November is officially upon us, and with that brings the cold weather. Most people, myself included, are looking for a deep red wine to warm them up on the couch after a chilly commute home from work. Amarone is what we’re looking for! If you’re not familiar with Amarone, it’s a red wine from the Valpolicella region in Italy and is known for it’s full-bodied richness. Amarone grapes are picked later in the autumn season from the oldest/best vines and dried on crates until January. The result of this process is that Amarone wines have higher sugar and alcohol levels and intense flavour concentrations. Another result of this process is that because the grapes are dried into small raisins, Amarone requires double the amount of grapes which usually means a higher price point for these wines ($50-80 per bottle). The Negrar Amarone Classico retails for $34.99 at the LCBO, so it’s a great place to start!
The Negrar Amarone Classico uses grapes that have been dried from autumn until January and then aged in small oak casks. This makes a really full-bodied, rich and smooth wine. In this deep garnet coloured wine there are flavours of plums, dates and prunes with warm hints of spice, tobacco and coffee. I enjoyed this wine with a steak dinner, but it would also go well with any other fatty beef dish. It would also be completely delicious on it’s own. If you’re looking for a red wine to warm you up on these cold November nights, go pick up a bottle of the Negrar Amarone Classico!
Cheers!~GDW
Girl Drinks Wine 