Amarone. What's the deal?

I recently acquired an Amarone kit. I have never had the pleasure of drinking this type of wine so I really didn't know too much about it.

Usually if I find a kit or hear about a certain type of wine I will give it a try and compare it to what I have or will make. For example, I never heard of Viogner. I found a kit that was on sale, bought the kit, found a bottle at the liquor store, etc, etc.

With Amarone I have found that it has been harder to find and when I do find it its about $40 minimum per bottle.

I have heard great reviews about this style of wine. Why is this wine so special?

Amarone (i.e., true Amarone) is inherently expensive to produce. It is also sought after, which drives up the price as well.

It is made by taking the ripe grapes, and allowing them to air dry for a period of time. This concentrates the juice, making the wine more full-bodied, intensely flavored, and higher in alcohol. This process, called appassimento, takes time and money, of course.

As to laying your hands on a reasonably priced bottle, I have two suggestions. One is a visit to a Trader Joe's, if you have any nearby. They often have an Amarone in the twenty-something dollar range.
Another suggestion is to try a Valpolicella Ripasso. This wine is made by "repassing" a normal Volpolicella through the leftover Amarone skins. Ripasso wines are sometimes described as a "baby Amarone." Here is a site to this effect: http://www.winewordswisdom.com/wine_reviews/ripasso-wines.html

Wow. That is interesting. The kit I am making isn't done yet but as I've been taste testing I've noticed it is a very intense flavored wine. Thanks.

Another option is to follow WTSO (wines 'til sold out). They sell one wine at a time at very reasonable prices. Shipping is free for certain quantities. I've purchased Amarone from them for under $25 per bottle.

I just thought of another question. Would the kit be considered a "true" amarone? It did come with skins. But is there any way of knowing if the grapes were really aged in this way prior to packaging them into a wine kit? This particular kit is from Cellar Craft.

Also, I checked out Trader Joes and as it turns out, as per typical New York fashion, they don't sell wines. The only Trader Joes in NY allowed to sell wine is the one in NYC.

I don't think very many kits can be called a true "X".

Many kits are blended and tweaked to produce a final flavor profile that closely resembles the wine they are named after.

Not to say they won't be every bit as good as a true amarone if done right...

DoctorCAD said:

I don't think very many kits can be called a true "X".

Many kits are blended and tweaked to produce a final flavor profile that closely resembles the wine they are named after.

Not to say they won't be every bit as good as a true amarone if done right...

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Hmmm..... So maybe buying bulk juice pails is the better option to kits.

I have made a couple of kit Amarones and they are a poor imitation. Both the grape mix and process are poorly expressed in kits. In this case the details matter.

RotGut76 said:

Would the kit be considered a "true" amarone? It did come with skins.

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No, not even remotely possible that you could make a true (i.e., Denominazione di Origine Controllata, DOC) Amarone in your basement.

Amarone is my favorite. The process amazes me and I hope to someday try it on my own with grapes. It will be a while though as I just did my first batch last fall. If you search you will find some for $20-$30 a bottle but one you should try is Bertani, which unfortunately goes for $100.

RotGut76 said:

Hmmm..... So maybe buying bulk juice pails is the better option to kits.

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Not necessarly, some kits make top shelf wine, you just happened to pick one that cannot be made anywhere except the area in Italy that it comes from.

An interesting article on Amarone from Wine Folly:
http://winefolly.com/review/why-amarone-wine-is-worth-the-price/

heatherd said:

An interesting article on Amarone from Wine Folly:
http://winefolly.com/review/why-amarone-wine-is-worth-the-price/

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Pretty good read Heather. I have also been curious about Amarone. I've been tempted several times lately to pull the trigger on a amarone kit. For the price my feelings would be hurt if it doesn't taste close to a true Amarone.

We have pages and pages of highly favorable reviews of "Amarone style" kit wines. Two that come to mind are the RJS Winery Series Amarone and the CC Showcase Amarone. Often they come with raisins instead of a grape pack which helps to somewhat replicate that ripasso style.

Has anyone tried doing the Amarone approach with other grapes like a Pinot, Cabernet, or Hybrids?

A year ago, I pitched the CC Showcase Amarone Style kit. We drank a bottle today, and it was great. One of the better kits I've made. I have no idea how close it is to true Amarone. But, that doesn't bother me. The question is whether I like the wine or not, and this one is a keeper. I can't wait to see how it develops over the next few years.

There are 3 kits I have been trying to read up on. CC, RJS and WE. Just not sure which of the three is the better one. Would love some experienced opinions.

Angelina said:

There are 3 kits I have been trying to read up on. CC, RJS and WE. Just not sure which of the three is the better one. Would love some experienced opinions.

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Comparison of CC and RJS
http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=39346

The WE kit is a Selection International, which is a step below the WE top of the line Eclipse series. The CC Showcase is their top of the line.

LittleBearGameFarm said:

Has anyone tried doing the Amarone approach with other grapes like a Pinot, Cabernet, or Hybrids?

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I did a Valpolicella from a juice bucket in the fall of 2013. I was trying hard to replicate the Ripasso style and I used raisins in primary and secondary. The jury is still out, but it started a little rough and is mellowing nicely.

Angelina said:

There are 3 kits I have been trying to read up on. CC, RJS and WE. Just not sure which of the three is the better one. Would love some experienced opinions.

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I'm pretty happy with my RJS En Primeur Amarone. It'll be 2 years old in July and is still improving.

I was just looking over the RJ Spagnols En Primeur Amarone. It sounds like a good choice.