Amarone wine lovers will be happy to know that now is possible to admire the very first bottle of their favourite wine. Today Amarone is a global success, and the production grew from 3 milion bottles per year in the 80s, to the 13 milion produced in 2010.
The very first bottle is enshrined in the caveau-cellar of Cantina Valpolicella Negrar, the first winery that bottled it in 1939.
The Legendary Birth of the Amarone
Like many other great innovations, the origin of the Amarone too happened by chance. The official birth dates back to 1936. Adelino Lucchesi, cellar master of Cantina Sociale Valpolicella, realized that he overfermented a barrel of Recioto, the sweet dessert wine that at that time was the top product of Valpolicella. When the winery manager Gaetano Dall’Ora tasted the wine, instead of yelling at the cellar master for his forgetfulness, prized him. Instead of a “Recioto andato in amaro” (A Recioto turned bitter) it was an “Amarone” (a great bitter).
With this name the new wine was bottled in 1939. Until 1990, on the label the name was “Recioto Amarone della Valpolicella” but with the grewing popularity of this wine they decided to leave only “Amarone“.
The Tour at Cantina Valpolicella Negrar
The tour will inclde a visit at the Drying Methods Museum where visitor will see how the drying process evolved during the years. In the museum are also displayed 40 samples of Valpolicella local grapes varietal, some of which particularly rare. Samples of different soils of Valpolicella are also shown.
The tour continues with the visit at the cellar with its barriques, the tonneaux and the big oak casks.
At the end of the tour there will be a tasting of the most representative wines of the territory.
Tours must be booked in advance, but for the whole October 2011, each Saturday Cantina Valpolicella Negrar will be open for visitors who want to deepen their knowledge of Amarone and Valpolicella wines.