Amarone, Ripasso, Valpolicella and Recioto: the differences

Four denominations, one area and the same grapes

Until 2010 Valpolicella, Ripasso, Recioto and Amarone were types of a single denomination. The Valpolicella rules record that on 24 March 2010 ministerial decrees were adopted making the four types independent. Today Valpolicella and Valpolicella Ripasso are DOC wines, while Amarone della Valpolicella and Recioto della Valpolicella are DOCG.

The grape composition is identical in all four texts:

• Corvina Veronese (Cruina or Corvina) and/or Corvinone: 45% to 95%.
• Rondinella: 5% to 30%.
• Other varieties: up to a maximum of 25% in total.
• Among these, the non-aromatic red varieties permitted in the province of Verona may reach at most 15%, with a cap of 10% for any single variety.
• The remainder may be red varieties classed as native Italian grapes, up to 10% in total.

The area where the grapes are grown is also the same, covering all or part of nineteen municipalities in the province of Verona, among them Negrar, Fumane, Marano, Sant'Ambrogio di Valpolicella, San Pietro in Cariano and Verona.

The rules do not assign different shares of Corvina to one wine or another, so the difference lies in what is done with the grapes after the harvest. That is what the following sections compare.

The comparison in one table

The table sums up the values in the four sets of production rules. The figures are explained one by one in the sections that follow, which also cover the rules left out here, such as yields and the conditions for the vigna (single-vineyard) mention.

Valpolicella: fresh grapes, the base wine

Valpolicella is the starting wine and the only one of the four for which the rules provide neither appassimento nor ripasso. The grapes must have a minimum natural alcoholic strength of 10% vol, and 11% vol for the Superiore type. The maximum yield is 12 tonnes of grapes per hectare and the yield of finished wine may not exceed 70%.

When sold, Valpolicella must have:

• at least 11.00% vol of actual alcohol (12.00% vol for Superiore);
• a maximum potential alcohol residue of 0.40% vol;
• a minimum total acidity of 5.0 g/l;
• a minimum non-reducing extract of 18.0 g/l (20.0 g/l for Superiore).

Superiore must undergo at least one year of compulsory ageing from 1 January of the year after the harvest. The rules set no minimum ageing period for Valpolicella without the Superiore mention.

The text gives no residual sugar limit in grams per litre: the parameter used is the potential alcohol residue, that is, the amount of alcohol the unfermented sugars would produce. For the buyer, Valpolicella is the wine with the fewest production constraints and also the one with the lowest minimums for alcohol and extract.

Amarone and Recioto: appassimento, alcohol and sugar

Appassimento

Appassimento, the drying of the grapes before they are made into wine, is the practice that separates Amarone and Recioto from the other two wines. The rules require the grapes to be sorted in the vineyard, following traditional practice. The main rules are these:

• no more than 65% of the maximum output per hectare may be set aside to dry;
• after drying, the grapes must reach a minimum natural alcoholic strength of 14% vol;
• the grapes may not be made into wine before 1 December, unless the Veneto Region authorises it when the weather makes it necessary, at the documented request of the Consorzio (the producers' consortium);
• the vineyards must have reached at least their fourth growing season;
• the maximum yield of finished wine from the grapes is 40%, against 70% for Valpolicella.

Grapes beyond the 65% share may be used for Valpolicella and Valpolicella Ripasso. Drying takes place in suitable rooms and may use climate-control equipment, provided it works at temperatures similar to those of traditional methods, with any dehumidifying system that uses heat excluded. These rules are written in almost the same words in both sets of production rules: Amarone and Recioto start from the same dried grapes under the same conditions.

Dry or sweet

The same kind of dried grapes gives two wines at opposite ends of the sweetness scale. Amarone della Valpolicella must have at least 14% vol of actual alcohol. The rules set the maximum total residual sugar at 9 g/l at 14% vol, with 0.1 g/l more for every 0.10% vol above 14% and up to 16%, and 0.15 g/l more for every 0.10% vol above 16%. As an example, this gives a maximum of 10 g/l at 15% vol. The minimum total acidity is 5.0 g/l and the minimum non-reducing extract 28.0 g/l (32.0 g/l for Riserva).

Recioto della Valpolicella is the sweet wine: the rules describe its taste as full, velvety, warm, delicate and sweet. It requires at least 12.00% vol of actual alcohol, with a minimum potential alcohol residue of 2.80% vol, which means unfermented sugar must be present. The minimum acidity is 5.0 g/l and the minimum extract 28.0 g/l. There is also a Recioto spumante, with a fine, persistent mousse and the same analytical minimums.

For ageing, Amarone has a precise requirement (see below), while the Recioto rules set no minimum ageing period before sale. Both must carry the vintage on the label.

How Ripasso is made according to the rules

Valpolicella Ripasso uses no dried grapes of its own. It is made by refermenting, in a single operation, Valpolicella wine (the rules call it wine suitable to become Ripasso) on the pomace left over after the extraction of the products intended to become Recioto or Amarone. The conditions are these:

• the pomace must have a potential alcohol residue of at least 0.50% vol;
• the wine and the pomace must belong to the same producer;
• the ripasso operation must last at least 3 days;
• the liquid fraction brought by the pomace must be between 10% and 15% of the volume of wine used;
• the base wine must have at least 11.50% vol of total alcohol (12.50% vol for Superiore).

The quantity of wine that may be used for ripasso is at most twice the volume of finished Recioto or Amarone obtainable at the 40% yield (62.4 hl per hectare). On a proposal from the Consorzio, for commercial reasons, the Veneto Region may reduce this ratio to as low as one to one.

The finished wine must have at least 12.50% vol of actual alcohol (13.00% vol for Superiore), with a maximum potential alcohol residue of 0.60% vol, a minimum acidity of 5.0 g/l and a minimum non-reducing extract of 24.0 g/l (26.0 g/l for Superiore). Ripasso therefore sits between Valpolicella and Amarone for alcohol and extract.

Release dates, Classico, Valpantena, Superiore and Riserva

When the wines are released

The release rules differ:

• Amarone may not be put on sale before two years of ageing, counted from 1 January after the vintage;
• with the Riserva designation at least four years are needed, counted from 1 November of the harvest year;
• Valpolicella Ripasso, in all its types, may not be released for sale before 1 January of the second year after the harvest;
• Valpolicella Superiore requires one year of ageing from 1 January of the year after the harvest.

The mentions

The geographical mentions Classico and Valpantena indicate smaller parts of the production area. Classico covers the municipalities of Negrar, Marano, Fumane, Sant'Ambrogio and San Pietro in Cariano. Valpantena is the zone defined by the rules along the valley of the same name. With these mentions, winemaking (and, where they apply, appassimento and ripasso) must take place in the zone concerned. Both mentions are available to all four denominations.

Superiore exists only for Valpolicella and Ripasso, Riserva only for Amarone. Recioto has neither Superiore nor Riserva. All four denominations allow the vigna mention followed by the vineyard name, under precise conditions (for Ripasso only in the Superiore type).

How to use the comparison when buying

The production rules give some practical pointers for choosing a bottle of Amarone or Ripasso, or for recognising the other two wines:

• Valpolicella has the lowest thresholds: 11.00% vol and no minimum ageing, except for Superiore;
• Ripasso guarantees at least 12.50% vol and release no earlier than the second year after the harvest;
• Amarone guarantees at least 14% vol, dried grapes, a cap on residual sugar and at least two years of ageing (four for Riserva);
• Recioto is the only one that must be sweet, so anyone looking for a dry wine should not choose it.

If the label says "Amarone" or "Recioto" the wine is a DOCG, while "Valpolicella" and "Valpolicella Ripasso" are DOC.

None of the four sets of rules says one wine is better than another: the denominations describe how the wine was made.