Where wine transforms
North of Verona, between the last folds of the Prealps and the plain opening toward the south,Valpolicellaunfolds through a system of valleys all facing in the same direction: the light.
It is a territory built on balance.
Not extreme, not immediate. Progressive.
The hills follow one another in continuity, while soils alternate between limestone, marl and volcanic elements, creating different conditions even within a few kilometres. It is not a place that imposes a single identity, but one that defines itself through variation.
The grapes are Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella. Varieties that, on their own, do not seek absolute power. It is in their combination that structure emerges.
Valpolicella, in its most direct form, is a wine of balance. Fresh, fluid, never heavy. But to reduce it to this would be to misunderstand the territory.
Because here, wine is not only expression.
It is transformation.
It is inValpolicellathat one of the most significant techniques in Italian wine takes shape: drying.
A practice that does not aim to create power, but to change direction.
And it is from this choice that the territory divides, expands, and reveals itself.
The disciplinare and its evolutions
Between Recioto, Ripasso and transformation
TheValpolicellasystem is not built on a single wine, but on a progression.
At the base isValpolicellaDOC: fresh, direct, built on drinkability.
Then comesValpolicellaSuperiore, adding structure and a passage in wood.
But everything changes when drying comes into play.
On one side, there isRecioto.
It is made from dried grapes, just like those destined forAmarone. The difference lies in fermentation: inRecioto, it is stopped before all sugars are converted into alcohol. The result is a sweet, concentrated wine, where the richness of drying is supported by residual sugar.
On the other side isAmarone, where fermentation continues to completion, transforming all sugars and resulting in a dry wine.
And then there isRipasso, positioned exactly between these two worlds.
After the production ofAmaroneorRecioto, what remains are the pomace: skins rich in compounds, aromas, residual sugars and structure. A finishedValpolicellais passed over these skins.
This second step triggers a short refermentation. The wine gains body, depth and a more complex texture.
It does not becomeAmarone.
But it is no longer a simpleValpolicella.
It is a wine born from the reuse of already transformed matter, carrying with it a memory.
Here, the disciplinare does not simply define categories.
It defines a path.
From freshness to concentration, from directness to complexity, from drinkability to depth.
And in between,Ripasso:
a point of transition that explains the entire system.
Drying
When time stands still
Drying is the gesture that definesValpolicella.
The grapes are harvested and laid to rest, traditionally in drying lofts known as “fruttai,” where they slowly lose water. During this time, which can last for months, the berries concentrate.
Sugars, aromas, structure. Everything intensifies.
This is not a static process.
It is a transformation.
The loss of water alters the balance of the fruit. It changes the relationship between sugar and acidity, between matter and tension. It is a technique that requires control, attention and time.
And it is from here that the deepest wines of the territory are born.
Amarone della Valpolicella
When a mistake becomes identity
Amaronewas not born from a plan.
It was born from a deviation.
To understand this wine, one must return toRecioto, the traditional sweet wine ofValpolicellamade from dried grapes. For centuries, fermentation was stopped early, leaving natural sweetness in the wine.
Then, something changed.
It is said that during a forgotten or prolonged fermentation, the sugars were completely transformed. Instead of remaining sweet, the wine became dry.
A mistake.
But not one to be corrected.
The wine had lost its sweetness, but not its concentration.
It was broader, deeper, more direct.
It was “amaro”, meaning bitter.
And from this came the name:Amarone.
Not as a negation ofRecioto, but as its unexpected evolution.
In the glass,Amaroneretains this dual origin. Its substance comes from drying, but its structure from complete fermentation.
It is a wine that begins in sweetness and arrives at dryness.
And it is in this transition that it builds its identity.
Today, the disciplinare regulates every phase: low yields, long ageing, strict process control. Not to limit, but to protect balance.
Because without control, drying risks becoming excess.
Amaroneis one of the few Italian wines capable of uniting concentration and territorial identity without losing recognisability.
It does not accompany.
It defines.
