Amarone Opera Prima 2025: A Century of Life and Still Going Strong!

Amarone Opera Prima 2025 provided a unique opportunity for enthusiasts and industry professionals to taste the 2020 vintage of Amarone, a wine that stands out for its complexity and structure. The event saw the participation of numerous wineries from Valpolicella, offering a comprehensive overview of the various interpretations of this wine.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t attend all the events organized by the consortium, as I arrived only on Saturday for the tastings in the press room and the afternoon walk-around. A three-day intensive schedule, which on January 31st saw JC Viens proposing seven Amarone labels featured on the wine lists of some of the world’s most prestigious restaurants (including three Michelin stars). Additionally, one of the most interesting events was the Masterclass on historic vintages conducted by MW Andrea Lonardi, vice-president of the Consortium. Other events and interventions followed, including the aperitif “Valpolicella: freshness and creativity in the glass.”

Location: Verona, Palazzo della Gran Guardia. Spectacular, in one of the most beautiful squares in Veneto, with the Roman arena in front. The posters of the preview were worthy of an Oscar entrance, with a huge banner. The entrance to the palace, with the purple-red carpet and the walkway under small illuminated crescent arches, symbolized the 100 years of the Valpolicella Consortium. Just being there made you feel the importance the consortium places on the event.

I hadn’t approached the world of Amarone for many years, but having started as a sommelier with Amarone and wines from Veneto, which I sold in incredible quantities when I worked in Venice, I was very eager to return to a wine that shines abroad and for which many often ask me for advice and opinions. The Amarone I knew from 2008-2012 was a wine (still a child of the trends of the ’90s and early 2000s) that Lonardi defines as the “second era”: very concentrated, often with residual sugar and alcohol. Perhaps exacerbations due to market trends, with lots of new, small, and highly toasted wood, and excessive ‘appassimento’. Deep-coloured wines are intensely concentrated and powerful, on the edge of the Porto style (with due differences, of course), and have a sweet part that often balances 16% alcohol.

In recent years, there has been a progressive change in style, mainly influenced by the way we consume food and drinks. The traditional Western diet, rich in saturated fats, sugars, and refined carbohydrates, was lacking in ethnic influences and vegetable alternatives. With increased awareness towards health and nutrition, there has been a trend towards preferring smaller portions and lighter, more balanced ingredients, transforming food into a social and cultural experience. Accordingly, wines have adapted to the change, focusing on drinkability, freshness, and purity of flavours, without the need for complex aromatic nuances. And so today, Amarone, which has evolved in recent years, is characterized by less cooked, less extracted aromas, less wood, and a tendency towards dryness rather than sweetness. As Lonardi says, Amarone must “rebalance its production factors.”

The recent success of Valpolicella is a clear example of how wine can reflect the territory, focusing on drinkability and freshness, without distorting it with a rigid and predefined production method. From this, we could draw inspiration. Perhaps options should be foreseen in the stages of Amarone production, but I do not have the authority nor the expertise to decide which ones. However, some considerations could be useful. Perhaps some changes in this process could lead to different results, such as bringing wines to an alcohol content not exceeding 15% (only 5 of the wines tasted were within this limit), thus maintaining greater freshness and balance. But these are just reflections.

Press area: large, bright (white tablecloths) and quiet, with 6-8 large tables and a selection of 77 Amarone 2020 wines, many of which, alas, were barrel samples. The 2020 vintage proved complex in several respects, leading to significant variability in grape ripening. I do not want to go into the details of the vintage. Only five samples from Valpantena were presented, a limited number, but beyond this, in my opinion, for a historic production area like Valpolicella, zoning should be seriously addressed and limiting to Valpantena seems restrictive. In an Italian and global context, where other denominations are pushing for a subdivision that better reflects territorial characteristics and microclimates, we continue to refer generically to “Valpolicella,” making Amarone seem more a symbol of method than territory. This compels some producers to initiate studies on the soils of specific subzones and valleys, such as those of the Valle di Mezzane, Valle di Squaranto, or Marcellise.

Tasting and the 2020 vintage. The 2020 Amarone presents itself rich in fruit, well balanced, with distinct floral and herbaceous notes, a saltiness that often emerges in the foreground and a freshness that, in some cases, is quite evident. Some samples, however, show sensations of cooked or overcooked fruit, with a tendency to be “overripe” or excessively dried, but these were minority wines. To my great surprise and pleasure, no samples showed sweet tendencies. The best tastings of 2020, in the current state, where many wines were still incomplete and from the barrel, were surprising, and the tasting of older vintages during the walk-around revealed complex, intense wines with good drinkability.

• Bertani Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG Valpantena 2020
• Bolla Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG Classico Riserva 2020
• Salvaterra Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG Classico 2020
• Valentina Cubi Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG Classico 2020
• Torre di Terzolan Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG 2020
• Pasqua Vigneti e Cantine Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG 2020
• Monte Castelon Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG Classico 2020
• La Collina dei Ciliegi Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG 2020

After tasting in the press room, I ventured into the walk-around on the upper floor, a small, crowded, and too hot area. Here are some tastings that proved excellent pleasure to my palate:

• Conte Gastone Amarone della Valpolicella, Flavio Chiani Limited Edition DOCG 2020
• Ca’ la Bionda Ravazzol Amarone della Valpolicella Riserva 2013
• Secondo Marco Amarone della Valpolicella Riserva 2014
• Zymè Amarone della Valpolicella 2018
• Tenute Santa Maria Brolo dei Poeti Amarone della Valpolicella Riserva 2007
• Tenuta Villa Bellini Amarone della Valpolicella 2016
• Valentina Cubi Amarone della Valpolicella 2011
• Luca Anselmi Falezze Amarone della Valpolicella Riserva 2018

Davide Buongiorno, DipWSET and Certified Educator WSET, ASPI, with AIS diploma and 15 years of experience in Michelin restaurants, during which I contributed to obtaining the second star at Met in Venice and one in Jersey, UK, just 4 months after opening. I was 1st Best Sommelier of Veneto and Monteregio in 2010, semifinalist at Best Sommelier of Italy from 2010 to 2018. I received two Wine Spectator Awards (2016-2019) and the award for Best Wine List for Trento Doc & Brunello. Judge for international competitions such as Decanter DWWA, Civiltà del Bere, 5 Stars Wine, and Cervim Vins Extrêmes. Brand Ambassador for Clos & Monopole fine wine merchant and Rcork, specializing in natural corks. I actively collaborate with associations, consortia, producers, and restaurants.
In my free time, you can find me at extreme metal concerts or traveling to remote areas with a backpack.

LinkedIn profile: Davide Buongiorno DipWSET

Valpolicella wine region and styles produced