Comparison
Amarone vs Ripasso
The full-price version, and the one made from what it left behind.
The short answer
Amarone della Valpolicella and Valpolicella Ripasso are both made from Corvina, so the difference is about place and winemaking rather than the grape. The main differences: Amarone della Valpolicella has more tannin; Amarone della Valpolicella has more alcohol; Amarone della Valpolicella has more body.
The difference here is not botanical. It comes from where the vines grow, how the wine is made and what the name has come to signal commercially — which is exactly why the two taste different in practice.
Choose
Amarone della Valpolicella
Choose Amarone della Valpolicella if you want something more tannic and structured, stronger and warmer, fuller and richer.
Choose
Valpolicella Ripasso
Choose Valpolicella Ripasso if you prefer its flavour profile — sour cherry, dried fig, cinnamon.
Worth knowing
Ripasso is Valpolicella re-passed over the skins left from Amarone, which is why it tastes like a lighter relative rather than a different wine. It is the honest answer for someone who likes Amarone and does not want to spend Amarone money — and it is genuinely less concentrated rather than merely cheaper.
Where they genuinely differ
Only differences large enough to notice in the glass are listed here. A gap of half a point on a five-point scale is noise, and WineHQ does not dress it up as a finding.
Tannin
Clear differencePhenolic compounds from grape skins, seeds, stems and oak. The principal structural axis of red wine.
Amarone della Valpolicella is more tannic and structured: medium-plus against medium.
Alcohol
Clear differencePerceived alcoholic strength, which tracks actual ABV but is modified by sweetness, acidity and body.
Amarone della Valpolicella is stronger and warmer: high against medium-plus.
Body
Clear differenceThe overall weight and viscosity of the wine in the mouth — a composite of alcohol, sugar, extract and glycerol.
Amarone della Valpolicella is fuller and richer: high against medium-plus.
Fruit intensity
Clear differenceHow loudly the fruit flavours speak, independent of whether they are ripe or tart.
Amarone della Valpolicella is fruitier: high against medium-plus.
Oak influence
Clear differencePerceptible impact of barrel or alternative oak contact — vanilla, toast, coconut, smoke, cedar and added texture.
Amarone della Valpolicella is more oaky: medium against low-medium.
Savoury character
Clear differenceNon-fruit, umami-adjacent character: meat, leather, olive, soy, broth, cured notes. Often increases with age.
Amarone della Valpolicella is more savoury: medium-plus against medium.
Where they are much the same
Just as useful: knowing which parts of the choice do not matter.
- Sweetness: Similar — both low-medium.
- Acidity: Similar — both medium-plus.
- Aromatic intensity: Similar — both medium.
- Floral character: Similar — both low.
- Herbal / green character: Similar — both low.
Full side by side
| Dimension | Amarone della Valpolicella | Valpolicella Ripasso |
|---|---|---|
| Tannin | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium-plus (3/5) |
| Alcohol | typically high, ranging from medium-plus to high (5/5) | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) |
| Body | typically high, ranging from medium-plus to high (5/5) | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) |
| Fruit intensity | typically high, ranging from medium-plus to high (5/5) | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to high (4/5) |
| Oak influence | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium-plus (3/5) | typically low-medium, ranging from low to medium (2/5) |
| Savoury character | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium-plus (3/5) |
| Spice | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium (3/5) |
| Perceived freshness | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium (3/5) | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) |
| Texture | typically high, ranging from medium-plus to high (5/5) | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) |
| Sweetness | typically low-medium, ranging from low to medium (2/5) | typically low-medium, ranging from low to low-medium (2/5) |
| Acidity | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to high (4/5) |
| Aromatic intensity | medium (3/5) | medium (3/5) |
| Floral character | low (1/5) | low (1/5) |
| Herbal / green character | low (1/5) | low (1/5) |
| Earthy character | low (1/5) | low (1/5) |
| Carbonation | low (1/5) | low (1/5) |
| Serve at | 16–18°C | 15–17°C |
| Typical flavours | dried cherry, fig, raisin, bitter chocolate, cinnamon | sour cherry, dried fig, cinnamon, plum, bitter chocolate |
Values are typical points within each wine’s range. Both wines vary — see the individual pages for how much.
Read more
Style
Amarone della Valpolicella
Dried-grape red of enormous concentration: 15–16% alcohol, dried-fruit intensity, and technically dry.
Style
Valpolicella Ripasso
Valpolicella re-passed over the drained skins of Amarone, gaining body, alcohol and dried-fruit character.
Comparison
Amarone vs Valpolicella
Same grapes, same hills — how does one become 16% and the other 12%?
Comparison
Valpolicella vs Ripasso
What does "ripasso" do to the wine?
Comparison
Amarone vs Port
Two enormous Italian and Portuguese reds — is Amarone fortified?