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Amour, Amour, Amarone

The world is full of loss; bring, wind, my love,

My home is where we make our meeting-place,

And love whatever I shall touch and read

Within that face.

—from the poem “Song” by Muriel Rukeyser (Beast in View, 1944)

Well-aged wine lies in the dark—living, breathing through the staves of a barrel. Likewise, it is often in love’s shadows, in the blind spots of what we think we know, that we acquire a deeper passion for our companions. Unexpectedly, we gain an appreciation for what previously passed unnoticed; like two beets yanked up out of soil we blink, startled at each other’s red beauty.

I dedicate this Valentine’s Day column to well-seasoned love. In its honor, I propose a toast with an imperfect, traditional and rustic red wine. A deep, broad-shouldered wine with which to contemplate life in the vice of winter, and sounding most like “amour,” Amarone appears to me an excellent choice.

To find Amarone, we must travel to the Veneto region in the northeast corner of Italy. Considered a hub of the wine trade in the Middle Ages, the lagoon-marooned city of Venice, wobbling atop its pile of submerged wood, helped to shape the wine regions of northeast Italy. To get from the Byzantine palaces of Venice to the white-pebbled vineyards of the Veneto, you must follow the Autostrada della Serenissima until it becomes A4 exiting at Verona Sud. Due north of this city famous for its doomed lovers, Romeo and Juliet, Verona watches over the most prolific production zones in all of Italy. More wine is produced in the Veneto than any other wine region in Italy, and Italy ranks as the number one wine producer worldwide. Although the Veneto includes the recognizable names of Bardolina and the principally white Soave, our journey leads to Valpolicella (“the valley of cellars”), whose vineyards yield the grape most prized by Amarone winemakers, the red Corvina.

Since achieving DOCG (the top classification for Italian wine) status in 2005, Amarone must be made with these three grapes: Corvina, the most important, Corvinone and Rondinella, which are also used in the wines of Valpolicella. Whereas Valpolicella is the name of both a designated grape-growing area and a style of wine, Amarone is named after the style of wine only. The grapes used in the production of Amarone hail from the best vineyards of Valpolicella. Hillside terraces, fertile with volcanic soil, are reserved for these premium grapes. Generally the yields are quite low; the grapes, hand-harvested, are left to ripen later than the normal harvest date. Corvina, naturally a late-ripening variety, performs particularly well, hanging on the vine well into the fall season, gathering intense flavors and high sugar levels.

Amarone belongs to a fascinating category of wine made from raisined grapes that the Italians call “recioto.” While contemporary wine culture focuses primarily on the benefits of immediate consumption of ripe, young wines, Amarone, with its dark, brooding character, provides a striking contrast. Powerful and massive, its withered fruit seems to structure a wine with iron girders. The best made can last for decades, evolving into thick brown velvet, rich with flavors of dark chocolate, coffee, earth, dried dates and figs.

The unique drying process, which lasts approximately three months, is called “appassimento.” The grapes, having lost about 50 percent of their liquid during the drying period, are then crushed, producing a richly concentrated must (a winemaker’s term for the pre-fermented mixture of juice, skins, seeds, stems and pulp). The resulting wine (Amarone means “the big, bitter one”) is a heavy, full-bodied red with a high degree of alcohol that needs time to mellow before it can be fully appreciated. Many producers age their Amarones three to five years before release in order to smooth out the huge tannins and powerful flavors. These wines will improve with time in the bottle as well, so it is best to shop around for one with seven to 10 years under its belt. Although most Amarone is fermented dry, there are some delicious, port-like dessert versions as well.

Many Amarone producers also make a wine called Ripasso Valpolicella. Ripasso, or “re-passed,” refers to the process of refermenting a normal Valpolicella wine on the skins and grape debris leftover from prior batches of Amarone. This second fermentation imparts to the ripasso some of the dried fruit and full-bodied characteristics of the Amarone. To draw on an analogy from the kitchen, the ripasso style is simply making use of all the available flavorings, somewhat akin to deglazing a hot pan in order to loosen the bits left after braising meat. I mention this connection with braised meats because this is one of the most recommended foods to pair with Amarone. Especially satisfying when matched with intense flavors, this robust red goes particularly well with lamb, game, rabbit, mushrooms, strong cheeses and dark chocolate.

Now for the bad news: As you may have guessed by now, Amarone does not sell for single digit numbers. The best range $40 and up. If this seems cost-prohibitive, I suggest that you substitute with the ripasso style, for one half the price. Often referred to as a “baby Amarone,” Ripasso Valpolicella is, in fact, one of my favorite reds from Italy. Be forewarned, for although you will experience a glimmer of an Amarone in the genes of a ripasso, do not expect more than a distant relative of the king.

On the other hand, in defense of a buying splurge, consider that a boring bouquet of flowers costs just as much as a bottle of Amarone—so what are you waiting for! Shake up that routine Valentine’s Day gift with a delicious bottle of wine…and maybe a truffle or two.

Here is a list of widely available and reliable producers of both Amarone and Ripasso Valpolicella: Allegrini; Corte Giara (my best value pick, co-owned by Allegrini and a group of local growers); Bertani (one of the best Amarones that I’ve ever had was the 1990); Zenato; Tedeschi and Masi.