Amarone, an increasingly more territory wine, not only for its method, stronger than the crises

From meditation to food wine, it is capable of highlighting the many aspects from the wide valleys of Valpolicella, and of the knowledge of the producers in the vineyard, such as grapes break, a real art to adapt to the changed climatic conditions. A passage which marks not only a revolution of consumption occasions – not “solitary” anymore in moments far from the banquet, but social in the sharing of the table – but, mainly conceptual, designing Amarone (which seems not to suffer from the crises of red wines overall, and continues to move over the half of 600 million euros of turnover linked to wine in Valpolicella) by the dualism between territory and method in a fusion representing its peculiarity, unique for soil and climate conditions of vineyards, typical varieties, and ideal for drying – a technique which is strictly territorial, and looking for Unesco recognition – and for the know-how transmitted from generation to generation, adapted with research and technology to climate change. This is the future, which is already in part present, for Amarone della Valpolicella, celebrated by the Consortium at “Amarone Opera Prima”, which closed yesterday in Verona, at Palazzo della Gran Guardia, in Brà Square next to Arena. This is a particular edition – dedicated to the debut of the thousandth 2020 – inaugurating the year of the centenary of the first “ante litteram” Consortium, established in 1925, in the Province of Verona, forerunner of the Consorzio per la Tutela dei Vini Valpolicella of the “modern era”, and founded following the foundation of the denomination of controlled origin in 1968. Today, it is the first “red” Venetian Consortium with more than 2,400 companies, 360 bottlers, and a vineyard of about 8,600 hectares for a value around 6 billion euros (considering the heritage of vineyards and wineries), a value reached in the last 25 years in which only the land value of vineyard grounds grew by 133% in the face of an extension of vineyards which increased by 65%. Edition 2025 of “Amarone Opera Prima”, beyond the centenary, marks the record of participation to the event of companies (78), which Christian Marchesini, president of the Consortium, comments in a very positive way: “The participation to “Amarone Opera Prima”, one of the many activities of the Consortium, surely represents an opportunity for wine producers to meet many Italian and international journalists (106, of which 73 coming from 26 nations, including WineNews, which will narrate past, present, and future of Amarone, and of Valpolicella in an online video in the next days, ed), but, mainly, considering that it’s not a commercial event, it is an occasion to propose the culture of the product, and make it be known and appreciated. We wanted to look at the future for this edition, with 100 years of history behind, at the margins of growth potentials of the denomination in an accelerated evolutionary scenario which imposed a paradigm change based on strategies and renewed approaches. A commitment that sees us increasingly more active, and not only in the promotion, that companies are awarding also with the subscriptions to the Consortium counting 51 new members in 2024”. The commitment of the Consortium regards also the fight to “Amarone sounding” with successes which brought to the treasury of Consortium, and, therefore, of syndicates, even 800,000 euros as compensation for 12 won legal actions. It is a phenomenon which went along the notoriety growth of Amarone, and not only. For example, during the years of boom of Ripasso - 2014-2015 – in Sweden, 7 bottles out of 8 were fake. A figure that drastically reduced (1 out of 3) thanks to the action by the Consortium. To lay the foundations for the future of Amarone, and, somehow, also of the other wine of Valpolicella denominations, it is essential to start from the past - as Andrea Lonardi, vicepresident of the Consortium, and Master of Wine, did – analyzing the path of Amarone since its arousal up to today, also throughout the styles which made it stand out, from the classic and “severe” of 1950s-1960s linked to the territory rather than to the production method, to the subsequent passage to higher concentrations with the implementations also of international varieties, and of small woods which marked its success in the 2000s mainly in the Usa, up to the current dynamic and contemporary wine firmly linked to historical varieties, and played on freshness and rapidity thanks to long maceration processes obtained with shorter and controlled dryings, and characterized by an incredible longevity. “To change the things – precised Lonardi – it is necessary to have a cultural approach, and not commercial, as in the years between 2000 and 2020, in which the imperative was to go around the world to satisfy market demands to “grow, grow, grow” by supporting Venetian Dna of Marco Polo’s descendants. In the next decade, it will be necessary to reflect again about the market with the aim to produce a hedonistic and food Amarone. Since five years, this change in the denomination is underway”. A change that has to necessarily go along with a new strategy of communication which emphasizes the territory on the product itself. “We have to diversify and rethink to create an “Amarone model” - continued Lonardi – the closest wine to Amarone is Champagne, and that’s not a provocation. Both make use of traditional methods and blends of varieties which are adapt to cultivation conditions giving life to different “branded” styles and identities continuously and necessarily evolving in Champagne, as well as in Valpolicella. Identities approving their success, but anyway attributable to the same type”. Considering the vintage, 2020 was challenging for Valpolicella vine growers: all throughout the vegetative cycle, due to the alternation of phases characterized by extreme dryness, and abundant rainfalls. Looking for freshness, sapidity, and elegance is the common denominator by those people who tasted 77 Amarone 2020, of which only 16 samples by oak barrel, together with the risk to organoleptic overalapping between different types of wines of do (Valpolicella Superiore, Ripasso, and Amarone), a difficulty, which has been highlighted during the consortium event. There are various future challenges that Amarone has to cope with, indicated by the analysis by Lonardi. Those techniques linked to the impact of climate change on drying in the modalities, and in the optimization of grapes weight loss – today identified in 30% which, on the contrary, recent research indicates 20% - as well as in the genetic research about Corvina, and Corvinone. And, still, those about the change in style, oriented to a major sobriety and freshness, and of the commercial approach which needs to have its strength in the communication of the uniqueness of Amarone, and of the territory, and of the people who produce it. The tasting guided by expert J.C. Viens, Canadian, and citizen of Verona, connoisseur of “Amarone world”, explored the positioning of Amarone in the 50 top restaurants pointed out by British monthly magazine “Restaurant”, and proposed seven labels present in their wine lists pairing them virtually to the most famous dishes of the other selected restaurants. A journey in which Viens illustrated the arguments which made Amarone a fine wine which finds space in the high international restoration. “Amarone is not a technical wine, but derives from a very rich tradition developed in a particular geographical allocation with the Alps, and Garda Lake playing a fundamental role; by indigenous grapes spread only here actually, perfectly adapted to the area, and in phase of assembly. Its success is recent, but its origins are distant in time, narrated by Andrea Bacci in 1596, and still before by Pliny the Elder, but its popularity abroad, set off by exported 61%, is based not only on its quality and versatility, but exactly on its territorial rooting. There is a prejudice according to which Amarone has a style, so to speak, monolithic, rich so that to relegate it to be considered a meditation wine. A prejudice that needs to be debunked making the different expressivenesses of this wine be known, which are few known also to the summits of international sommellerie”. Amarone represents a unique product also on the market remaining, all in all, unharmed by the crisis of red wines. According to the analysis of the Observatory Unione Italiana Vini (Uiv), it closed 2024 at -2% compared to the previous year, but with a recovery of 9% in the second semester. A significant bounce, if the difficulties of almost all the main red denominations of the planet are considered, however slight to go out by the difficulty of the period. According to the analysis wanted by the Consortium, the new century of the denomination – and of its cutting-edge wine – has to focus on a major segmentation, and, therefore often preparing three suitcases for other different market destinations, or – and, in this case, always – identifying different targets, positioning, and tones to talk with. Particularly, Amarone won’t need to degenerate itself, bu tit needs to have its positioning aims of icon-wine clear in an audience mainly made up of consumers with a mature age, and with an income over 100,000 dollars (in the Usa, baby-boomers are 40% of wine drinkers, with high-spending people raising to 53%). An identikit which, by the historical Northern-Europe stronghold (to which 50% of foreign market is reserved) needs to grow in the Usa, where it prevails in the East-Coast (from New York to Florida), but which is worth also in Japan, or in China, where, Amarone already boasts a very high share on the total of its export (10%). In the end, a target, which more than others is inclined to listen to the narration behind the production of wines symbol and – not a secondary factor – more inclined to travel, and to know a production territory whose precious supporter should be Verona, and its universal brand. “In sum - according to the responsible of Observatory Uiv, Carlo Flamini - , Amarone should propose its “cocktail” made up of productive areas, and different valleys of Verona brand, and of style and coherence for a method prone to become territory expression itself. In the same time, a differentiation in the target markets, which are too concentrated for 66% in the first 6 export countries, is needed”. Particularly, regarding the Usa, the main destination of Italian wine, and also of Amarone, the challenge – and that’s not an innovation – is the “conquest” of other states. An aim whose fulfillment finds a valid support in Vinitaly.Usa. “With Vinitaly Chicago (on stage in October 2024), we gave life to the greatest fair of Italian wine in the Usa -illustrated Matteo Zoppas, president Ita-Italian Trade Agency - and, its importance lies in the capacity to intercept categories of very important interlocutors from a commercial point of view, such as the decision-makers of the suppliers of great hotel chains who don’t come to Vinitaly, and don’t go to other fairs of other European countries. Also the opening to the Balkans is equally important with the participation at Wine Vision by Open Balkan seeing the collaboration between Ice and Vinitaly (the next edition in Belgrade, in Serbia, from 2025, November, 22-25, ed)”. Regarding the duties that President Usa Donald Trump has already begun to impose to Canada, Mexico and China, and that promised to impose also to the European Union again, Zoppas said not to have any innovation by his observatory, but he mentioned an Ocse study – who considers it as pessimistic – according to which, with duties of 10%, made in Italy could loose 3.5 billion euros compared to total 67 of the value of the current exports in the Usa. A figure which is destined to become more worrying with higher duties. A perspective which not appreciated by anyone, either by Valpolicella and by its great Amarone.