Bertani Amarone Della Valpolicella Classico 2016
DOCG

Bertani Amarone della Valpolicella Classico DOCG

Bertani

Vintages 2016 2015 2005 2004 1994 1980 1975 1967 1964

Bertani's benchmark Amarone from the Tenuta Novare estate at Arbizzano di Negrar: 80% Corvina Veronese and 20% Rondinella, dried on lofts then held seven years in large Slavonian oak. Garnet-edged, dry and savoury, with plum, tea leaf and liquorice.

UK Market From £127.90 Found across 3 retailers
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Tasting Notes

Inside Bertani's dry, garnet-edged Amarone

Drawn from the producer's own notes on its 80% Corvina, 20% Rondinella blend and the drinker consensus behind nearly 24,000 Vivino ratings.

Tasted by
ItalianWines editorial (drinker consensus)
Tasted on
6 June 2026
Source
Drinker consensus · confidence Medium
Taste profile
Body Light / Full
Tannins Smooth / Grippy
Sweetness Dry / Sweet
Acidity Soft / Crisp
Nose

Bertani builds this Amarone from 80% Corvina Veronese and 20% Rondinella dried on the lofts at the Tenuta Novare estate, and the bouquet reflects that appassimento concentration: plum, cherry and marasca over the tea leaf, liquorice and sweet spice the house lists on its own scheda. Seven years in 50 to 100 hectolitre Slavonian oak botti pull the fruit towards dried fig, walnut and leather rather than vanilla. Across its 23,777 Vivino ratings the crowd most often reaches for oak, chocolate and tobacco, dried fruit and prune, then leather and smoke.

CherryCherry
PlumPlum
PrunePrune
TeaTea
TobaccoTobacco
LeatherLeather
LiquoriceLiquorice
CocoaCocoa
Palate

Dry, never sweet, in the Bertani house style, with red-berry fruit softened by spice and held in balance by acidity and tannin. The 15.5% alcohol gives weight without heat; the long, gentle drying and slow oak maturation leave the tannins silky rather than grippy. Drinkers consistently log it as bold, dry and tannic yet smooth, which matches the producer's stated aim of power without exaggeration.

Finish

Long and savoury, closing on dried fig, walnut, liquorice and tea leaf from the extended Slavonian-oak ageing rather than on overt fruit sweetness.

Overall

This is the traditional, dry benchmark of Amarone della Valpolicella Classico, the wine that made Bertani's name, and it carries a 4.4 average from nearly 24,000 Vivino ratings. The 2015 took James Suckling's Wine of the Year at 100 points, and older library vintages from the estate still drink with energy decades on. For lovers of structured, age-worthy Veneto reds and the long Italian table; not a fruit-forward weeknight pour.

Drink now
Live UK pricing

Where to buy Bertani Amarone Classico in the UK

Live UK listings for the current 2015 and 2016 releases and a deep run of older library vintages from Tenuta Novare, priced from around £128.

Best price · 75 cl £127.90 at Millesima
Price spread £127.90 – £1,110.00 Across 3 UK retailers tracked
Retailers tracked 3UK 16 in stock
Vintages live 2016 · 2015 · 2005 Current release: 2016
Per-litre (75 cl basis) £170.53 Per-litre price for the lowest current offer
Last checked 7 Jun 2026, 15:49 BST Refreshed once every 24 hours
Wine fit score

How Bertani Amarone scores for your table

Strong on food, cellar and occasion, modest on everyday and beginner appeal, given the price, alcohol and savoury, dry style.

Best for cellar 9.3/10

A DOCG red already given seven to eight years in large Slavonian oak before release, with high tannin and 15.5% alcohol; Bertani's library proves the wine holds energy for decades.

Best for an occasion 9.2/10

A prestige DOCG from a 19th-century Valpolicella house, with the 2015 named James Suckling's Wine of the Year; a confident bottle for a serious meal or a gift.

Best with food 8.0/10

Full-bodied and dry with silky tannin and balancing acidity, this Amarone shines with braised meat, game and aged cheese, though its 15.5% weight narrows it away from lighter fare.

Best value 7.0/10

At around £128 the 2015 sits near the Wine-Searcher category average for Amarone Classico, fair value for a James Suckling 100-point wine from a historic estate, though never an everyday price.

Scoring is rule-based and deterministic. The model and weightings are documented in our editorial methodology.

Denomination Compliance Snapshot

Amarone della Valpolicella in five fields

A compact view of what the Amarone della Valpolicella denomination actually requires, and how this bottle sits inside it. Pulled from the official Italian disciplinare.

Allowed grapes
3 varieties listed
This bottle: Corvina.
Minimum ageing
Recorded by producer
Disciplinare ageing rule not yet recorded.
Region / area
Veneto
Style
DOCG · Amarone della Valpolicella
Classification
DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita)
What that means →
Retailer Shortlist

Where to Buy

Compare tracked offers from verified retailers at a glance. Stock is shown only where the retailer exposes it. Logos, sale pricing, and the strongest offer are surfaced first.

Best Live Price £127.90
Retailers Tracked 3
Last Checked 7 Jun 2026
Millesima logo

Millesima

Best price In stock
Vintage 2015
£127.90
£170.53/L · checked 30 May
Visit retailer
75 cl · Low stock confidence
Great Wines Direct logo

Great Wines Direct

In stock
Vintage 2015
£131.57
£175.43/L · checked 7 Jun
Visit retailer
75 cl · Low stock confidence
Great Wines Direct logo

Great Wines Direct

In stock
Vintage 2004
£211.45
£281.93/L · checked 7 Jun
Visit retailer
75 cl · Low stock confidence
Great Wines Direct logo

Great Wines Direct

In stock
Vintage 2005
£219.86
£293.15/L · checked 7 Jun
Visit retailer
75 cl · Low stock confidence
Great Wines Direct logo

Great Wines Direct

Awaiting restock
Vintage 1994
£466.75
£622.33/L · checked 7 Jun
Notify me
75 cl · Low stock confidence
Great Wines Direct logo

Great Wines Direct

Awaiting restock
Vintage 1980
£626.53
£835.37/L · checked 7 Jun
Notify me
75 cl · Low stock confidence
Great Wines Direct logo

Great Wines Direct

In stock
Vintage 1967
£667.03
£889.37/L · checked 7 Jun
Visit retailer
75 cl · Low stock confidence
Great Wines Direct logo

Great Wines Direct

In stock
Vintage 1975
£905.16
£1,206.88/L · checked 7 Jun
Visit retailer
75 cl · Low stock confidence
Great Wines Direct logo

Great Wines Direct

In stock
Vintage 1964
£967.58
£1,290.11/L · checked 7 Jun
Visit retailer
75 cl · Low stock confidence
Vintages

Bertani Amarone vintage by vintage, 1964 to 2016

The estate rates its years on a five-star scale; 2004, 2005 and 2015 are five-star, with 2015 named James Suckling's Wine of the Year.

2016 Current release
Lowest price
£128.90
Retailers
1 in stock
ABV
15.5%
Window
Drink now through 2048

Intense ruby red with a violet edge, showing very ripe cherry and amarena over fresh, lightly spicy tones. Dry, soft and well-balanced on the palate, with pleasant tannins and a persistent red-fruit finish. A classically styled Bertani with decades ahead.

2015 Previous release
Lowest price
£127.90
Retailers
3 in stock
ABV
15.5%
Window
Drink now through 2050

James Suckling's Wine of the Year for 2024 at 100 points, with 97 from Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast. Fermented in concrete then held eight years in large Slavonian oak before release. A complete, age-worthy Amarone only at the start of its life.

2005 Previous release
Lowest price
£219.86
Retailers
2 in stock
Window
Drink now through 2040

A five-star year with warm but not muggy days and a long, gradual drying period. Bottled March 2012. Cherry, blackcurrant jam and prune lead, with tea leaf, hay, coffee, liquorice and cocoa; silky tannins underline a dense, long palate. A benchmark Bertani vintage.

2004 Previous release
Lowest price
£211.45
Retailers
2 in stock
Window
Drink now through 2040

A five-star vintage: sunny days and cool nights at harvest gave colourful, healthy Corvina. Bottled January 2011. Dark purple-red, with plum, black cherry and blackcurrant jam, hay, tea leaf, liquorice and cocoa, complex tannins balanced by high acidity. Built for the long haul.

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.

The disciplinare, the place, the label

Why a Bertani Amarone Classico costs what it does

Seven to eight years in large Slavonian oak, hand-dried Corvina from a single estate, and decades of cellar-worthy track record sit behind the price.

01

DOC, DOCG, IGT: what the badges mean

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.

Amarone della Valpolicella is in the DOCG tier. That is not a quality verdict, it is a description of how much freedom the producer has at vinification and ageing.

02

The denomination rules, in detail

  • Allowed grapes. 3 varieties listed in the disciplinare
  • Tasting panel. No mandatory pre-release tasting
03

Region and area context

Amarone della Valpolicella falls within Veneto , covering Veneto. The denomination is further divided into 2 sub-zones.

04

Reading the label

  • BertaniProducer / estate
  • CorvinaGrape varieties (in declared order of dominance)
  • Amarone della Valpolicella DOCGGeographic indication and quality tier
  • 2016Vintage (year of harvest)
  • 15.5% vol · 75 clAlcohol by volume and bottle size
  • Imbottigliato all’origineEstate-bottled
05

What sits behind the price of Amarone Classico DOCG

Tracked from
£127.90
Direction
Mostly cost up
Drivers
4 up / 1 down
Main factor
Seven to eight years in large Slavonian oak before release
  1. 01

    Appassimento drying of estate Corvina and Rondinella

    Cost up

    Bertani dries its 80% Corvina, 20% Rondinella on lofts for months before pressing, losing much of the crop's weight to evaporation, so each bottle needs far more fruit than a standard red.

  2. 02

    Seven to eight years in large Slavonian oak before release

    Cost up

    The Classico is held seven to eight years in 50 to 100 hectolitre Slavonian oak botti, then a year in bottle, so capital and cellar space are tied up for almost a decade per vintage.

  3. 03

    Single-estate fruit from Tenuta Novare

    Cost up

    Grapes come from Bertani's own Tenuta Novare estate at Arbizzano di Negrar in the Valpolicella Classica heartland, not bought-in bulk, which lifts cost over négoce Amarone.

  4. 04

    Critical acclaim and brand prestige

    Cost up

    The 2015 was James Suckling's 100-point Wine of the Year for 2024 and the house dates to 1857, demand that supports the roughly £128 UK shelf price for the current release.

  5. 05

    Wide UK distribution and library depth

    Cost down

    Bertani Amarone is stocked across multiple UK merchants, with both current and older vintages listed from about £128, so competition keeps the entry price below rarer single-cru Amarone.

Perfect Pairings

Dishes that complement this wine

Brasato al Barolo on stoneware bowl with Bay Leaf, Beef Chuck, Carrot

Brasato al Barolo
Ossobuco alla Milanese on stoneware bowl with Beef Broth, Carrot, Celery

Ossobuco alla Milanese
Spezzatino di pecora on stoneware bowl with Bay Leaf, Carrot, Mutton

Spezzatino di pecora
Gorgonzola, pear, and walnut risotto, plated

Gorgonzola, pear, and walnut risotto
Venison Stew, plated

Venison Stew
Food Pairing

What to eat with a dry, full-bodied Amarone

The wine's 15.5% weight and silky tannin call for braised meats, game and aged Italian cheeses, not delicate fish or chilli heat.

Body matching Strong match

Slow-braised Italian meats

Bertani's Amarone carries the weight of seven years in Slavonian oak and a near-15.5% alcohol, so it needs a dish with equal depth. Long braises reduce to a savoury, gelatinous richness that the wine's dried-fruit concentration and silky tannin meet head on.

Try with: Brasato al Barolo · Ossobuco alla Milanese · Spezzatino di pecora · Bollito dei Pastori · More pairings →

Tannin softening Strong match

Roast game and red meat

The protein and fat of game and roast beef bind the wine's tannin, which after long appassimento and oak ageing is supple rather than sharp. The result smooths the wine further while its plum and tea-leaf notes lift the gaminess.

Try with: Venison Stew · Roast Pheasant · Sunday Roast Beef · Fiorentina steak · More pairings →

Fat cutting Good match

Aged and blue cheeses

Amarone's residual fruit concentration and gentle acidity cut the salt and fat of hard and blue cheeses, while its liquorice and dried-fig depth echoes their savoury edge. The classic regional match of a dry Veneto red against pungent cheese.

Try with: Gorgonzola, pear, and walnut risotto · Caciocavallo farcito · Stilton · Blue cheese · More pairings →

Aromatic bridge Good match

Mushroom and truffle dishes

The earthy, leather and walnut tones the Vivino crowd flags most in this wine bridge directly to porcini and truffle. The dish's umami draws out the wine's tertiary character rather than fighting its structure.

Try with: Porcini mushroom risotto · Truffle risotto · Agnello Ragu Lucano · More pairings →

Body matching Good match

Rich lamb and lardon dishes

Fatty lamb shoulder and pork-rich Lucanian dishes give the wine's full body something to lean on, and the dried-spice register from Bertani's slow oak maturation matches the seasoning. Body answers body, with tannin clearing the palate between bites.

Try with: Agnello Ragu Lucano · Spezzatino di pecora · Brasato al Barolo · More pairings →

Avoid Clash

Delicate fish, chilli heat and fresh salads

At 15.5% alcohol and with concentrated dried-fruit sweetness of impression, this wine flattens delicate white fish and amplifies chilli burn. Acid-bright salads and raw shellfish clash with its weight; pour a Soave or Vermentino there instead.

Skip with: Sashimi · Pad Thai · fresh tomato salad · oysters · ceviche · Pairing guide →

Drinking + cellar

Cellaring Bertani Amarone della Valpolicella Classico

Released only after seven to eight years in oak, this is a DOCG built to hold; the estate's own 1960s and 1970s bottles still drink with energy.

Drinking window
2024 → 2048

Peak around 2034. Best in the years above; holds without falling over either side.

Decanting
m30

A short splash decant softens the first-pour edge and opens the aromatics.

Cellar potential
High

A DOCG red already given seven to eight years in large Slavonian oak before release, with high tannin and 15.5% alcohol; Bertani's library proves the wine holds energy for decades.

Buy now or wait?
Buy now

£127.90 is the lowest tracked offer for the current vintage and we have no signal of further discounting.

Sources & trust

Sources behind this Bertani Amarone page

Prices & stock

Read directly from each retailer’s public product page once a day. Last refresh: 7 Jun 2026, 15:49 BST. We do not hold stock and we do not accept payment for placement.

Confidence · High
Tasting notes

Drawn 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 · Medium
Appellation rules & ageing

From the official Italian disciplinare for this denomination, cross-checked against the Ministry of Agriculture register.

Confidence · High
Why it costs what it costs

Our 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 · Medium
Drink window & cellar potential

Style guidance for this kind of wine at this price point. Treat it as advice, not a forecast for the bottle in your hand.

Confidence · Medium
Related

Explore Corvina, Valpolicella and Bertani

Producer
Bertani Veneto
Grapes
Corvina
Denomination
Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG
Region
Veneto Region guide
Cuisine
Italian Cuisine 4 dishes paired British Cuisine 1 dishes paired

Common Questions

It is a blend of 80% Corvina Veronese and 20% Rondinella, the two classic Valpolicella red grapes. The fruit comes from Bertani's Tenuta Novare estate at Arbizzano di Negrar in the Valpolicella Classica zone.

The grapes are dried on lofts for several months after harvest, a process called appassimento that concentrates sugar and flavour. After fermentation in concrete vats the wine is aged for seven years in 50 to 100 hectolitre Slavonian oak barrels, then rests at least a year in bottle before release.

It is dry and savoury rather than sweet, with plum, cherry and marasca leading to tea leaf, liquorice and spice. Long oak ageing brings dried fig, walnut and leather, and at around 15.5% alcohol it stays balanced by acidity and silky tannin.

Reach for rich, slow-cooked dishes: brasato al Barolo, ossobuco, game stews and aged or blue cheeses such as Gorgonzola. Its weight and dried-fruit depth overwhelm delicate fish, chilli heat and fresh salads.

The 2015 is the standout, named James Suckling's Wine of the Year for 2024 at 100 points and built to age for decades. Older library vintages such as 2004 and 2005 are five-star years from the estate and drink beautifully now if you want a mature bottle.

For decades. The wine is already released after seven to eight years in oak, and Bertani's own library shows vintages from the 1960s and 1970s still full of energy, so recent releases will reward 15 to 30 years of cellaring.

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Amarone Classico DOCG
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