Cesari Amarone della Valpolicella Classico

Amarone della Valpolicella (or simply known as Amarone) is one of Italy’s great red wines and pretty much one of those must-try-before-you-die styles for the wine loving hardcore.

It ain’t cheap and you’re lucky to find much under $100. But it’s difficult to produce, goes through a meticulous ageing method and it’s pretty scare. But far out it’s worth it!

From Veneto in the north-west of Italy Amarone Della Valpolicella is a style that follows an Ancient Roman technique of grape drying called “appassimento”. The best grapes are picked and laid on racks in special air-conditioned lofts and left to dry for 4-5 months. By this stage the grapes have lost 35% of their original weight and have highly concentrated sugars.

The wine is aged for a further 2-3 years in oak cask before release – although this is a style of red that can easily cellar for 10 years. This is a big, full bodied red full of dried red fruit flavours, vanilla and spice and velvety smooth tannins. An absolute delight!

This Amarone is made by a pioneer of the Veneto wine region – Gerardo Cesari. Along with his son Franco he’s taken the classic Amarone style around the world and can now boast the wine sitting on shelves in five continents, one of the first Italian wineries to do so.

Pair it with braised meats and aged cheese.