If you like wine, especially if you are a fan of Italian
wine, you must try Amarone, one of those gems that was discovered due to an
error.
Unlike most of the wine we drink, Amarone is not made with
fresh grapes but with dried wines. Amarone was in fact born by mistake and due
to famine. The areas where Amarone is made used to be very poor so they used to
dry the grapes to trade, which made them in fact the alternative currency. When
you dry the grapes around half of the water evaporates and you get a high
concentration of sugar.
Apart from being eaten, these dry grapes were also used to
produce a sweet young wine, what we could call a sweet version of Amarone.
However someone decided to keep the wine a bit longer in the barrels and they
discovered that rather than sweet, the wine transformed into something dry and
bitter, hence the name “Amarone” from the Italian word amaro which means
bitter.
At the end of the 60’s Amarone started to become popular and
it was officially named Amarone de la Vapolicella, as Vapolicella, situated
between Verona and lake Garda, is the only area in the world allowed to produce
Amarone.
Amarone is traditionally made in big barrels (65 to 85
hectolitres) made of slavonian wood, chosen to preserve the wine’s own flavours
without adding any vanilla or wood taste.
Perhaps the most famous producer of Amarone wine is the
Tommasi family who recently presented some of their wines with the Wine
warehouse, their official distributor, in HCMC with a wine dinner at La Cucina
in District 7.
Tommasi is one of the main Amarone ambassadors. Tommasi is a
family business which has been making wine since 1902 and it is now on its 4
th generation of family wine makers.
Although they started growing vines in just a
few hectares, over the years they have acquired 195 hectares of vines in
different states, 100 of which are dedicated to Amarone and Valpolicela wines,
with 15 hectares used to produce delicious prosecco.
As they own all their vineyards, Tommasi concentrates in
producing quality rather than quantity, delivering wines with balance and
elegance.
Amarone wines are made mostly out of Corvina, Molinara and
Rondinella grapes, which are partially dried, in the case of Tommasi for around
100 days. By law wines then have to be aged at least 2 years in barrels,
although Tommasi keeps them for a minimum of 3 years, aiming at even better
quality, and released only when they are ready to drink, although these wines
keep evolving and are usually good for twenty to twenty five years.
We had the pleasure of starting the dinner with a glass of
prosecco (Italian sparking wine), which was light and crispy, to be followed by
the Le Rosse Tommasi Pinot Grigio, a fresh and light white wine, ideal pair for
the fresh hand made burrata cheese which was served with.
The Tommasi valpolicella classic, a fresh red wine full of
fruit flavours, followed paired with risotto and grilled swordfish; and then
the star of the night, the Amarone classico was perfectly paired by chef Ruben,
with parpadella and scaloppini.
The dinner was finished with dessert and a glass of
beautiful Grappa di Amarone. A beautiful dinner with amazing wines, which you
can enjoy from any of the Wine Warehouse retail outlets.
These wines are very elegant, and if you are patient enough
keep some bottles for a few years and
see how the same wines from young and vibrant to old and wise, the current
vintage of Amarone classic is 2010, but soon the 2011 will be delivered, so if
you want to try the 2010 hurry up before all is gone!
Side effects of great wines?...
