Comparison
Amarone della Valpolicella vs Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon
How Amarone della Valpolicella and Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon differ, dimension by dimension.
The short answer
The main differences: Amarone della Valpolicella has more spice; Amarone della Valpolicella has more sweetness; Amarone della Valpolicella has more acidity.
Choose
Amarone della Valpolicella
Choose Amarone della Valpolicella if you want something spicier, sweeter, fresher and more acidic.
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.
Spice
Clear differencePepper, clove, cinnamon and related spice notes, whether from the grape (as with rotundone in Syrah) or from oak.
Amarone della Valpolicella is spicier: medium-plus against low.
Sweetness
Clear differencePerceived sugar in the finished wine, driven mainly by residual sugar but modified by acidity, alcohol and fruit ripeness.
Amarone della Valpolicella is sweeter: low-medium against low.
Acidity
Clear differenceTotal perceived acidity. Rises in cooler climates and with earlier picking; falls with heat and ripeness.
Amarone della Valpolicella is fresher and more acidic: medium-plus against medium.
Oak influence
Clear differencePerceptible impact of barrel or alternative oak contact — vanilla, toast, coconut, smoke, cedar and added texture.
Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon is more oaky: medium-plus against 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.
Texture
Clear differenceMouthfeel independent of weight — from lean and cutting through to creamy, waxy or velvety. Driven by lees contact, malolactic conversion, skin contact and ageing.
Amarone della Valpolicella is rounder and creamier in texture: high against medium-plus.
Where they are much the same
Just as useful: knowing which parts of the choice do not matter.
- Tannin: Similar — both medium-plus.
- Alcohol: Similar — both high.
- Body: Similar — both high.
- Fruit intensity: Similar — both high.
- Aromatic intensity: Similar — both medium.
Full side by side
| Dimension | Amarone della Valpolicella | Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon |
|---|---|---|
| Spice | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) | low (1/5) |
| Sweetness | typically low-medium, ranging from low to medium (2/5) | low (1/5) |
| Acidity | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium-plus (3/5) |
| Oak influence | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium-plus (3/5) | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) |
| Savoury character | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium-plus (3/5) |
| Texture | typically high, ranging from medium-plus to high (5/5) | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to high (4/5) |
| Tannin | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) |
| Alcohol | typically high, ranging from medium-plus to high (5/5) | typically high, ranging from medium-plus to high (5/5) |
| Body | typically high, ranging from medium-plus to high (5/5) | typically high, ranging from medium-plus to high (5/5) |
| Fruit intensity | typically high, ranging from medium-plus to high (5/5) | typically high, ranging from medium-plus to high (5/5) |
| 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) |
| Perceived freshness | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium (3/5) | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium-plus (3/5) |
| Carbonation | low (1/5) | low (1/5) |
| Serve at | 16–18°C | 16–18°C |
| Typical flavours | dried cherry, fig, raisin, bitter chocolate, cinnamon | black cherry, cassis, cedar, vanilla, dried herbs |
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
Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet from Sonoma’s warmer inland valleys — a little softer and more red-fruited than Napa.
Comparison
Amarone vs Valpolicella
Same grapes, same hills — how does one become 16% and the other 12%?
Comparison
Amarone vs Port
Two enormous Italian and Portuguese reds — is Amarone fortified?
Comparison
Amarone vs Ripasso
The full-price version, and the one made from what it left behind.