Reviews

Amarone-2004: classic vintage
«Enoteka» №1-2 2008

Traditionally in the middle of winter the Consortium of Valpolicella wines organises preview tastings of Amarone, a renowned wine from the Northern Italy.

The latest event took place in Verona and was dedicated to 2004 vintage which will be released to the markets in the coming months.

Set against uneasy situation in the global winemaking, the mood of Amarone producers remains quite upbeat. “Amarone is one of a few Italian wines with continuing growth in the past decade”, comments the consortium’s president Emilio Pedron.

Statistics confirm the dynamic development. If 8 mln. kilogrammes of grapes were harvested for Amarone and Recioto wines in 1997, the figure increased by over three times to 25,7 mln. kg in 2007. Initially production increased by little steps, but then it made a huge leap after 2005. Success is explained firstly by strong demand on the international markets and, secondly, by favourable weather conditions of the past two vintages. Emilio Pedron, an experienced winemaker, admitted that in 35 years of his work he had never seen a year with such ideal conditions like in 2007. No one can blame winemakers that they used the nature’s bounties to their advantage to produce more Amarone wine. It should also be noted that despite high demand, prices for grapes have remained stable in the past decade at around 2 euros per kilogramme.

Sales figures are perhaps the best evidence of the previously unseen growth of Amarone. The number of sold bottles increased from 1,5 mln. in 1997 to 8,3 mln. in 2007. Approximately half of the nearly 2,500 estates in Valpolicella currently produce Amarone.

Responding to the criticism that Amarone winemakers take advantage of the market demand, the president proposed several counter arguments. Although the area has potential to produce up to 12 mln. bottles per year, actual figures are much lower. Production is evenly spread between three main categories of wine — Valpolicella, Amarone and Ripasso, with each taking a third of total production. The area is strictly delineated and closed for new expansion. Emilio Pedron is especially proud of the fact that producers show serious approach and continue to increase quality. He also notes that “the structural solidity of denomination is really strong, with synergy between big and small producers”.

Before the analysis of 2004 vintage it is worth mentioning a new important project that was presented during the Verona tasting. A research on Valpolicella vineyards and environment was made during the past three winegrowing seasons in order to improve knowledge about the territory and to undertake initial zoning of vineyards. The study looked at climatic and weather conditions, soils, viticultural and enological aspects of wine production. A manual will be published soon, to be used as a practical aid for winegrowers and winemakers.

During the press-conference a question was asked whether the study will lead to a new formal ranking of Valpolicella vineyards. It caused a stir in the audience, but the official reaction remained cautious. Consortium’s president Emilio Pedron answered that zonal classification of vineyards may only be possible long term.

Technical and enological reports confirmed by winemakers’ comments state that 2004 vintage possesses typical features of a classic year. Weather conditions and development of vines were within the norm. Critical phases of the vegetative cycle such as bud break, flowering, veraison and grape ripening occurred in the usual dates. Rains in June and July fell when the vineyards needed it most, so there was no water stress. Monthly precipitation charts for September and October may appear misleading due to higher total figures, but rains fell before and after harvesting, so it didn’t affect the quality of grapes. Year 2004 can be compared to 2000, one of the best in the recent past, by several parameters. When the time for Amarone harvesting came — which is usually advanced by a week in comparison to traditional red wines — grapes were in a very good sanitary condition and reached full maturation. Higher yields were the only factor that could affect the quality of the future wine, but in quality-driven estates the problem was solved in summer through green harvesting.

Amarone-2004 can be called classic also from the enological point of view. During the harvesting grapes had less sugar in comparison to previous vintages, but it was compensated by balanced acidity and low pH levels. Phenolic maturation was good. The drying of the grapes that normally lasts from the end of September to the beginning of January was rather difficult because of higher humidity due to a prolonged period of rains. It was the year when modern equipment (compressors and conditioners to regulate humidity) helped grapes avoid rot.

The main technical features of wines are lower content of sugar (6,77 g/l average) and high level of glycerol (nearly two times higher than for traditional dry wines). In general, consortium’s enologist Daniele Accordini compares Amarone-2004 with the famous 200 vintage thanks to the balance between acidity and alcohol which is supported by the nice level of glycerol and dry extract. He stresses that wines superbly reflect the territory where they came from and have potential for a long evolution.

One of the advantages of the Verona tasting was that journalists and critics had an opportunity to assess wines in a blind tasting (though the organizers didn’t take into consideration the number of guests, so some were left without seats). It was also possible to taste, as well as discuss various issues, at the tables with winemakers. Fifty four estates — large and small, famous and little known took part, while some recognized names such as Allegrini, Masi or Dal Forno were noticeable by their absence.

The blind tasting led to several conclusions regarding the general profile of 2004 vintage. Whilst the wines may be at different levels of quality and may have certain stylistic differences, the common things are intense colour, expressive floral aromas, especially of roses and violets, in many samples, attractive suppleness thanks to soft tannins and overall balance. Many of 2004 wines are well suited not only for ‘meditation’, but for the table where they should be easily matched by many dishes.

Among the advantages of the blind tasting is that wines are assessed without the pressure of names. It helps discover samples which might otherwise be left unattended at an open tasting. This time both Amarone from Giuseppe Campagnola — regular Guiseppe Campagnola and superior Cateria Zardini — perfomed well. Also, wines from the following producers should be mentioned — Aldegheri, Roccolo Grassi, Tenuta Sant’ Antonio, Domenico Fraccaroli, Gnirega, Monte Zovo, F.lli Farina, Giacomo Montresor and Cantina Valpolicella Negrar. There were samples with a very good potential of fruit, but which suffered from much extraction, obvious oak or excessive sweetness.

Tastings and conversations with winemakers were a good opportunity to find out more about the vinification processes which at times have a great influence on a wine’s style. Many estates produce 2-3 Amarone labels with certain stylistic differences between them. Top wines are normally aged longer and are released on the market later. For example, Campo dei Gigli 2004 from Tenuta Sant’ Antonio will be released in 2009, and Bosan 2004 from Cesari — in 2010. Some of these wines were also available for tasting, though barrel samples will never possess the full character of a finished product.

Winemakers have different points of view on the importance of single vineyard wines. Armando Castagnedi from Tenuta Sant’ Antonio, one of the new stars in Valpolicella, notes that there was no historic tradition in the area to make wines from separate crus. Instead, winemakers produced their best wines from specially selected grapes which could be picked in various parts of the vineyard. On the other hand, representatives of Cesari say that each winegrower distinguishes at least one cru site in his property irrespective of whether the grapes will be vinified as a separate wine or not.

It is interesting to compare winemakers’ opinions on such critically important process as drying of grapes. Differing from the old practice of drying grapes in lofts in natural conditions, today’s production norms allow to use various systems of air conditioning to manage humidity (temperature control is forbidden).

Modern equipment gave winemakers more control over the drying process and the opportunity to minimize development of rot, but not all agree on the necessity of using it. Armando Castagnedi believes that the quality of grapes must be high even before appassimento. The winery does double selection of harvest, and drying takes place in a loft where the only technological tool is a usual fan. How, in this case, does the winemaker fight rot which he finds the biggest enemy of grapes? By simple means. Enough space is allowed between grapes to keep free air circulation. If necessary, big bunches are cut into smaller parts. If the rot occurs, affected berries are cut and thrown away. Castagnedi draws attention to the fact that grapes affected by rot, even noble, produce wine with brown hue in colour and overripe flavours which are not desirable for a clean style of Amarone.

Amarone production has several other distinctive features whose description requires a separate article. To conclude, it is interesting to note that Valpolicella producers who have their wines in Russia are very positive about our market and about the growing demand of the Russians for their premium wines, especially Amarone. Vintage 2004 should definitely be on the radar of the wine lovers and may prove a further catalyst of Amarone success in Russia.