Empire ( 1299/1302–1922). Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks remains scarce, ...
led to frequent blockades of the Venetian ports, limiting the amount of available export wines from the Greek isles and abroad. This further stimulated the development of domestic vineyards for the Venetians, who pushed even further into the hills of the Verona and the Valpolicella region. The 19th century brought a series of calamities to most wine producing regions of Italy-including the
phylloxera epidemic The Great French Wine Blight was a severe blight of the mid-19th century that destroyed many of the vineyards in France and laid waste to the wine industry. It was caused by an aphid that originated in North America and was carried across the Atl ...
, oidium, downy mildew and the political upheaval of the '' Risorgimento''. According to the 1889 writings of the French wine historian Dr.
C. B. Cerletti C. or c. may refer to: * Century, sometimes abbreviated as ''c.'' or ''C.'', a period of 100 years * Cent (currency), abbreviated ''c.'' or ''¢'', a monetary unit that equals of the basic unit of many currencies * Caius or Gaius, abbreviated as ...
, one of the few Italian wine regions to emerge from this period relatively unscathed was Valpolicella. In the 1950s, the "Amarone" style of winemaking was rediscovered. In 1968, the Valpolicella region received official recognition for quality wine production when it was granted its own DOC. However, with DOC recognition also came a large expansion of vineyard areas that were permitted to produce Valpolicella DOC wine, including land in the fertile plains of the
Po River The Po ( , ; la, Padus or ; Ligurian language (ancient), Ancient Ligurian: or ) is the longest river in Italy. It flows eastward across northern Italy starting from the Cottian Alps. The river's length is either or , if the Maira (river), Mair ...
, which tend to produce excessively large yields of grapes with varying qualities. Additionally the grape composition for Valpolicella wines were expanded to include varieties of lower potential quality such as Molinara and Rondinella. This led to a general drop in quality, which had a detrimental impact on not only the area's reputation on the international wine market but also on sales and prices. As winemaking became less profitable, the vineyards in the most labor-intensive areas (such as the hillsides in the classico zone) were uprooted and abandoned. This shifted the source of grape production even further away from the better quality producing hillside regions down to the fertile plains. In the 1980s and 1990s, the Amarone wines of Valpolicella experienced a spike in popularity on the world's wine market. Production of Amarone jumped from 522,320 US gallons (19,772 hectoliters) in 1972 to 1.2 million gallons (46,500 hl) by 1990. By 2000 Amarone production grew to over 3.9 million gallons (148,000 hl). By this point, the price for grapes destined for Amarone production was nearly three times higher than what a comparable quantity of grapes would fetch for basic Valpolicella production. This sparked renewed interest in planting vineyards in the high altitude hillside locations that produced lower yields of grapes better suited for Amarone production. In the 21st century, the reputation of Valpolicella wines continued to expand on the world's wine market, as ambitious winemakers began to invest more in advanced viticultural and winemaking techniques that produce higher quality wines. In 2003, the DOC regulations were adjusted to eliminate mandatory blending requirements for sub-quality grapes such as Molinara. At the end of 2009, the production of both Amarone and ''recioto'' dessert wines in the Valpolicella zone received Italy's highest quality wine designation as a DOCG zones.


Climate and geography

The Valpolicella region has mostly a mild to cool
continental climate Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in the middle latitudes (40 to 55 north), within large landmasses where prevailing winds blow overland bringing som ...
that is influenced by its proximity to two sizable bodies of water- Lake Garda to the west and the Adriatic Sea to the southeast. The coolest regions are in the
Monti Lessini Monti may refer to: __NOTOC__ People * Monti (given name) * Monti (surname) Places *Monti, Lazio, the first rione (historic district) of Rome, Italy *Monti, Sardinia, Italy, a ''comune'' and town *Monti, Iowa, United States, a town See also *Monte ...
foothills to the north, where cool winds blow southward from the Alps. This area is traditionally classified as the ''classico zone''. Towards the south and east, the climate gets warmer in the fertile plains of the
Adige river The Adige (; german: Etsch ; vec, Àdexe ; rm, Adisch ; lld, Adesc; la, Athesis; grc, Ἄθεσις, Áthesis, or , ''Átagis'') is the second-longest river in Italy, after the Po. It rises near the Reschen Pass in the Vinschgau in the prov ...
.M. Ewing-Mulligan & E. McCarthy ''Italian Wines for Dummies'', pp. 119–124. Hungry Minds 2001 . The mean temperature in the growing season is usually around 74.5 °F (23.6 °C), with average rainfall around 34 inches (860 mm).H. Johnson & J. Robinson ''The World Atlas of Wine'', pp. 168–169. Mitchell Beazley Publishing 2005 . The
vineyard soil The soil composition of vineyards is one of the most important viticultural considerations when planting grape vines. The soil supports the root structure of the vine and influences the drainage levels and amount of minerals and nutrients that the ...
s of the region range from
morainic gravel A moraine is any accumulation of unconsolidated debris (regolith and Rock (geology), rock), sometimes referred to as glacial till, that occurs in both currently and formerly glaciated regions, and that has been previously carried along by a gla ...
near Lake Garda to more
dolomite Dolomite may refer to: *Dolomite (mineral), a carbonate mineral *Dolomite (rock), also known as dolostone, a sedimentary carbonate rock *Dolomite, Alabama, United States, an unincorporated community *Dolomite, California, United States, an unincor ...
residual gravel with alluvial deposits in the fertile central plains. Towards the east and near the
Soave DOC Soave ( , ) is a dry white Italian wine from the Veneto region in northeast Italy, principally around the city of Verona. Within the Soave region are both a '' Denominazione di Origine Controllata'' (DOC) zone and since 2001 a '' Denominazione d ...
are several areas featuring
volcanic soils The soil composition of vineyards is one of the most important viticultural considerations when planting grape vines. The soil supports the root structure of the vine and influences the drainage levels and amount of minerals and nutrients that the ...
. The most favorably situated vineyards are located in the Monti Lessini foothills in the ''classico zone'' where the grapes ripen at altitudes between .


Wine regions

The Valpolicella zone is bordered to the west by the
Bardolino DOC Bardolino and Bardolino Superiore are Italian wine, Italian red wines produced along the chain of morainic hills in the province of Verona to the east of Lake Garda. Bardolino takes its name from the town Bardolino on the shores of Lake Garda and ...
, located along the banks of Lake Garda, which produces similar wines to basic Valpolicella using many of the same grapes.A. Bespaloff ''Complete Guide to Wine'', pp. 116–117. Penguin Books 1994 . The historical "heart" of Valpolicella winemaking is in the Monti Lessini hills located northwest of the town of Verona. In 1968, the boundaries of the region were extended far eastward towards the DOC production zone of Soave and south to the plains of the northern bank of the
Po river The Po ( , ; la, Padus or ; Ligurian language (ancient), Ancient Ligurian: or ) is the longest river in Italy. It flows eastward across northern Italy starting from the Cottian Alps. The river's length is either or , if the Maira (river), Mair ...
and its tributary the Adige. Today the original zone is known as ''Valpolicella Classico'' zone and may duly noted on the wine labels of wines produced completely from grapes grown in this area. Today over 40% of all wine production in Valpolicella takes place in the classico zone, with an estimated yearly production of 12.2 million gallons (460,000 hl). Another sub-zone that is permitted to attach its name to the wine is the ''Valpolicella Valpantena'' located in the valley located just east of Verona.


Grapes and wine styles

Most of the wines produced under the Valpolicella DOC are red and usually contain a sizable amount of the area's most distinguished grape, Corvina. Other grapes used in the production of Valpolicella wine most often include Rondinella and Corvinone, but also
Molinara Molinara is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Benevento in the Italian region Campania, located about 80 km northeast of Naples and about 20 km northeast of Benevento. Molinara borders the following municipalities: Foian ...
,
Rossignola Rossignola is a red Italian wine grape variety that is grown in the Veneto wine region of northeast Italy. The variety was first mentioned growing in the province of Verona in the early 19th century and today is a permitted blending variety in seve ...
,
Negrara Negrara is a red Italian wine grape variety grown in north east Italy including the Veneto (wine), Veneto region where it is a permitted variety in the ''Denominazione di origine controllata'' (DOC) wine Amarone.P. Saunders ''Wine Label Language'' ...
, Barbera, SangioveseP. Saunders ''Wine Label Language'', p. 212. Firefly Books 2004 . and
Bigolona Bigolona is a white Italian wine grape variety from the Valpolicella region of northeast Italy where it has been growing since at least the early 19th century. The wine has traditionally been used in the production of late harvest and botrytized de ...
. A few producers are experimenting with reviving the indigenous grape
Oseleta Oseleta is a rare, autochthon (nature), autochthonous red wine grape List of grape varieties, variety from the Valpolicella area in the Veneto region of Italian wine, Italy. It was almost extinct after the phylloxera blight of the 19th and early 2 ...
in Valpolicella. The wines are produced in a wide variety of styles ranging from basic ''nouveau'' table wines, full-bodied red wines, sweet dessert wines and even sparkling ''spumante''. The most basic Valpolicella are light-bodied and often served slightly chilled. They have many characteristics similar to a Beaujolais wine and are often noted for their sour cherry flavor. While full-bodied ''recioto'' and Amarone styles reach alcohol levels of 15–16%, most Valpolicellas have more moderate alcohol levels around 11%. For wines labeled ''Valpolicella Superiore'' the wines must be aged a minimum of one year in wood and reach a minimum alcohol level of 12%.


Recioto

The sweet red dessert wine ''Recioto della Valpolicella'' was awarded its own separate DOCG status in 2010 and has been the style historically associated with the region. The name ''recioto'', also made in neighbouring Soave and
Gambellara Gambellara is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Vicenza, Veneto, Italy. It is northwest of European route E70. Gambellara is known for its wine production. The area has one DOC classified wine, Gambellara classico and Recioto de Gambella ...
regions with their own DOCG designations, comes from the local dialect ''recie'' meaning ears, and refers to the extending lobes that appear as "ears" at the top of a grape cluster. The exposed grapes on the "ears" usually receive the most direct sunlight and become the ripest grapes on the cluster. Historically these very ripe "ears" were picked separately and used to make very rich, sweet wines. Today the method for making ''recioto'' has evolved to include the use of whole grape clusters. Grapes destined for Recioto della Valpolicella are often grown in the most ideally situated hillside vineyards. Recioto can trace its origins to winemaking techniques of the ancient Greeks; the grapes are taken to special drying rooms where they are allowed to desiccate, concentrating the sugars inside the grape. While ''recioto'' is typically sweet, with high levels of
residual sugar The subjective sweetness of a wine is determined by the interaction of several factors, including the amount of sugar in the wine, but also the relative levels of alcohol, acids, and tannins. Sugars and alcohol enhance a wine's sweetness, whil ...
, the
must Must (from the Latin ''vinum mustum'', "young wine") is freshly crushed fruit juice (usually grape juice) that contains the skins, seeds, and stems of the fruit. The solid portion of the must is called pomace and typically makes up 7–23% of t ...
can be allowed to ferment completely
dry Dry or dryness most often refers to: * Lack of rainfall, which may refer to ** Arid regions ** Drought * Dry or dry area, relating to legal prohibition of selling, serving, or imbibing alcoholic beverages * Dry humor, deadpan * Dryness (medica ...
. Often producers will label this wine as Amarone, but they may also choose to produce it as Valpolicella DOC wine or even an '' Indicazione geografica tipica'' (IGT) table wine if they choose to use grape blends outside the DOC requirement. Some producers are experimenting with
international varieties An international variety is a grape variety that is widely planted in most of the major wine producing regions and has widespread appeal and consumer recognition. These are grapes that are highly likely to appear on wine labels as varietal wines a ...
and producing dry Amarone style wines from grapes such as
Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebanon' ...
.


Ripasso

In the late 20th century, a new style of wine known as ''ripasso'' (meaning "repassed") emerged. With this technique, the pomace of leftover grape skins and seeds from the fermentation of ''recioto'' and Amarone are added to the batch of Valpolicella wines for a period of
extended maceration Maceration is the winemaking process where the phenolic materials of the grape—tannins, coloring agents (anthocyanins) and flavor compounds—are leached from the grape skins, seeds and stems into the must. To macerate is to soften by soakin ...
. The additional food source for the remaining fermenting yeast helps boost the alcohol level and body of the wines while also leaching additional tannins, glycerine and some
phenolic compounds In organic chemistry, phenols, sometimes called phenolics, are a class of chemical compounds consisting of one or more hydroxyl groups (— O H) bonded directly to an aromatic hydrocarbon group. The simplest is phenol, . Phenolic compounds are c ...
that contribute to a wine's complexity,
flavor Flavor or flavour is either the sensory perception of taste or smell, or a flavoring in food that produces such perception. Flavor or flavour may also refer to: Science *Flavors (programming language), an early object-oriented extension to Lis ...
and color. As the production of Amarone has increased in the 21st century, so too has the prevalence of ''ripasso'' style wines appearing in the wine market, with most Amarone producers also producing a ''ripasso'' as a type of " second wine". An alternative method is to use partially dried grapes, instead of leftover pomace, which contain less bitter tannins and even more phenolic compounds.T. Wernstrom '
Valpolicella's Treasures - Modern yet distinctly Italian
'' The Wine News Accessed: 28 December 2009.
The first Valpolicella producer to commercially market a ''ripasso'' wine was Masi in the early 1980s. When the style first became popular in the late 20th century, it was rarely noted on the wine label. There was also debate about whether it was even permitted to be included under DOC regulations. If it was mentioned at all it was relegated to the back label wine description notes. Today the term ''ripasso'' is freely permitted to be used, with several examples on the wine market labeled as being made in the ''ripasso'' style. In late 2009, ''Ripasso della Valpolicella'' received its own DOC designation.


Amarone

While the style of Amarone has existed in the region for centuries, it was very rarely made as a deliberate wine style. Mostly it was produced in warm vintages when batches of wines destined for sweet ''recioto'' were unintentionally allowed to ferment completely dry. The modern concept of Amarone has its roots in the early 1950s when producers "rediscovered" the style and began deliberately using yeast strains that could ferment the high levels of
sugars in the wine Sugars in wine are at the heart of what makes winemaking possible. During the process of fermentation, sugars from wine grapes are broken down and converted by yeast into alcohol (ethanol) and carbon dioxide. Grapes accumulate sugars as they grow ...
completely into alcohol. The first completely dry Amarones that were commercially marketed were the 1953 vintages produced by
Bolla The kulshedra or kuçedra is a water, storm, fire and chthonic demon in Albanian mythology and folklore, usually described as a huge multi-headed female serpentine dragon. The kulshedra is believed to spit fire, cause drought, storms, flooding, ...
and Bertani. In 2009, the production of Amarone wine in the Valpolicella zone achieved DOCG status. During the petitioning process, the wine producers in the region established several quality control regulations including quotas on the amount of grapes grown in the fertile plains that could be used in Amarone production. Another measure was the 2003 removal of Molinara from the list of mandatory blending grapes. Amarone is unique in the wine world. Typically very alcoholic, full-bodied and ripe-tasting wines are produced in very warm climate regions, where the grapes are able to build up large amounts of sugar while
ripening on the vine In viticulture, ripeness is the completion of the ripening process of wine grapes on the vine which signals the beginning of harvest (wine), harvest. What exactly constitutes ripeness will vary depending on what style of wine is being produced (sp ...
. Examples of warm climate regions include parts of
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, California and southern Italy. The Valpolicella region is characterized as a "cool climate region" where acid levels are usually maintained and sugar build occurs more slowly in the vine. Grapes destined for Amarone are the last grapes in Valpolicella to be harvested, getting as ripe as they can before mold and rot set in. The sugars in the grapes are then concentrated by a process of desiccation where they are kept in special drying rooms for anywhere from three to four months. During this time over a third of the water is removed as the grapes shrivel into raisins. This method (known as ''
passito Straw wine, or raisin wine, is a wine made from grapes that have been dried to concentrate their juice. The result is similar to that of the ice wine process, but is a much older process and suitable for warm climates. The technique dates back ...
'') produces more concentrated grapes that still maintain the acid balance of a cool-climate grape. Amarones differ from other late harvest wines in that the presence of '' Botrytis cinerea'' is actively discouraged, as winemakers attempt to avoid the smoky, mouldy flavors that come with
botrytized wine Noble rot (french: pourriture noble; german: Edelfäule; it, Muffa nobile; hu, Aszúsodás) is the beneficial form of a grey fungus, ''Botrytis cinerea'', affecting wine grapes. Infestation by ''Botrytis'' requires moist conditions. If the we ...
. Extra care is taken in the vineyard to ensure that the grapes are kept dry and harvested before rot can develop. The Amarones are then
aged Ageing ( BE) or aging ( AE) is the process of becoming older. The term refers mainly to humans, many other animals, and fungi, whereas for example, bacteria, perennial plants and some simple animals are potentially biologically immortal. In a ...
for several years, with many premium examples being aged for at least five years prior to release. They are often aged in large wooden barrels of either Slavonian or French oak. Traditionally the barrels are older and essentially "neutral", in that they do not impart much flavor or wood tannins, but in the late 20th and early 21st centuries more Amarone producers have been experimenting with the use of smaller new oak barrels that introduce more oak flavoring to the wine. Amarones are rich, full-bodied wines with flavor and
aroma notes The aromas of wine are more diverse than its flavours. The human tongue is limited to the primary tastes perceived by taste receptors on the tongue – sourness, bitterness, saltiness, sweetness and savouriness. The wide array of fruit, e ...
that are often compared to the flavors of Port wine. The wines often have notes of mocha, bitter-sweet dark chocolate, raisin, dried
fig The fig is the edible fruit of ''Ficus carica'', a species of small tree in the flowering plant family Moraceae. Native to the Mediterranean and western Asia, it has been cultivated since ancient times and is now widely grown throughout the world ...
and earthy flavors. At restaurants sommeliers will often recommend
food and wine pairings Wine and food matching is the process of pairing food dishes with wine to enhance the dining experience. In many cultures, wine has had a long history of being a staple at the dinner table and in some ways both the winemaking and culinary tradi ...
for Amarone with hearty, heavy dishes such as
meat roast Roasting is a cooking method that uses dry heat where hot air covers the food, cooking it evenly on all sides with temperatures of at least from an open flame, oven, or other heat source. Roasting can enhance the Flavor (taste), flavor through ...
s. A classic after-dinner assortment is Amarone paired with walnuts and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Master of wine
Mary Ewing-Mulligan Mary Ewing-Mulligan is an American author, wine educator and Master of Wine, the first American woman to achieve this accreditation.Matasar, Ann B. (2006). ''Women of wine: the rise of women in the global wine industry''. University of California Pr ...
notes that well-made examples of Amarone from favorable vintages usually need about ten years of
bottle aging The Aging (food), aging of wine is potentially able to improve the quality of wine. This distinguishes wine from most other consumable goods. While wine is perishable and capable of deteriorating, complex chemical reactions involving a wine's sug ...
for the flavors to mature, and have the potential to continue developing for twenty years or more.


References


External links


Official portal for the Valpolicella region: Wine

Key facts about Valpolicella wines
{{Coord, 45.5167, N, 10.8833, E, source:wikidata, display=title Italian DOC Wine regions of Italy Wines of Veneto ja:ヴァルポリチェッラ