Allegrini has grown through impassionedenthusiasm and challenge to win worldwiderecognition for the excellence of its wines. Today,Allegrini is a leading wine producer in the ValpolicellaClassico area in Veneto and one of the most highlyacclaimed Italian wine companies in the world.
The late Giovanni Allegrini, the company’s founding father, took thefirst step in Allegrini’s modern-day journey in the 1960s. He was apioneer in the Valpolicella, a man whose thinking was ‘outside the box’.He cherished his land and his profound understanding of its intrinsicpotential, together with his far-sighted intuition, gave rise to changes inviticulture practices which would ultimately lead to an agronomic andviticultural revolution and the rebirth of the entire Valpolicella Classicozone. His passion and mission was the quest for quality withoutcompromise.
Giovanni’s three children, Walter, Franco and Marilisa, inherited theestate in 1983, becoming the natural heirs to his quest. Via extensiveresearch and experimentation, Walter and Franco introduced radical
innovations in the vineyards and pioneered new winemaking techniques.Marilisa understood the challenge of a global market as early as the1980s. Through vigorous travel and marketing activities alongside herniece Silvia, Allegrini wines earned visibility and numerous prestigiousawards the world over. An ability to keep abreast of market trends,together with the family’s desire to maximise their vineyards’ uniquepotential, has given rise to a range of soft, sensual wines such as Palazzodella Torre, La Grola, La Poja, and Amarone—all of which form part ofthe illustrious history of the Valpolicella Classico.
Allegrini’s Amarone wine is particularly significant: its predecessor,‘Acinatico’, has one of the longest histories in Italy and has beencelebrated by Italian aristocrats for centuries. The sixth centurystatesman, Cassiodorus, who served as Minister under Theodoric theGreat, king of the Ostrogoths, spoke highly of the classic Valpolicellaproducedwine: “Its taste is pure and unique, so regal in colour that youmight think it dyed purple or an extract of colour purple. Its sweetnessis incredibly suave, its dense structure fi rm, and it is so full on the palatethat you might call it a fl eshy liquid or an edible drink.”
At the heart of Amarone’s full-bodied and complex nature isits unique method of production which, since Cassiodorus’ firsttasting, has remained very similar to the original process. Referredto as ‘appassimento’, it is a lengthy, traditional method, which in theValpolicella was fi rst used to produce ‘recioto’, a sweet wine. The wordrecioto comes from ‘recia’ which in local dialect means ‘ear’. This refersto the outer part of the grape bunch, the area that receives the most sunand therefore develops the highest sugar content. Once Valpolicella’sindigenous grapes—primarily Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella—areharvested between early September and early October, they are placedin small crates and left to dry in well-ventilated spaces just under theroof of an old farm building—for 4-5 months, depending on the wine tobe produced, until they have lost half their weight and the sugars havereached the right concentration. After drying, the grapes are pressedgently and because of the high concentration of sugars, left to fermentVigorous and intense, warm and inviting, Allegrini Amaronewine is one of north-east Italy’s most prized possessionsAmore Amaronefor a long period. The Amarone is then matured in small oak barrelsfor three years, resulting in a wine with substantial alcohol, glycerine and other superior alcohols; it is full-bodied, complex and powerful but nevertheless elegant.
For Allegrini, Amarone signifies history, passion and vision and it ischerished for its identity as a vigorous, complex, rich and mature red.Over the years, the Allegrini winery’s approach has changed, using
technological improvements to the drying process in order to produce awine that is both traditional and innovative. In 1998 this commitment toexperimentation fi nally resulted in the creation of ‘Terre di Fumane’—astate-of-the-art drying facility constructed to reduce the risk of harmfulhumidity and resulting mould. The Amarone treasured by Allegrinitoday is vigorous and intense, warm and inviting, without reaching theexcessive alcohol levels traditional of the wines of the area.
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