Amarone: a tale of two styles

Over time, from about the 1990s, two main styles of Amarone arose, following the example of Quintarelli and Dal Forno – two influential leading estates – which produced differently styled models of Valpolicella Classico and Valpolicella Orientale, respectively, according to where they are located.

The former (Quintarelli), grown in the hills, shows a lighter and fresher style, often slightly less alcoholic and classically aged in large Slavonian oak vessels; the latter (Dal Forno), from the flatter region with heavier soils, is typically more concentrated, rich and partly aged in new American oak barrels.

Generally speaking, this regional difference in style is crucial in terms of how you pair Amarone with food – a challenge often made more difficult when dealing with the more structured Valpolicella Orientale wines, with the sweetness of their oak and often higher residual sugar

Francesco Grigoli, grandson of Bepi Quintarelli, opens a bottle of Amarone ‘after the main course of the meal and before the cheese’ – so he doesn’t treat it entirely as a ‘meditation wine’ for after a meal, but neither does he serve it with the main dishes. Grigoli believes ‘a bottle of Amarone is to be opened for a special occasion, not for everyday drinking, and not necessarily to pair with food.’

In reality, within the region it’s the dry ‘regular’ Valpolicella that is typically the red of choice on a daily basis with food. Special occasions can call for something more, which is where Amarone comes into play.