The name of this red wine is inspired by the Italian adjective “amaro” meaning bitter, a term used in the 1700s in place of “dry” to indicate a wine's sweetness. As it is made from dried grapes, meticulous selection of the bunches in the vineyard during picking is essential to guarantee a top quality raw material. To obtain the Amarone, the grapes are then dried for about 120 days during which the sugars are completely fermented. It is one of the most ageable of the great Italian wines.

The name “Recioto” derives from “recia” meaning “ear” in the Verona dialect, a reference to the traditional techniques used to produce this wine, once made by drying only grapes taken from the side sprigs of the large bunches (“recia”). Talking of “Recioto” means telling the very history of Valpolicella itself.

The history of wine-making in Valpolicella goes back to the dawn of time when the Arusnates grew vines here even before Roman times. Valpolicella wine is still made today using native grapes, evidence of the strong bond between the territory and the history of this excellent product. In particular, the most commonly used grape varieties are Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella and Molinara. From a perfect blend of these grapes and the skill of each individual wine maker comes “Valpolicella” wine, a name appearing for the first time in a document from 1177 in the dialect form: “Val Polesèla”.

This wine is obtained by re-fermenting Valpolicella wine for about 15/20 days on the crushed dried marc left after making “Amarone della Valpolicella”. More structured and with better ageing characteristics than “Valpolicella”, Ripasso has a higher alcohol content, lower acidity, greater roundness and higher values of extracts and phenolic substances.