Villa Canestrari Amarone Della Valpolicella DOCG 2015

This wine is a Popsy and JJ favourite! In Veneto, wine makers have been racking grapes to dry after harvest for centuries. A concept completely foreign to most other wine regions and countries. This unique process, which intensifies the wine, has fascinated the world in recent times and made Amarone one of the most iconic and intriguing wines. Three main grape varieties are used in its production, all indigenous to Veneto - corvina, corvinone and rondinella.

This incredible Amarone hit us right between the eyes with its intensity and yet super smoothness. What first hits you is the dark ruby red colour as it fills the glass. Then the distinctive aroma of soured cherries and stewed dates as well as a good whack of dirty earth only a Euro wine can deliver. It has perfectly rounded tannins which you know will work amazingly well with food. On the palate, earth meets fruit like magic and down the hatch it is velvety smooth! You wouldn’t know that this wine had been oaked for 24 months because the marriage with the fruit is completely seamless.

We paired this on our tasting with a butterflied leg of lamb with garlic and rosemary rub (click for recipe). An awesome combo but you can match this wine with any gutsy meat dish. We think this wine is a bloody ripper! If you have never tried an Amarone, you should do yourself a favour and try this one! A few Popsy and JJ tips …decanting is an absolute must for this wine to let the monster settle in the bottle …then let the allure begin! Use a large, tall glass as you don’t want the fumes from the high alcohol content (this one is 15%) to get in the way of one of the most amazing wine adventures you’ll have. We used a tall Bordeaux glass and filled the wine about an eighth of the way up. Give it a shot!

Popsy & JJ tasted and food matched May 2021

Glass

Bordeaux

Cellaring

Drink after a good decanter or cellar for another 2 decades if you please.

Decanter

Decant for 60+ mins