Valpolicella's wine-making tradition extends back to the 5th century, when Roman poet Cassiodorus documented the region's dried-grape method — appassimento — that concentrates sugars and tannins into what would become Amarone.
The technique survived the Middle Ages through monastic vineyards, codified in the 1950s when producers formalized Amarone della Valpolicella as a denominazione. Today the valley's 19 comuni stretch across 240 square kilometers of limestone slopes between Lake Garda and Verona's eastern outskirts, producing 60 million bottles annually under strict DOCG protocols.
Verona wine tasting itineraries center on three appellations: Valpolicella Classico in the historic heart, Valpantena to the east, and the extended zone reaching toward Soave. Amarone — fermented from Corvina, Rondinella, and Molinara grapes dried for 100 to 120 days — commands global attention, but the region yields four other wines under the same fruit: Valpolicella DOC as the entry tier, Valpolicella Ripasso where young wine referments on Amarone pomace, sweet Recioto, and single-vineyard Riserva bottlings aged 48 months or longer. The appassimento chambers, built into 16th-century villas and modern steel fruttai alike, regulate humidity and airflow to prevent rot while concentrating flavor.
The landscape itself explains the wine. Valpolicella's valleys — Val d'Illasi, Val di Mezzane, Val di Squaranto — funnel cool air from the Lessini Mountains at night, slowing ripening and preserving acidity. Soils shift from volcanic basalt in the hills to alluvial gravel near the Adige River. Most estates operate family cellars where third- and fourth-generation vignerons lead tastings in barrel rooms lined with Slavonian oak botti, the large casks that mature Amarone without overpowering its dried-cherry and tobacco notes. Organic certification has grown since 2010, with 30 percent of Valpolicella vineyards now farmed without synthetic inputs.
Valpolicella wine tour operators coordinate visits to estates otherwise closed to walk-ins, including historic villas like Serego Alighieri — owned by Dante's descendants since 1353 — and modernist cantinas with hillside tasting terraces. Guided experiences pair three to five wines with local salumi, Monte Veronese cheese, and olive oil from the valley's 400-year-old groves. Most wineries open daily from 09:00 to 17:00, with advance booking required for cellar access and vertical tastings of archived vintages.
4 hr
