2021 Farina Amarone della Valpolicella Classico DOCG, Verona Veneto

Farina Amarone della Valpolicella Classico DOCG is a rich, powerful red wine from the heart of Verona’s Valpolicella Classico zone, crafted with traditional methods and a deep respect for the region’s heritage. This is Farina’s flagship wine, made from carefully selected Corvina, Corvinone, and Rondinella grapes that are hand harvested and then naturally dried for several months in the fruttaio, a well-ventilated drying room. This appassimento process concentrates the sugars and flavours, producing a wine of intensity, depth and texture.

Fermentation is slow and gentle, followed by long ageing in a mix of large Slavonian oak casks and smaller French oak barrels. The result is a wine that combines richness with elegance, balancing ripe fruit with spice, earth and velvety tannins.

On the nose, it opens with aromas of black cherry, dried fig, dark chocolate, cinnamon and tobacco. The palate is full bodied and enveloping, with layers of plum, prune, espresso, balsamic and sweet spice. There is a natural warmth to the wine, but it’s beautifully balanced by acidity and a long, dry finish framed by fine tannins.

Food pairing: ideal with braised meats, venison, grilled steak, aged cheeses like Parmigiano-Reggiano or Gorgonzola, or slow-cooked mushroom ragù. Also excellent as a contemplative wine on its own after a meal.

Cellar potential: excellent. While drinking beautifully now after decanting, it will continue to evolve over 10 to 20 years, gaining savoury complexity, dried fruit notes and polish.