Giuseppe Quintarelli's Rosso Ca' del Merlo is a single-vineyard Veneto IGT red, half its grapes air-dried then aged seven years in Slavonian oak. A baby Amarone of Morello cherry, dried fruit, leather and dark chocolate, full and warm at 15%.
Seven years in large Slavonian oak botti and a partial two-month appassimento shape this wine. Vivino's 818 tasting reviews settle on oak, tobacco, leather and Morello cherry, with a dried-fruit edge that marks the air-dried grapes.
Aromas open on Morello cherry and Parma violet, a floral lift over darker scents of leather, tobacco and woodsmoke. Those savoury notes, the ones Vivino drinkers name most often, come from seven years in large Slavonian oak. A twist of white pepper and dried fig points back to the half-dried grapes.
Violet
Cherry
Plum
Prune
Tobacco
Leather
Oak
Black pepper
ChocolateFull-bodied and warm at 15%, with the raisin and prune sweetness that two months of appassimento build into the wine. Firm but supple tannins from the Cabernet and the long oak ageing frame dark bitter chocolate and Morello cherry. The ripasso pass on Amarone lees lends an Amarone-like depth without the full sweetness.
Long and savoury, closing on leather, cocoa and a crushed-mineral edge that keeps the 15% alcohol from feeling heavy.
A benchmark baby Amarone from one of Valpolicella's cult names, with a 4.5-star Vivino average across 3,049 ratings. Released mature after seven years in botti, it suits collectors and a special table more than an everyday pour.
The 2016, 2017 and 2018 sit between £95.99 and £107.25 across the three UK retailers tracked here. Stock is thin, as it is for every Quintarelli release, so vintage availability shifts week to week.
A cult-producer Veneto red built for the table and the cellar rather than a midweek pour. It rates highest for special-occasion drinking and ageing, lowest on everyday value at a £96 floor.
Released only after about seven years in botti, with 15% ABV and firm tannin, it is built to hold and deepen for 15 to 20 years from a strong vintage.
Quintarelli is a benchmark Veneto name and this is a special-occasion, gift and collector bottle.
Firm but supple tannins and 15% body make it a natural for braised red meat, game and aged cheese, even if it overwhelms lighter dishes.
A savoury, oxidatively complex, high-alcohol cult wine rewards some experience; it is not a soft, fruit-forward introduction to Italian reds.
Scoring is rule-based and deterministic. The model and weightings are documented in our editorial methodology.
A compact view of what the Veneto denomination actually requires, and how this bottle sits inside it. Pulled from the official Italian disciplinare.
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.
Veneto 2016 was cool and balanced, one of the region's best recent years; 2017 ran hot and ripe; 2018 returned a fresher, more classical line. Each was part-dried and aged the same seven years before release.
A wetter, more classical 2018 brought back freshness and perfume after the warm 2017, with bright Morello cherry over the leather and oak. Approachable on release and holding into the late 2030s.
2017 ran hot and drought-marked across the Veneto, so this Ca' del Merlo is riper and more powerful with a touch less acidity. Generous now and best enjoyed over the coming decade.
Veneto 2016 was a cool, balanced year now rated among the region's best recent vintages, giving Ca' del Merlo fresh acidity beneath its dried-fruit weight. Released after seven years in botti, it is drinking well with 15 years ahead.
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.
After fermentation the wine is racked onto the lees of Quintarelli's Amarone for a ripasso second fermentation, then rests seven years in Slavonian botti. That is Amarone-grade depth on a single-vineyard Valpolicella, sold simply as Veneto IGT.
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.
Veneto is in the IGT tier. That is not a quality verdict, it is a description of how much freedom the producer has at vinification and ageing.
Veneto falls within Veneto , covering Veneto.
Quintarelli rests Ca' del Merlo about seven years in big Slavonian botti before bottling, tying up cellar space and capital long before the £96 bottle reaches a shelf.
Drying 50% of the fruit for two months concentrates flavour but loses volume, raising the cost per bottle and pushing the wine to a full 15% ABV.
Re-fermenting on Quintarelli's own Amarone skins adds a labour-heavy step and Amarone-grade depth that most Veneto IGT reds never attempt.
Quintarelli's minuscule production and benchmark reputation hold UK prices at £95.99 to £107.25, with only a few merchants stocking each vintage.
Every grape comes from the family's own Valpolicella hillside, so there are no bulk-buying savings to pull the price down.
HMRC still-wine duty of about £2.67 plus 20% VAT, roughly £16 on a £96 bottle, take close to £19 off the top before any retailer margin.
Dishes that complement this wine
Firm but supple tannins and 15% warmth want slow-cooked red meat: brasato, ossobuco, lamb ragu. The leather and forest-floor notes bridge to porcini and truffle; the dried-fruit depth carries aged pecorino.
The firm tannins built by Cabernet and seven years in Slavonian oak need collagen-rich braises. Gelatin from slow-cooked shin and shank coats the palate and rounds the grip, while the wine's dried-fruit depth echoes the long cooking.
Try with: Brasato al Barolo · Ossobuco alla Milanese · beef short rib · oxtail ragu · More pairings →
At 15% ABV with bright acidity, Ca' del Merlo cuts through lamb fat rather than sitting heavy on it. The raisin and prune notes from the appassimento mirror the sweetness of slow-roasted meat.
Try with: Agnello Ragu Lucano · slow-roast lamb shoulder · lamb shank · spiced lamb · More pairings →
The forest-floor, leather and tobacco notes that dominate Vivino reviews mirror the umami of porcini and truffle. The match is aroma to aroma rather than weight to weight.
Try with: Porcini mushroom risotto · Tagliatelle al tartufo · mushroom pappardelle · polenta with mushroom · More pairings →
Tannin and dried-fruit depth balance the salt and crystalline fat of long-aged cheese, while the oak ageing gives enough body to stand up to a mature rind.
Try with: Pecorino sardo e pan carasau · aged Parmigiano Reggiano · mature Asiago · Grana Padano · More pairings →
The wine's weight and savoury, oak-aged depth match game and dark roasts that would overwhelm a lighter Valpolicella. Its structure carries the richness without losing its dried-fruit lift.
Try with: venison · wild boar ragu · roast duck · braised beef cheek
15% alcohol, firm tannin and seven years of oak flatten delicate seafood and turn metallic against raw fish. Save it for the meat course rather than the starter.
Skip with: sushi · oysters · steamed white fish · green salad · Pairing guide →
Quintarelli releases Ca' del Merlo only after about seven years in oak, so it arrives mature. A strong vintage like 2016 will still hold and deepen into the late 2030s; drink the warmer 2017 a little sooner.
Peak around 2030. Best in the years above; holds without falling over either side.
A short splash decant softens the first-pour edge and opens the aromatics.
Released only after about seven years in botti, with 15% ABV and firm tannin, it is built to hold and deepen for 15 to 20 years from a strong vintage.
£95.99 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: 30 May 2026, 16:15 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 · MediumIt is a Veneto IGT (Rosso del Veronese) red from Giuseppe Quintarelli, made from single-vineyard Valpolicella fruit that is partly air-dried, given a ripasso on the estate's Amarone lees, then aged about seven years in Slavonian oak. It is often called a baby Amarone.
Mostly Corvina and Corvinone with Rondinella, plus Cabernet Sauvignon and small amounts of Cabernet Franc, Nebbiolo, Croatina and Sangiovese. The Bordeaux grapes add structure to the native Valpolicella base.
Full-bodied and warm at 15% ABV, with Morello cherry, dried fruit, leather, tobacco and dark chocolate. Vivino's drinker consensus runs to 4.5 stars across more than 3,000 ratings, praising its oak-aged, savoury depth and firm but supple tannins.
Slow-cooked red meat suits it best: brasato al Barolo, ossobuco and lamb ragu. The earthy, leathery notes also bridge to porcini risotto and truffle pasta, while the dried-fruit depth carries aged pecorino and other hard cheeses.
Quintarelli only releases it after roughly seven years in oak, so it arrives mature. From a strong vintage like 2016 it will still hold and deepen into the late 2030s; drink the warmer 2017 a little sooner.
Tiny single-vineyard production, a labour-heavy partial appassimento and ripasso, and about seven years of cellar ageing before release all add cost. UK prices run from about £95.99 to £107.25, with only a handful of merchants stocking each vintage.
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