il Monte Caro and their Amarone

I first met the family behind this magic over 5-years ago at a wine fair - the infectious laugh of Emanuela & her brother, Giorgio made me look around to find the source - they embodied joy and in a sea of “serious” winemakers, it was so refreshing that I thought “why not ? taste the wines” 

And then I had one of the purest, most beautiful Amarone’s - it was bursting with life and dare I say it - JOY?! It was distinctly an Amarone but so unlike any other at the same time - I had to know more. 

Very soon, thereafter, I was lucky AF to visit the estate - I got to meet the whole family and walk in the vineyards… mom (Carla) made us lunch while dad (Enzo) made bread! Emanuela & Giorgio talked to me about the region while I tried to not run away with Emanuela’s dog (you know how I love the pups!!)

Oh so some info for you real quick - without getting all technical and shit, the region is located in Verona (way up in northern Italy). It gets sorta weird so I’m gonna sorta gloss over it (hit me up if you want more info?) and just say Valpolicella is the region. In the region, there are 3-types of wine allowed - Valpolicella, Valpolicella Superiore and AMARONE!!

sooooo Amarone is a style of wine made in Valpolicella that the Italian wine-government has made rules about. If a winemaker follows those rules and gets approved, they get to call it Amarone! What are the rules you ask? I’m not a rule follower but i’ll tell you about these ones ::

Grapes must be at minimum - Corvina, Rondinella. Also allowed are Corvinone, Molinara and Oseleta (these are the older varietals that are not as popular but are making a comeback). oooofff - confused yet?! Don’t worry!! point is Amarone is a type of wine made in the region of Valpolicella. What makes it super unique is that Amarone della Valpolicella is classified under the Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) system (the highest classification of wine in Italy subject to a whole lot of rules). 

and so, Amarone producers must follow a strict set of rules before releasing their wines:

  • 45 to 95 percent Corvina/Corvinone grapes, 5 to 30 percent Rondinella - other indigenous varietals are allowed as mentioned above

  • Minimum 40 percent water loss in dried grapes

  • At least 14 percent alcohol by volume

  • Minimum 2 years in oak (4 years for Riserva vintages)

Did I say dried grapes? Well technically it was the Italian government who said it but you heard right - DRIED GRAPES!! The grapes are picked then placed carefully into small containers or straw mats and dried until they lose a minimum of 40% water.
These grapes are then pressed and the resulting juice is made into wine.  Due to the high concentration of sugars in the dried grapes (think fresh grape v.s. raisin), the alcohol content is generallly high and the flavors are very bold.

Ok so before you start nodding off, many well-regarded publications & palates will tell you that Amarone is considered to be Italy’s most powerful red wine. It can age 40+ years and still be DELICOUS! In fact, this is a wine to strongly consider when thinking about purchasing a bottle for that newborn in your life - the one you wanna drink with on their 21st (or 40th) birthday!

Enzo & Carla fell in love with this magical place - Mount Caro - a long time ago. They came for an adventure and they got one when they started carving out this vineyard and planting the traditional varietals. Giorgio and Emanuela followed in the footsteps of their parents both literally & figuratively. And when Enzo tragically passed, these siblings took up the mantle! I adore them! When Emanuela was in Seattle pre-pandemic, we had such an amazing time! Not sure I’ve ever laughed that hard and that much!

tbh, friends - this is special wine! It’s stunning to find a natural wine in these region, let alone an Amarone that blows your mind AND HAPPENS TO BE NATURALLY MADE!

Ok now that this is officially the longest wine crush in the history of wine crushes, let’s get to the crush part!! 

il Monte Caro and their Amarone —--- it’s so freaking good! There I said it and I’m sticking to it! In a world of over-thought & over-serious wines, this one blows my mind! It is everything you want an Amarone to be - made with Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella! and at the half the price of most Amarone!!

Bursting with dark plum, black cherries & dried fig and backed up by dark chocolate, gravel-y minerality and a shockingly bright red acidity. Stunning with any duck, goose or stewed meat, this baby screams to be your Christmas treat! And word to the wise - buy 2! One for dinner now and one for dinner in 10++++ years!! You won’t be sorry, I swear (and if you want to invite me over I won’t complain!)

Molly Ringe