In search of the Amarone: a four-day wine tour in Valpolicella
A long weekend to learn everything there is to know about one of Italy’s greatest wines: Amarone. Our home base will be a historic hotel in the heart of Verona. From there, we will travel to five of the best wineries in the area, each of which makes great wines from the best Valpolicella crus.
Schedule
Day 1
Our Amarone wine tour starts at the Serego Alighieri-Masi Winery. A dream estate with amazing vineyards and lush gardens in Renaissance style The wines are intense and well-balanced, but Mazzano and Campolongo di Torbe, which are made in very small quantities and have pyrotechnic qualities and are proof of great terroirs, are the real masterpieces. In the afternoon, we can relax by walking through the vineyards or playing some golf; for those who want, there are cooking lessons to do, and then, after coming back to Verona, dinner with paired wines.
Day 2
Amarone is produced in special drying chambers, and the grapes are cut and put on the “arele.” In the morning, there will be a tour of Verona’s artistic history. After that, we will go to Aldegheri Winery, which doesn’t need an introduction. Their wines are big and luxuriously rich, with lots of dark, bursting spices rising from a sea of mashed plums. After the wine tasting tour, we will have lunch in a typical restaurant to taste the local cuisine.
In the afternoon, we will move to the hills of Mezzane. Corte Sant’Alda Winery is a (bio)dynamic and daring winery that has embraced the organic faith wholeheartedly, motivated by a no-frills aesthetic philosophy in order to provide wines free of technological and chemical contaminations. Compared to the last Amarone, they are fresher and have a sharp fruit flavor and a strong spicy tone. In the afternoon and evening, there is free time in Verona.
Day 3
Today will be a glorious day: our Amarone adventure will begin at the Mazzi Winery. beautiful and hospitable, with a range of excellent wines that we are going to taste under the ancient vaults of the cellar, which houses an amazing barricaia (set of barrels). We’ll get to try two interesting wines from small crus: Castel and Villa. Both are herbaceous and licorice-driven, and they have deep hints of coriander, vanilla, and plum tart.
But the real surprise is the simplest wine, the Valpolicella called Pojega, one of the best in the class, reinforced by a slight drying of the grapes that gives great depth to the wine. We won’t miss the beef stew slowly cooked in the Amarone or the delicious sweet wine, Recioto della Valpolicella. A cooking lesson is included to learn about the delicious Venetian recipes.
In the afternoon, visit Quintarelli Winery. Finally, we have reached the source of the Amarone. We can quench our thirst once and for all. Pure bliss, wine nirvana, a simple epiphany about fermented grape juice—all we can say is that this wine is a perfect alchemy of consistency, freshness, warmth, and spice mantras following each other, layer by layer, always with new revelations and a shocking creaminess to offer.
The intuition of Quintarelli, born from the need to give royal dignity to the Amarone grape, has become a law carved into the rock. Then we will take a tour of Lasizie, a delightful town near Garda Lake, and we will have the opportunity to try the famous thermal baths of Calà. We will then take an aperitivo in front of the lake before dinner.
Day 4
end of the tour. If you like, it’s possible to extend your journey with additional days focused on Bardolino, Valpolicella, Soave, and Prosecco, which are all quite handy.
This is a heavy tour de force of Amarone. If you prefer a more laid-back approach to culture, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.