Is Amarone made with dried grapes?
a-ma-RO-ne — four syllables, stress on third.
In Veneto wine country when tasting or learning about Amarone — one of Italy's most powerful and distinctive wines.
Amarone della Valpolicella is made using the 'appassimento' technique — grapes are dried on bamboo racks ('fruttai') for 90–120 days after harvest, concentrating sugars and flavours. The resulting wine is 15–17% alcohol, rich, and velvety.
Quanto durano le uve ad asciugarsi?
How long do the grapes take to dry?
Drying time: typically 90–120 days, from October to January
La Ripasso è fatta con le vinacce dell'Amarone?
Is Ripasso made with the pomace of Amarone?
Ripasso is Valpolicella wine re-fermented on Amarone skins — a rich intermediate style
L'Amarone si abbina con cosa?
What does Amarone pair with?
Braised meats, aged cheeses, truffles — or simply alone as a meditation wine
The 'fruttaio' (drying loft) where Amarone grapes dry is a sacred space in Valpolicella. The timing of the opening of the fruttaio windows is calibrated to control temperature and humidity. If the conditions are wrong (too humid), noble rot ('botrytis') can develop — a disaster, not a benefit for Amarone.