Amarone Riserva Il Fornetto 2016 – Stefano Accordini

Led by Stefano, helped by his wife Giuseppina and his two sons, Tiziano and Daniele, this company has a long tradition of wine making. The family estate extends over 4 hectares situated in Negrar, the heart of Valpolicella, it isn’t a big winery, however it is equipped with the most up to date technology. A century of experience and the cultural background the Accordini family carries with it, allows them to refer on a daily basis to these qualities in order to produce grapes native to Valpolicella. Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella grow in the vineyards high up in the hills where the grapes find mainly limestone and skeletal soil. These conditions lower the yield, but improve the quality, encouraging the accumulation of particular aromatic substances, above all spicy notes, which make these wines unique and unmistakable. Here, Valpolicella Ripasso and Amarone are at their best. The fourth generation, made up of Giacomo, Paolo and Marco, continue to work with passion and dedication in the winery, focused on the awareness of the impact on the environment. All vineyards of the company are cultivated according to biological methods and procedures. 

Amarone della Valpolicella

Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG became an international phenomenon in the 1990s. The name Amarone means “big bitter,” yet despite this moniker, consumer reaction to this bold wine has made it a global success. At its best, Amarone shows beguiling concentration and structure balanced by plushness and elegance. Flavors of dark berries, cocoa and raisin are a result of the winemaking style. Amarone is made with grapes that are dried on mats or hung from rafters for weeks or months after harvest. This process, called appassimento, concentrates the flavors and sugars. The shriveled grapes are then fermented to dryness, which results in a big, rich wine with robust alcohol levels that can near 17% alcohol by volume (abv).