Hidden gem in Valpolicella

Sweet · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Romantic · Elegant

Golden yellow with amber reflections, intense and persistent in flowers, ripe white-fleshed fruit and almond, recalling apricot, honey, orange blossom and vanilla, then warm, soft, full and structured with a base of acidity holding it in balance.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold · Contemplative

Il Vegro is Brigaldara's prestige single-vineyard Amarone from the Il Vegro parcel; higher Oseleta concentration and extended ageing in a mix of small and large casks produce a richer, spicier expression than the estate Classico, with excellent concentration and structure.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Rustic

Castel Caina is Ca' La Bionda's premium single-vineyard selection from the highest Marano valley plots at the foot of the ancient Caina hill; the volcanic soils produce even greater mineral depth and acidity than the estate Classico, with outstanding ageing potential.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Funky

Made by Demeter-certified biodynamic winemaker Marinella Camerani, Mithas reflects Demeter estate viticulture in its earthy complexity, mineral precision and high acidity, evolving with bottle age.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Funky · Rustic

Soraigo shows what biodynamic Valpolicella Classico tastes like with minimal intervention: earthy, mineral, tart cherry with clay soil expressiveness and a savoury, food-friendly character that makes it a superb natural-wine discovery.

Medium Sweet · Full-bodied · Medium tannin · Medium acidity · Contemplative · Rustic

Intense garnet, clean and complex in forest fruits and sugared almond, cherries and sour cherries in spirit, spice, vanilla, chocolate, cinnamon and liquorice, with violet, iris and wild flowers when young, and only 50 grams per litre of sugar so it stays austere.

Sweet · Medium-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Romantic · Contemplative

A rare white passito from Dal Forno, made from dried Moscato and Garganega grapes at the Illasi valley estate, applying the same concentration philosophy as the Amarone to a sweet white with orange blossom and apricot intensity.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Rustic · Bold

Le Salette's estate Amarone Classico, from the high-altitude Fumane vineyards farmed by Monica Scamperle, shows the distinctive freshness and orange-peel note that characterise the estate's high-elevation fruit; a more approachable entry to the Le Salette style than the Pergole Vece.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Rustic

Pergole Vece is from Le Salette's century-old pergola-trained Corvina vines at 450m elevation in Fumane, producing an Amarone of particular freshness and aromatic complexity; high altitude preserves acidity while old vines add concentration.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold · Rustic

Masi's Toar is a 30% Oseleta-dominant Veronese IGT that deliberately showcases the rarely-used indigenous variety; partial drying of the Oseleta component adds concentration and the grape's characteristic dark spice and iron mineral character.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Refreshing

From white marl and flint at 400 to 500 metres: ruby, with spice, balsamic notes and mint on the nose, and a dry, persistent palate that finishes fresh, with what the estate calls great elegance and finesse.

Sweet · Full-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Romantic

Intense red with violet reflections, an intoxicating nose of dried grapes, cherries in spirit and dried fruit closing on refined spice, and a mouth the estate calls fleshy and crunchy.

Dry · Light-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Refreshing · Funky

Straw yellow, with white flowers, citrus notes and grapefruit seed on the nose and great freshness and sapidity on the palate, an easy-drinking, thirst-quenching bottle-fermented white.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Bold

Ambrosan is the single-parcel selection from Nicolis's oldest vines on the Villa Girardi estate, given an extra year in large Slavonian casks compared to the estate Amarone; a more concentrated and austere expression of tobacco-cedar style with excellent ageing potential.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Funky · Refreshing

Novaia's no-added-sulphite Valpolicella, made with indigenous yeasts and about two months of post-fermentation maceration, staying medium-bodied, sapid and fresh.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Refreshing · Elegant

A Valpolicella Superiore made only from fresh grapes with no drying, from limestone rock that the estate credits with a complex structure, elegance and notable ageing potential.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Rustic · Elegant

Santa Sofia's Amarone is a traditional-style Classico from the historic Pedemonte estate, emphasising tobacco-leather complexity and long cellarability; the 16th-century villa setting adds heritage gravitas to a consistently well-made Amarone.

Sweet · Full-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Romantic · Contemplative

Speri's Le Bine de Jago Recioto represents the traditional sweet red wine of Valpolicella before Amarone became dominant; the fermentation-arrested fruit preserves Corvina's characteristic high acidity beneath the luscious chocolate-cherry sweetness.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Rustic

La Fabriseria (old Venetian dialect for the forge) is Tedeschi's second single-vineyard Amarone from a plot on the Monte Olmi hillside; greater tobacco-iron concentration than the Capitel Monte Olmi, with a more austere, mineral-forward character.

Sweet · Full-bodied · Medium tannin · Medium acidity · Romantic · Festive

Tommasi's Recioto Classico is made from the highest-selected Corvina and Corvinone bunches from the family's San Pietro in Cariano vineyards; chocolate-cherry and raisin sweetness balanced by traditional cask structure.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Rustic · Funky

Valentina Cubi's certified organic Amarone from the Fumane hillsides shows a distinctly earthy, mineral character from organic viticulture; the Oseleta addition contributes pepper spice and the high acidity reflects the altitude of the Fumane Classico zone.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Rustic · Funky

Valentina Cubi's organic Valpolicella Superiore shows the freshness of high-altitude Fumane fruit with earthy mineral character from organic farming; a genuinely characterful everyday Valpolicella with better-than-average expressiveness.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Savoury · Elegant

Intense ruby red, intense in red fruit of cherry and redcurrant, well balanced with dense, enveloping and elegant tannins, and unusually for the zone matured in terracotta amphora.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Rustic

Campo Morar (meadow of mulberries) is Viviani's single-vineyard Amarone from the highest plots on the Mazzano ridge in Negrar, at over 400 metres elevation; the altitude confers remarkable freshness and acidity to the dried-fruit concentration, producing a wine of particular precision and longevity.