At the Antica Bottega del Vino with the new Amarone wines from the Famiglie Storiche on the market

When Amarone presents itself with new vintages, the Famiglie Storiche, active and undistupted witness of Valpolicella and its winemaking variations, cannot fail to be present, making their wines available to the national and international press at the Antica Bottega del Vino, their headquarters in Verona since 2011. The restaurant, led by the host Luca Nicolis (assisted by the head sommelier Alberto Bongiovanni and the chef Luca Dallavia), it is one of the oldest Italian historical places, whose roots date back to the 16th century, the period of Serenissima Republic of Venice. At the time it was called Osteria lo Scudo of France, a name that became Biedermeier with the Austrians in Verona in the 18th century, to arrive at its current name in 1890. It very long wine list, consisting of 4,500 labels, was awarded in 2021 by the British magazine “World of Fine Wine” as the best wine list of the year, and for years the “Grand Awards” confirmed by the Us magazine “Wine Spectator”.
It is actually impressive to go down to the cellar, under the premises, in the narrow corridors created by the bottles collected along the walls. Even more so if you realize that this is only a part of the heritage labels held by the Bottega del Vino, also kept elsewhere. Italy, France, Germany and a few other pieces of Europe and beyond: the best selections in the world find space here, including – of course- an in-depth presence in space and time of the labels of the 13 member wineries of the Associazione Famiglie Storiche (Allegrini, Begali, Brigaldara, Guerrieri Rizzardi, Masi, Musella, Speri, Tedeschi, Tenuta Sant’Antonio, Tommasi, Torre d’Orti, Venturini e Zenato).
The bottles, this year, were extraordinarily hosted in the cellar, enjoying (not only the labels) the coolness of the Veronese subsoil: particular not to be underestimated given the worrying high temperatures that this June 2022 is recording. The leitmotiv that accompanies the choice of labels is “the last vintage on the market” for each of the families, and this explains – once again – the variety of vintages present at the tasting. A decision that certainly respects the different stylistic choices of the cellars, but which can be difficult to manage - if we can afford a note – if it want to approach tasting in terms of comparison between the 13 companies (having details regarding the climatic trend of the vintage, the phenological reactions of the vine and the consequent winemaking choices of the winemakers in the cellar). The wines in the glass are in any case all decisive and a pleasant perceptible elegance, net of the clearly perceptible differences in style and vintage.