Allegrini's single-vineyard Grola from the La Grola hill in Valpolicella Classica. From 2022 it is a Valpolicella Classico Superiore DOC of Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella, vinified fresh with no appassimento and aged in barrique and oak.
Drinkers and Allegrini's own notes agree on a savoury Veneto red: blackberry and cherry, violet, then tobacco, coffee and dark chocolate from 16 months in barrique and large oak. Across more than 14,500 Vivino ratings it averages 3.9.
Deep ruby in the glass, with a bouquet Allegrini describes as blackberry, cherry and violet lifting into vanilla, tobacco and dark chocolate. Vivino drinkers echo the same: oak, tobacco and coffee over ripe black fruit, with a savoury hint of leather.
Coffee
Violet
Black cherry
Blackberry
Plum
Tobacco
Leather
Black pepper
VanillaMedium to full bodied and dry, around 13.5% alcohol, with ripe black and red fruit framed by present, fine-grained tannins. The refreshing acidity, measured at 5.65 g/l on Allegrini's sheet, keeps the oak from the 16-month barrique-and-cask ageing in balance.
The close is velvety and long, trailing red and black fruit with pepper, leather and a fine cocoa-and-tobacco edge from the wood.
An elegant, savoury Valpolicella Classico Superiore built without appassimento, the fresh-grape style that made the La Grola hill famous. Vivino's community rates it 3.9 across more than 14,500 ratings and calls 2022 a top year; drink now with food or hold a few years.
Stocked in the UK by Laithwaites and Decantalo at roughly 34 to 42 pounds a bottle. Production of the reclassified Grola is capped near 45,000 bottles a year, so it is scarcer than Allegrini's entry-level Valpolicella.
A structured, indigenous-grape Veneto red at around 38 pounds: strong at the table, fair rather than bargain on price, and a credible medium-term keeper for a Classico Superiore.
Bright acidity (5.65 g/l) and fine tannins make it a versatile match for braised and grilled red meat, tomato ragu and mushroom risotto.
A single-vineyard wine from a benchmark Valpolicella estate, priced and styled for a special dinner rather than an everyday pour.
A clear, indigenous-grape Veneto red that is easy to understand, though the oak, structure and price place it a notch above a first-taste bottle.
No long ageing is mandated for the DOC, but firm tannins and 16 months of oak give a Classico Superiore that holds and improves for several years.
Scoring is rule-based and deterministic. The model and weightings are documented in our editorial methodology.
A compact view of what the Valpolicella denomination actually requires, and how this bottle sits inside it. Pulled from the official Italian disciplinare.
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2022 is the first vintage Allegrini bottled Grola as Valpolicella Classico Superiore DOC rather than Veronese IGT. Vivino flags it a top-rated year for the wine: ripe fruit, firm structure, built to drink now or hold into the early 2030s.
2022 brought a warm, dry growing season to the Veneto, giving ripe Corvina fruit and firm structure. It is the first Grola released as Valpolicella Classico Superiore DOC. It drinks well now and should hold into the early 2030s.
Drink-now / hold guidance reflects general style cues for this wine, not a forecast for a specific bottle. Where vintage-level editorial notes exist, they appear above.
Grola is a single-vineyard Classico Superiore, not a blended village wine: hillside Corvina from the La Grola cru, hand-harvested, then aged in a 50/50 split of second-use barrique and large oak. The fresh, no-appassimento style is Allegrini's signature.
Italian wine law sorts bottles into a pyramid. DOCG sits at the top: tightly drawn boundaries, prescribed grapes, mandatory ageing, government tasting before release. DOC is the same idea with looser thresholds. IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) is broader still, requiring only that 85% of the grapes come from the named territory.
Valpolicella is in the DOC tier. That is not a quality verdict, it is a description of how much freedom the producer has at vinification and ageing.
Valpolicella falls within Veneto , covering Veneto. The denomination is further divided into 2 sub-zones.
Grola comes from one hillside cru in Valpolicella Classica, hand-picked in late September with bunch selection in the vineyard, far costlier than machine-picked valley-floor fruit.
Allegrini ages Grola about 16 months split 50/50 between second-use barriques and large casks, plus months in bottle before release, tying up cellar space and oak for over two years.
The reclassified Grola is made in limited volume, about 45,000 bottles a year, so its scarcity supports the 34 to 42 pound UK shelf price.
Unlike Amarone or Ripasso, Grola skips grape-drying and second fermentation on Amarone skins, saving weeks of labour and losses and keeping it below Allegrini's Amarone pricing.
Allegrini is one of Valpolicella's most recognised estates, and that brand premium is part of the 34 to 42 pounds a buyer pays over a generic Classico Superiore.
UK alcohol duty of 2.67 pounds a bottle on still wine up to 15% plus 20% VAT account for roughly 9 pounds of a 38 pound UK price before the retailer's margin.
Dishes that complement this wine
Firm but ripe tannins and bright acidity make Grola a natural for braised and grilled red meat. Vivino's community and Allegrini both point to beef, lamb, game and mushroom risotto.
Ripe, fine-grained tannins and fresh acidity cut the gelatinous richness of long-braised beef, while Grola's leather and tobacco notes echo the meat's savoury depth.
Try with: Brasato al Barolo · Ossobuco alla Milanese · beef shin stew · More pairings →
Acidity and tannin scrub charred fat from a Fiorentina, and the wine's medium-full body matches the meat without burying it. The oak adds a smoky bridge to the grill.
Try with: Fiorentina steak · tagliata · grilled lamb chops · More pairings →
Grola's fresh acidity, 5.65 g/l on the producer sheet, mirrors the acidity of a slow tomato ragu, while ripe black fruit fills the savoury mid-palate.
Try with: Agnello Ragu Lucano · pappardelle al ragu · lasagne · More pairings →
Earthy porcini meets the wine's leather, tobacco and undergrowth notes, and gentle barrique-and-cask oak carries the creamy texture of the rice.
Try with: Porcini mushroom risotto · Truffle risotto · Risotto alla Milanese · More pairings →
Hard, aged mountain cheeses bring salt and umami that the wine's dark-fruit sweetness and acidity balance, a natural Veneto pairing close to Grola's home.
Try with: aged Monte Veronese · Grana Padano · pecorino stagionato
Fierce chilli heat pushes the tannin and alcohol towards bitterness, and the wine's structure and oak overwhelm delicate raw or oily fish. Keep Grola for red meat and savoury dishes.
Skip with: vindaloo · chilli sambal · sushi · oily mackerel · Pairing guide →
Allegrini says Grola evolves positively for over a decade, and Italian merchants suggest five years or more. The 2022 drinks now or keeps, rewarding a few years in bottle as the oak settles into the fruit.
Peak around 2027. Best in the years above; holds without falling over either side.
A short splash decant softens the first-pour edge and opens the aromatics.
No long ageing is mandated for the DOC, but firm tannins and 16 months of oak give a Classico Superiore that holds and improves for several years.
£34.03 is the lowest tracked offer for the current vintage and we have no signal of further discounting.
Read directly from each retailer’s public product page once a day. Last refresh: 7 Jun 2026, 14:14 BST. We do not hold stock and we do not accept payment for placement.
Confidence · HighDrawn from what drinkers consistently report on Vivino and Wine-Searcher, summarised in our own words. A crowd read across many tasters, not a single critic.
Confidence · MediumFrom the official Italian disciplinare for this denomination, cross-checked against the Ministry of Agriculture register.
Confidence · HighOur reading of the price, drawn from the disciplinare, public UK duty rates, and typical landed-cost benchmarks. Not a quote from the producer or a retailer.
Confidence · MediumStyle guidance for this kind of wine at this price point. Treat it as advice, not a forecast for the bottle in your hand.
Confidence · MediumGrola is Allegrini's single-vineyard red from the La Grola hill in Valpolicella Classica. Unlike Amarone, the grapes are vinified fresh with no appassimento and no ripasso, so Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella give a lighter, more savoury wine at around 13.5% alcohol.
The 2022 blend is Corvina 70%, Corvinone 25% and Rondinella 5%, all indigenous Valpolicella varieties grown on the La Grola hill in the Veneto.
From the 2022 vintage Grola is bottled as Valpolicella Classico Superiore DOC. Earlier vintages, sold as La Grola, spent years as a Veronese IGT when the blend included Oseleta and, before that, Syrah.
It ferments in steel at 20 to 25 degrees, then ages about 16 months split equally between second-use barriques and large oak casks, followed by several months in bottle before release.
Its ripe black fruit, fine tannins and fresh acidity suit braised beef such as Brasato al Barolo, Fiorentina steak, lamb ragu and Porcini mushroom risotto. Aged Monte Veronese and other hard Alpine cheeses also work well.
It drinks well now with food, but 2022 was a strong Veneto vintage and the wine will hold and improve for several years, with a drinking window into the early 2030s.
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