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| Ultimate Italy / Wines
& Foods / Amarone Valpolicella |
| Amarone Valpolicella |
After Chainti, Asti, and Soave, the best selling wine in Italy
is the ripe, powerful, and full-bodied Amarone della Valpolicella.
The sweet, high-alcohol wine is traditionally made near Valpolicella
which lies north of Verona. The place is full of
old hamlets tucked deep within the many valleys which are surrounded
by hills and cherry trees. Amarone has been produced here for generations.
Some believe that the name came from the Vajo Amaron vineyard near
the famous hamlet Gargagnago. The most dominant grape variety used
for making wines is the Corvina. This is also combined
with other indigenous varieties like Corvinone and Rondinella to
create a variety of blends. It is worth mentioning that till 1990,
Amarone was superceded by Recioto, once the major
wine in this region, but the search for full bodied wines by many
buyers and also the ever-increasing prices of the other major brands
lead to the acceptance of Amarone in 1990 and it became an instant
hit. |
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| How
it is produced |
| Amarones generally contain a minimum of 15% alcohol. They are manufactured
by harvesting and traditionally drying well selected grapes on straw
mats. This process of drying the grapes is quite distinct in the world
and is known as “Appassimento” and traces its roots to
the Romans. It is done to concentrate the sugars and flavors of the
grapes.>>>>>More |
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| Techniques |
| Too much concentration of sugars would have adverse effects as the
excess alcohol would impede the fermenting process. Some manufacturers
purposely concentrate much sugar but the wines that are so produced
do not carry the Amarone designation. Occasionally ‘Botrytis
cinerea,’ a powdery fungus is deliberately allowed to grow on
the grape clusters to improve the sweetness of the grapes. This fungus
is also known as ‘noble rot.’ In 1983, Masi Agricola,
a famous Amarone producer, began testing with a particular strain
of yeast, which reduced time for fermentation as well as the oxidation
in the wines. This was a watershed event in Amarone’s history
as with the progressive usage of this type of yeast the flavors
of the wine have become more pliable to fresh fruit flavors which
many preferred.
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| Valtellina
Valley |
| A variety of prestigious red wines are produced in the vineyards
of Valtellina valley located northeast of Milan. In fact tracing right
back to the pre-Roman period, winemaking has been traditionally providing
a stable source of income to its inhabitants. This can be attributed
to climatic conditions which are near ideal for developing vineyards.
The vineyards are planted on a series of terraces supported by dry-stone
walls. Valtellina wines are popular throughout the world and are obtained
exclusively from the native Italian grape, Nebbiolo. Nebbiolo was
found and introduced in the 14th century but the Nebbiolo wines did
not flow until the 16th century. |
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| Wine
tours |
| So famous are the wines of this region and so scenic are the valleys
in Valpolicella that there are even wine tours organized by various
operators. A visit to select the vineyards of the place - each one
producing its own blend of the Amarone – is generally the central
theme of the tours. Not only do you get to see the entire process
of making wines, you would also get to taste some of them and dine
in the scenic restaurants abounding in the hills nearby. A local expert
will accompany you to make sure you don’t miss out on anything. |
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| The
good vintages |
| The amazing turnaround for Amarone came in 1995. Albeit a small
harvest, the grape quality was astounding and this lead to all-time
record sales of over 2 million bottles. The 1997 vintage went one
step farther and about 3.2 million bottles were sold. |
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| Current
status |
| Though the business is booming in the hills, there is an inherent
risk for the vineyard owners of indiscriminately drying out huge quantities
of grape. Italian wine manufacturers shun well-defined methods of
growing the fruit and depend on individual processes. Rather, the
need for a more strategic outlook is strongly felt and many feel that
this is the only way to carry forward this rich and remunerative business.
Also modern wine-making techniques, though proving to be rewarding,
have caused manufacturers to abandon the elements inherent in the
wine-making process that yields it its uniqueness.
All said and done, it is only the very best that get stamped with
the title of Amarone. So the next time you are hovering around a
bottle make sure you don’t miss out on it, especially if you
have not tasted one at all. |
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