Quintarelli's Amarone is Valpolicella's benchmark: Corvina and Corvinone dried for months, then six years in botte at Negrar. Dense dried fig, cocoa and licorice at 16.5%, built to age decades. A collector's red for braised game and aged cheese.
Dried fig, cocoa and licorice from Corvina and Corvinone shrivelled for months, then six years in botte at Negrar. Vivino's drinker consensus (4.7 from almost 11,000 ratings) tracks the same dense, balsamic profile.
The appassimento signature is unmistakable: dried fig, raisin and prune over macerated cherry and plum, with six years in botte layering cocoa, sweet tobacco and licorice. A balsamic, leathery edge that Vivino drinkers flag repeatedly adds the savoury lift that sets this apart from sweeter Amarone.
Coffee
Black cherry
Fig
Prune
Raisin
Almond
Leather
Liquorice
CocoaFull and warm at 16.5% alcohol, it carries the glycerol weight of raisined Corvina and Corvinone without tipping into heaviness. Cabernet Sauvignon in the field blend firms the tannin and adds a blackcurrant edge, while the long barrique ageing folds in dark chocolate and espresso. The Amarone hallmark of bitterness keeps the dried-fruit sweetness in check.
Long and savoury, closing on bitter almond, balsamic and cocoa rather than fruit sugar: the fine persistence vino.com's tasters note and cellar collectors prize.
One of Italy's benchmark Amarones and Quintarelli's flagship: drinkers rate it 4.7 across nearly 11,000 Vivino ratings and consistently praise its depth, longevity and balance. A special-occasion red for braised game and aged cheese that rewards a decade or more in the cellar.
Two vintages, 2017 and 2018, sit live across UK fine-wine merchants from about 266 pounds. Quintarelli releases tiny quantities six to seven years after harvest, so stock is thin and prices firm.
A benchmark for cellar and occasion, less so for everyday value: this is a 270-pound collector's bottle, not a midweek pour.
DOCG appassimento red with six years in botte; Quintarelli vintages from the 1990s still rate 4.7 to 4.8, so it ages for decades.
High-classification, high-prestige and Parker-scored: a flagship bottle for the most important occasions.
A benchmark food Amarone: superb with braised game and aged cheese, though too rich and high in alcohol for light dishes.
Powerful, 16.5% alcohol, complex and expensive: a connoisseur's Amarone rather than an easy introduction.
Scoring is rule-based and deterministic. The model and weightings are documented in our editorial methodology.
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.
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The torrid 2017 gave a denser, higher-glycerol Amarone; the more balanced 2018 earned Gambero Rosso's Tre Bicchieri. Both are built to age past 2045.
A more balanced Veneto vintage than the torrid 2017, with healthy ripening that kept acidity alongside the appassimento sweetness. Recognised with Gambero Rosso's Tre Bicchieri, the 2018 drinks with more freshness and should hold for decades.
A hot, dry Veneto growing season concentrated the Corvina and Corvinone, and the long appassimento turned that ripeness into a dense, high-glycerol Amarone. With six years in botte behind it, the 2017 is built for the cellar; give it time past 2025.
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.
From the Monte Ca' Paletta vineyards above Negrar, Giuseppe Quintarelli's estate set the traditional Amarone benchmark; Robert Parker scored the 2011 release 97 points and the 2013 release 96.
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.
Amarone della Valpolicella falls within Veneto , covering Veneto. The denomination is further divided into 2 sub-zones.
Quintarelli dries the Corvina and Corvinone for around four months, losing much of the weight to water, so several kilos of grapes go into each 270-pound bottle.
The wine spends roughly 72 months in barrique and botte at Negrar, tying up cellar space and capital far longer than the DOCG's two-year minimum.
Robert Parker scored the 2011 release 97 points; tiny volumes from the Monte Ca' Paletta estate and global demand hold the wine near 270 pounds a bottle.
Only the healthiest, airiest bunches survive the long appassimento, so usable yields per hectare fall well below the Valpolicella norm.
At 16.5% ABV this Amarone sits in HMRC's higher-strength duty band, not the flat still-wine rate, and the VAT element of a 266-pound bottle is over 44 pounds before the retailer's margin.
Quintarelli sells through allocation-list importers with almost no advertising, so the price reflects the wine and its scarcity rather than a brand budget.
Dishes that complement this wine
At 16.5% with firm, Cabernet-bolstered tannin, this Amarone needs braised and roasted richness. Vivino drinkers reach most for beef, lamb, game and blue cheese.
Sixteen-and-a-half per cent alcohol and the glycerol weight of raisined Corvina give this Amarone the body to stand beside the richest braises. Long, slow cooking and the wine's dried-fruit concentration meet as equals, while a balsamic savoury edge cuts the unctuous sauce.
Try with: Brasato al Barolo · Ossobuco alla Milanese · Venison Stew · More pairings →
Cabernet-bolstered tannin and the wine's balsamic acidity scour the fat of mature cheese, while the appassimento sweetness mirrors the crystalline nuttiness of long-aged curds.
Try with: Polenta alla Valdostana · Aged Monte Veronese · Parmigiano-Reggiano · More pairings →
The residual sweetness of dried fig and raisin, lifted by high alcohol, balances the salty pungency of blue cheese where a dry red would clash. Walnut and pear echo the wine's nutty, oxidative edge.
Try with: Gorgonzola, pear and walnut risotto · Gorgonzola · More pairings →
Leather, cocoa and dried-mushroom tertiary notes from six years in botte bridge directly to porcini and truffle, and the wine's concentration carries the earthy umami without being overwhelmed.
Try with: Porcini mushroom risotto · Truffle risotto · More pairings →
Vivino drinkers reach most for this Amarone with beef and lamb: the ripe tannin and warming alcohol frame a charred, fatty cut, and the dried-fruit core flatters caramelised, Maillard-rich crusts.
Try with: Roast beef · Roast lamb · Grilled ribeye
At 16.5% alcohol this Amarone amplifies chilli burn rather than soothing it, and its dried-fruit power flattens delicate white fish and sushi. Keep it away from fiery and fragile dishes alike.
Skip with: Vindaloo · Sichuan hotpot · Sushi · Oysters · Pairing guide →
Quintarelli's Amarone is among Italy's longest-lived reds: vintages from the 1990s still rate 4.7 to 4.8 on Vivino, and the current 2017 and 2018 will reward twenty years or more in bottle.
Peak around 2034. Best in the years above; holds without falling over either side.
A short splash decant softens the first-pour edge and opens the aromatics.
DOCG appassimento red with six years in botte; Quintarelli vintages from the 1990s still rate 4.7 to 4.8, so it ages for decades.
£266.36 is the lowest tracked offer for the current vintage and we have no signal of further discounting.
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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 · MediumIt is a field blend led by Corvina and Corvinone with Rondinella, plus Cabernet Sauvignon, Nebbiolo and Croatina, all grown on the Quintarelli estate above Negrar in the Valpolicella Classico zone.
Tiny hand-harvested production, around 120 days of appassimento drying and roughly six years ageing in botte before release combine with cult status; Robert Parker scored the 2011 release 97 points, keeping demand high and prices near 270 pounds a bottle.
For decades. Quintarelli vintages from the 1990s and 2000s still rate 4.7 to 4.8 on Vivino, and the current 2017 and 2018 releases should hold well past 2045.
Braised beef, slow-cooked game, mushroom or truffle risotto and aged or blue cheese. Vivino drinkers most often pair it with beef, lamb, game and blue cheese.
About 16.5% by volume, a result of concentrating sugars during the long appassimento drying of the grapes.
Yes. It comes from the historic Classico heartland of Valpolicella around Negrar di Valpolicella in the province of Verona.
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