Valpolicella and Amarone Wines: A Complete Guide to the Region

Valpolicella is one of the most important red wine districts in Italy, producing a family of wines that range from light, everyday drinking through to some of the most age-worthy and expensive bottles in the country. The zone sits in the hills northwest of Verona, between the city and the southern shore of Lake Garda, and its vineyards — planted mainly with Corvina, Rondinella, and Molinara — are the foundation for four distinct wine styles: Valpolicella DOC, Ripasso, Amarone, and Recioto. Understanding how these four relate to each other is key to understanding the region.

Valpolicella DOC: The Everyday Wine of the Region

Valpolicella DOC is the lightest and most approachable expression of the zone. Made from fresh Corvina, Rondinella, and Molinara grapes and released within a year of harvest, it is a red wine built for the table rather than the cellar — moderate alcohol, bright cherry fruit, and enough acidity to cut through the rich meat dishes of the Veneto. The Classico designation, applied to wines from the original historic zone in the hills above Verona, indicates higher quality fruit and more careful selection. Valpolicella Superiore is aged for a minimum of one year and carries slightly more structure. Both are best served lightly chilled with pasta, antipasti, and lighter grilled meats.

Ripasso: The Middle Ground

Ripasso is the bridge between Valpolicella and Amarone. The technique — refermentation of Valpolicella wine on the dried grape skins left over from Amarone production — gives the wine additional body, colour, and complexity without the full weight of Amarone. The result is a wine with more tannin and dried fruit character than standard Valpolicella, but at a fraction of the price of a proper Amarone. Ripasso received its own DOC classification in 2010, ending a long period where the style had no official status. It pairs well with braised meats, aged cheeses, and the rich winter dishes of the Veneto kitchen. Many producers offer it as their best-value expression of the house style.

Amarone: The Signature Wine of Valpolicella

Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG is one of Italy’s great red wines. The production process sets it apart: after harvest, selected bunches of Corvina, Rondinella, and Molinara are laid on wooden racks or in crates and left to dry for three to four months in well-ventilated drying lofts called fruttai. During this period — known as appassimento — the grapes lose 30 to 40 percent of their weight as water evaporates, concentrating sugars, acids, and phenolic compounds. Fermentation of the resulting must is a slow process, often lasting 30 to 50 days, as the yeast works through the high sugar levels to produce a dry wine typically between 15 and 17 percent alcohol.

The name Amarone — from the Italian amaro, bitter — distinguishes it from Recioto, the sweet version of the same process. A good Amarone is not bitter in the pejorative sense; it is dry, structured, and deeply complex, with flavours of dried cherry, dark chocolate, leather, tobacco, and spice. The wine is aged for a minimum of two years in oak (four years for Riserva), and the best examples continue to develop for 20 years or more. Key producers include Allegrini, Bertani, Dal Forno Romano, Masi, Quintarelli, and Zenato.

Recioto della Valpolicella: The Sweet Original

Recioto is the oldest wine style of the Valpolicella zone and the origin from which Amarone descends. The production process is identical to Amarone — appassimento followed by slow fermentation — but fermentation is stopped before all the residual sugar is converted to alcohol, leaving a rich, sweet, velvety red wine with around 12 to 14 percent alcohol. Recioto della Valpolicella DOCG is a wine for dessert or for drinking on its own; it pairs with dark chocolate, dried fruit, and strong aged cheeses. Production volumes are small and shrinking as the market for Amarone has expanded, but it remains the wine that best explains the region’s winemaking logic.

Visiting Valpolicella: Wineries and Tours

The Valpolicella Classico zone is compact and easy to navigate by car. The main visiting corridor runs through the villages of San Pietro in Cariano, Fumane, Marano di Valpolicella, and Negrar. Most serious producers require advance booking; walk-in visits are possible at larger estates with dedicated visitor centres, but should not be assumed. A guided wine tour is the most efficient way to visit multiple producers, particularly if you want to combine Valpolicella with a stop at Lake Garda or Verona in a single day. For an organised itinerary, see our guide to Amarone tours and Valpolicella wineries from Verona.

The Lake Garda shore — particularly Bardolino and the eastern bank — adds a second dimension to any visit. Cantina Zeni in Bardolino combines wine tasting with a wine museum covering the history of production in the region. Producers around Sirmione and Desenzano focus on Lugana, a very different style of wine (white, from the Turbiana grape) that makes an ideal counterpoint to a day spent in Valpolicella. For a broader view of the western lake shore and its wines, the Valtenesi and Chiaretto producing zone is accessible from the same base.

What to Buy and How to Choose

• For everyday drinking: Valpolicella Classico or Superiore from a quality producer. Drink within three to five years of vintage.
• For a step up: Ripasso from a reliable estate. Good value relative to Amarone and suits a wider range of food pairings.
• For a serious bottle: Amarone from a named producer in a good vintage. The best years in recent memory include 2015, 2016, and 2019. Buy young and cellar, or buy a back vintage from a merchant who has stored it properly.
• For something rare: Recioto della Valpolicella. Rarely found outside the region; if you see it at a producer, it is worth buying.