“Amarone deve rimanere raro e caro.”
(“Amarone should remain rare and expensive.”) — Sandro Boscaini

Sandro Boscaini of Masi; Marilisa Allegrini of Allegrini Winery Allegrini photo: Tom Hyland

That quote from the managing director of Masi, one of the most influential producers of Amarone, is a cornerstone of a recently formed project aimed at protecting the distinctive qualities that make this hearty wine one of Italy’s most iconic reds. Le Famiglie dell’Amarone d’Arte (Amarone Families) is comprised of 12 Amarone producers that have unified to combat a recent trend by some estates to make lesser quality Amarone that has been in distribution channels for several years now. The message of the families is simple — truly great Amarone is the result of several factors from the vineyards to the cellar and there are no shortcuts.

What makes Amarone so memorable is the uniqueness of this wine in terms of its creation. Produced in the Valpolicella district, located just northwest and northeast of the city of Verona (the full name of the wine is Amarone della Valpolicella; the term Classico is added if the grapes are sourced from this sub-district), Amarone is made primarily from several indigenous grapes such as Corvina, Rondinella and Corvinone. These are the same varieties used to produce the everyday appealing bottlings of Valpolicella, but for Amarone, everything else is different. The grapes destined for this wine are harvested one week prior to normal and are then laid out on bamboo mats or in plastic boxes and put in a special temperature-controlled room where the grapes are left to naturally dry for a period of three to four months.

This process is known as appassimento; Amarone is one of the few red wines in the world to be made utilizing this technique (Sforzato from the Valtellina district in Italy’s Lombardy region is another example). During the period of drying, the grapes shrivel in size as they lose one-quarter to one-third of their natural water, which results in incredibly concentrated berries that often display a raisiny character. The resulting wines, as you might imagine, are quite powerful, with alcohol typically in the 15–15.5% range. Given its strength and complexity, a well made Amarone can drink well for 15 to 25 years.

Amarone has been a fashionable choice of American consumers for many years now and its appeal has spread to many new markets around the globe. Marilisa Allegrini, head of the eponymous Amarone firm in the town of Fumane, notes that the wine started to become popular in the 1980s, but it was during the 1990s that the market for this wine greatly expanded. Part of the problem today, as she sees it, is the age-old business practice of overproduction. “Because the wine was so successful, some producers started to make Amarone in larger numbers,” she remarks. “In some areas, producers started to plant grapes on the alluvial plains and not the hillsides, which yield more complex wines.” As she sees it, the grapes from the plains were of lesser quality as they were not suitable for the months-long drying process.

For Boscaini, the proof was evident as soon as you started pulling corks. “When you started to taste some of this Amarone, you understand why the prices were low, because the quality was not there,” he comments. Prices fell as low as €7 a bottle in some European retail stores; given the time-consuming production methods that go into this wine, it became clear that these examples represented Amarone at its most basic regulatory terms.

Thus Boscaini sat down with Allegrini in 2008 to discuss a way to protect “the real Amarone,” as he puts it. “Amarone is impossible to imitate because it’s made in one specific area with specific soils and microclimatic conditions from unique indigenous varieties and made with this ancient, but very modern wine--making method.”

The project was formally established in 2009 with ten founding members; joining Masi and Allegrini were Brigaldara, Musella, Nicolis, Speri, Tedeschi, Tenuta Sant’Antonio, Tommasi, and Zenato. Soon afterwards, Begali and Venturini, two well-respected Amarone producers, joined the group. Other firms may come onboard, but they must meet specific requirements, as set out in the company’s guidelines.

The most basic is that member wineries must be family-owned; thus no cooperative producers or corporate-owned firms. Each producer must have at least 15 years of history producing Amarone and must sell their wines in at least five export markets. They must also produce the wine — they cannot simply be bottlers of Amarone. They must also have an interest in promoting the wines of everyone in the group and not merely their own offerings.

As for the specific wines themselves, the group’s requirements generally exceed the basic regulations known as the disciplinare. Thus an Amarone from a family member must have a level of at least 15% alcohol (as compared to the 14% legal requirement) and the wines must be aged six months longer than the 20 months as set out by local regulations (Boscaini estimates an average of 30 months of aging for this group’s offerings — in some vintages, the aging period before the wine is made available on the market will be even longer).

As for the current releases, this is a collection of some of the area’s very best examples of Amarone. The 2006 vintage was a great year as classified by the area’s producers; the wines have deep fruitiness, outstanding concentration and ideal structure. The 2005 was a lighter vintage with very good acidity, while the wines from 2007 have richness and elegance, although they lack the overall complexity of the best 2006 bottlings.

From 2006, the regular Amarone from Zenato is a lovely wine with polished tannins and a long, elegant finish, while the riserva bottling from Musella offers notes of tar and tobacco to accompany its perfectly ripe fruit; this is a slightly richer wine and should peak in 15 to 20 years. The single vineyard “Capitel Monte Olmi” from Tedeschi offers expressive fruit and rich tannins, while the “Vigneto Sant’Urban” from Speri is a textbook Amarone with subtle wood notes, excellent ripeness, ideal structure and perfect balance. This is an exceptional Amarone made in a style that emphasizes finesse and elegance over power.

From 2007, the Allegrini is a ripe wine with polished tannins and nicely integrated oak that is a hallmark of this famed producer, while the “Costasera” bottling from Masi is another in a long line of excellent Amarones from this house. Offering beautiful cherry and floral aromas and notable concentration, this is a lovely introduction to this producer’s style and to Amarone in general. The 2007 Tommasi aged in large oak casks, combines fresh cherry and plum fruit with a fine sense of place; with very good acidity and a light spiciness, it is approachable now and will drink well for the next 10–12 years.

In fact, I found all of these examples of Amarone emphasizing varietal character more than in the past; previous bottlings were often burdened by a strong raisiny, sometimes rustic character. It’s nice then to see this group of producers craft more fruit-driven wines that are cleaner and offer more subtleties. Amarone is a powerful enough wine on its own, so any direction in elegance can only help the overall qualities of this wine.

The group as a whole has been pleased with their work so far, especially as they believe it helps spread the word about the special qualities of Amarone. “We needed a better way to promote this area,” notes Sabrina Tedeschi. “We have to defend our project and our idea, which is not to produce cheap wines.”

Boscaini sums up what is arguably the strongest message for the Amarone Families: “Making a difference between generic production or a production that is made with professionality, with a lot of care, with an expertise that comes not only from the technical side, but also from a long experience, is something that should be done everywhere. We as a group perceive that this is a great message to give today in the market.”

Allegrini Winery in Fumane, Italy Photo: Tom Hyland