Do you know how Amarone della Valpolicella was born?
It’s an incredible and accidental story worth knowing.
It was 1940 when a winemaker forgot to stop the fermentation of a Recioto barrel. This fact allowed the whole amount of sugar to become alcohol. Then, the result was a dry wine and this is the reason for the name Amarone.
Today Amarone della Valpolicella DOC turned 50. And I had to take part in Anteprima Amarone 2014.
It was my second event of 2018 after Io Bevo Così. Over the last months I was very busy with studies to become an AIS sommelier. As you already saw on the Instagram Stories, I successfully passed the final exam on 9 February!
But back to Anteprima Amarone 2014 and my impressions of the event and which wines I preferred.
Are you ready? Let’s start!
Anteprima Amarone 2014
3 days of wine tastings: 3, 4 and 5 February.
As the last edition, the event took place in Gran Guardia palace, Verona.
Before I talk about Anteprima Amarone 2014 it’s important to analyze the weather conditions of 2014 vintage.
The first part of the year was very good, great budbreak and early bloom. But the second part was the opposite. 2014 will be remembered as the vintage of the rains, more than 1500 mm.
Despite this some winemakers have produced many good wines that I’ve tasted during the horizontal tasting in Anteprima Amarone 2014.
It’s always interesting to take part in a horizontal tasting of a specific wine. You can discover the different winemakers’ styles and the types of microclimate and terrain.
The selection of Amarone della Valpolicella 2014 involved 43 wines. Some were bottled, others were barrel examples.
If you don’t want to lose the shades from one wine to another, it’s very hard to taste 43 wines only in a morning. I’ve already told you in the article about the “7 tips for a better wine tasting” that 12-15 is the suggested number. I tasted a little less than half of the wines.
The best 5 Amarone della Valpolicella 2014
Below are the five Amarone della Valpolicella 2014 that impressed the most.
Le Guaite di Noemi (barrel example)
On the nose it was very enveloping. There were some notes of bell pepper, licorice, berry fruit and black pepper. The wine looked well-balanced and the alcohol well-integrated. It had a long finish with a hint of coffee.
Santa Sofia Classico (bottled)
A little toasting, rose, licorice and cherry were the aromas. Tasting it revealed elegance and freshness. Well-balanced.
Cesari Classico (bottled)
The aromas were very elegant and vertical. It needed more air to open its bouquet more. Some notes of berry fruit, violet and a bit of spice. In the mouth there was the perfect correspondence with the nose. Quite persistent.
Villa Spinosa Classico (bottled)
If the previous wines were the most balanced, Villa Spinosa Classico was the more promising wine. It needed more ageing to reach better balancing on the nose. The aromas were about toasting and strawberry. In the mouth it was very interesting, with good freshness. The color was an amazing bright ruby red.
Sartori (barrel example)
This wine also needed more ageing. The nose was not yet well-defined, but there were some interesting aromas of strawberry, ginger and facial powder. Tasting it revealed high elegance and it was quite fresh. A good potential.
The list of wineries
In addition to Anteprima Amarone 2014, there were several wineries that offered other vintages to taste.
You can discover the list of wineries by clicking on the link below.
Waiting for the upcoming events
It’s always a pleasure to take part in a wine event in Verona. It’s a wonderful and lovely city!
The next event here will be Vinitaly, from 15th to 18th of April.
Will you take part in it? Let me know! It could be a good time to taste some wines together.
I invite you to join the private wine club of Winery Lovers where you can stay up to date with the upcoming events.
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Cheers
Simone
