Amarone: a modern wine coming from an ancient production technology

Amarone wine is a renowned dry red wine produced in Valpolicella (Verona, Northern Italy). It is made from local grapes varieties (Corvina, Rondinella, and Molinara) that are slowly dried under natural conditions during the fall into winter. After the postharvest drying, carried out for several weeks in dedicated lofts called fruttaio, the grapes are vinified: crushed, given prefermentative cold maceration, undergo alcoholic fermentation on the skins, malolactic fermentation, and finally maturation. The partially dried grapes are traditionally crushed during the second half of January to February. Because cellar conditions are unfavorable for either alcohol or malolactic fermentation, selected microbial cultures (yeasts and malolactic bacteria) are often necessary to correctly manage fermentation. The progress of both fermentation processes needs constant surveillance. During maturation conducted in vessels or wooden containers (tonneau in durmast oak), clarification and stabilization lead to improvements in quality. Product specifications require that Amarone not be bottled before the wine has been aged for 2years (Anonymous (2010). Disciplinare di produzione dei vini a denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita "Amarone della Valpolicella". Gazzetta Ufficiale della Repubblica Italiana. Serie generale n. 84. April 12). Amarone achieved its DOCG (Controlled and Guaranteed Denomination) status in 2010.