Ideally drink now through to 2030.

Decant 1 hour.

Deep garnet colour with cherry red tinges, the nose delivers intense dried fruit, black cherry, wood, spice, and jam. The palate offers intense fruit, black cherry, with hints of spice, vanilla and chocolate. The full bodied wine has tannins that are silky and well integrated along with good acidity that helps to balance the wine perfectly. The finish is long and persistent and allows this fabulous wine to be enjoyed a little longer.

Would match perfectly with red meat, game, venison, spicy sausages, and aged cheeses.

Amarone is made by partially drying grapes naturally in the case of Cavalchina, this is carried out by placing the grapes on small wooden trays that are then placed in a wooden hut that provides the perfect drying conditions. The purpose of partially drying the grapes is that the juice is concentrated, as are the flavours and sugars within the grapes. The grapes are hand harvested to ensure that only the best fruit is used for the wines. Traditional fermentation is used and can last for up to 3 weeks . The wine is then matured in new French oak for 12 months prior to bottling.

The great combination of alcohol, tannin and acid provides a complex and wine that has superb drinkability yet is capable of ageing well for many years.

Drink now through to 2030. No need to decant before serving.

This powerful Amarone is sure to please lovers of big, bold reds thanks to its opulent flavour profile and well-built structure. The nose opens with hints of bright red cherry, cassis and dark plum complemented by dried fruit, tobacco and cigar box from the oak ageing. On the palate there are deep, concentrated dark fruit flavours with dark chocolate, coffee, and mocha along with a full body, smooth texture and firm tannins.

After the Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella grapes are harvested they are dried in the traditional way for 90-110 days to concentrate the sugars and flavours. The grapes are then vinifed and aged in barriques for 12 months followed by another 12 months in 3000 litre casks. The well-built structure makes this a great contender for extended cellar ageing over the next decade or so, and it can also be enjoyed now alongside hearty red meat dishes like beef bourguignon or a rib eye steak.

The Cottini family have been winemakers for generations, so it was only natural for Paolo Cottini to found his own winery in the small medieval town of Castelrotto in the heart of the Valpolicella region. His vineyards are located in the Negrar Valley and Valgatara at between 250-480 metres of altitude.

Drink now through to 2028. Decant 2 hours before serving.

The Guerrieri Rizzardi estate was founded in 1914 following a marriage between two local families, the Counts Guerrieri and the Counts Rizzardi, who were respected wine producers in the Veneto region. Over the years the family has sought to produce top quality wines which stay true to the region’s noble winemaking traditions. The estate is currently run by Giuseppe and Agostino Rizzardi who have sought to modernise their winemaking practices while honouring their ancient family connection to this land.

This sumptuous Amarone takes its name from the three Cru vineyards, Calcarole, Pojega & Rovereti, where the grapes are sourced for this wine. Calcarole is a steep 5 hectare vineyard located on a hill, while Pojega and Rovereti are planted on gentle slopes on clay soils. Following the harvest the grapes are carefully raisined in a well-ventilated room for three and a half months. They are then fermented slowly over the course of a month and matured in small oak barrels for 12 months and in large 25 hl barrels for a further 24 months.

This produces a magnificent Amarone that exudes rich dark berry and sweet spice aromas along with hints of toasty oak. The first sip reveals a generous full body, firm structure and luscious blackcurrant jam, dark chocolate, leather and licorice flavours which linger on the tongue.

Drink now through to 2028. Decant 2 hours before serving.

The magnificent Ambrosan Amarone is the flagship wine of the Nicolis estate which is run by brothers Giancarlo and Giuseppe. The family work around 40 hectares of vineyards which include some of the Valpolicella region’s finest sites for making Amarone. This single vineyard Amarone is crafted with grapes sourced from the family’s Ambrosan plot which is located in the hills at an altitude of between 200 and 480 metres.

All of the grapes harvested by hand and then left for four months in a well-ventilated room. This process turns the grapes into raisins, helping to add concentration of flavour and greater body and richness to the finished wine. They then undergo a slow fermentation and maceration for one month before being aged in Slavonian oak barrels for a period of 30 months.

The result is a bold, intense wine that opens with rich aromas of black cherry jam, raisins, sweet baking spice and hints of tobacco and leather. On the palate you’ll immediately notice the full body and ripe tannins along with seductive dark berry, cigar box and bitter chocolate flavours. The Ambrosan Amarone is an ideal partner to accompany a special meal of game or roasted meat and also makes an excellent candidate for extended cellar ageing.

Drink now through to 2038. Decant 2 hours before serving.

The first mention of the Ca Dei Frati estate dates right back to 1782, although it wasn’t until 1939 that the modern winery started to take shape. Felice Dal Cero recognised the excellent winemaking potential of Lugana on the shores of Lake Garda and set about planting vineyards to make his dream a reality. Today the winery is run by Felice’s three grandchildren and is widely considered to be Lugana’s finest winery with around 200 hectares of vines.

This magnificent Amarone is named after Pietro, Felice’s son, who played a pivotal role in the story of the estate and the wider region, helping Lugana to receive official DOC status as an appellation in 1967. His namesake wine is crafted with top quality fruit from the estate’s Luxinum vineyard which sits below Monti Lessini. Once in the winery the grapes are dried according to tradition for 4 months to intensify and concentrate the flavours and sugars. They are then fermented and the young wine aged in oak barrels for 24 months followed by 12 months in steel tanks. The wine then undergoes another 24 months of ageing in the bottle before release.

This lengthy maturation process crafts a remarkably polished and graceful Amarone which is bursting with complex layers of dried fruits, ripe crushed berries and cherries, and cigar box spice and vanilla from the oak ageing. It is recommended to decant the wine a couple of hours before serving to reveal the full beauty of this complex and powerful Amarone.

Drink now through to 2029. Decant 2 hours before serving.

The Brunelli family have lived amongst the gentle rolling hills of the Valpolicella wine region since at least the 18th century. For generations the family worked the land of a noble family from Verona, slowly purchasing parts of the estate over the years. Finally in 1936 they were able to achieve their dream of making their own wines under the Brunelli label.

These days the estate is looked after by Luigi and Luciana along with their son Alberto who have dedicated themselves to preserve the region’s little-known indigenous grape varieties and traditional winemaking techniques. Their flagship Amarone wine, the Campo del Titari, is a careful composition of local Corvina, Rondinella, and Oseleta varieties which the family makes only in the very best vintages in limited quantities.

This bold, characterful wine is made with carefully selected grapes which are harvested at optimal ripeness and then left to dry over the winter to intensify their flavours. The grapes are then slowly fermented and matured in large oak casks for 48 months to add a delicious spicy character. On the nose fragrant hints of smoky tobacco, cacao and vanilla gently mingle with dried fruit, brandied cherries and plum jam aromas. The first sip is incredibly smooth and well-rounded with a firm structure, balancing freshness and seductive ripe berry flavours. It is recommended to decant this wine at least two hours before you plan to serve it to reveal all of its delicate nuances and subtleties.