The Land of many Cellars
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Valpolicella is a renowned red wine region in Veneto, northern Italy, near Verona and Lake Garda, known for producing diverse styles from Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara grapes.
Valpolicella will be one of the sub regions we visit on our Emilia Romagna / Veneto tour in October 2027. I have put this together to give an understanding of the region as it is not so well known, yet has so much to offer.
How Appassimento Shaped Valpolicella – And Why You’ll Want to Go
If you’ve travelled widely for wine, you start to look for places with a clear story—regions where tradition, landscape and glass all line up. Valpolicella, just north of Verona, is one of those places.
Here, between Lake Garda and the Lessini Mountains, a single ancient technique still defines the valley: appassimento, the art of drying grapes. It’s simple, visible, and utterly distinctive—and it produces some of Italy’s most characterful red wines.
This isn’t just another wine stop. It’s a chance to see, smell and taste a tradition that you’ll remember long after you’ve left.
Why Valpolicella Appeals to Seasoned Wine Travellers
A strong, coherent story: one valley, one key technique, many styles.
A beautiful, compact landscape: stone villages, hillside vineyards, views across to Lake Garda.
Serious wines with personality: from bright, everyday reds to deep, contemplative Amarone.
If you’ve already ticked off the classics—Chianti, Barolo, Bordeaux—Valpolicella feels both comfortably Italian and refreshingly different.
Appassimento: The Signature You Can See and Taste
Each autumn, bunches of Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella and other local grapes are laid out in airy lofts called fruttai. Over weeks and months, they slowly lose water and concentrate in flavour.
From this one process, the valley’s whole spectrum of wines takes shape:
Valpolicella Classico – fresh, cherry‑bright, wonderfully drinkable with simple trattoria food.
Valpolicella Ripasso – “re‑passed” over Amarone skins; richer, darker, more layered, yet still easy at the table.
Amarone della Valpolicella – the icon: full‑bodied, dry, velvety, with dried cherry, fig, chocolate and spice. A wine to slow down with.
Recioto della Valpolicella – a sweet, luxurious red from the same dried grapes; perfect with cheese or chocolate.
In Valpolicella, you don’t just hear about this—you stand under the rafters with the grapes, then taste the results in the glass. The connection is immediate and unforgettable.
Wine, Food, and a Sense of Place
Valpolicella’s wines were born for the local table:
A chilled glass of Valpolicella with salumi and simple pastas.
Ripasso alongside richer ragùs and roasts.
Amarone with slow‑braised beef, game, truffles, or a plate of mature cheeses.
Recioto to linger over at the end of the meal.
For travellers, this means more than a technical tasting. It’s discovering how the wines fit into everyday life—how appassimento has shaped the valley’s food culture as much as its cellars.
A Region That Stays With You
What makes Valpolicella such a compelling stop on an Italian wine journey is its clarity:
You see the grapes drying.
You hear the story of how that tradition survived and evolved.
You taste the progression from fresh fruit to dried‑grape intensity across a flight of wines.
It’s easy to understand, easy to talk about afterwards, and deeply satisfying in the glass.
For wine lovers who’ve “seen it all,” Valpolicella offers something rare: a region where one ancient practice still shapes everything—and where you can experience that from vineyard to cellar to table in a single, memorable visit.
For more information on our tour in 2027 click the button below. I will respond with prices and more detail.
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