Comparison
Amarone vs Valpolicella
Same grapes, same hills — how does one become 16% and the other 12%?
The short answer
Amarone della Valpolicella and Valpolicella 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 body; Amarone della Valpolicella has more spice; Amarone della Valpolicella has more texture.
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 fuller and richer, spicier, rounder and creamier in texture.
Worth knowing
Drying. Amarone grapes are laid on racks for months before pressing, losing a substantial share of their water and concentrating everything else. Valpolicella is made from the same varieties pressed fresh. It is the clearest illustration of appassimento in European wine.
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.
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 low-medium.
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.
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 low-medium.
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 low-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.
Perceived freshness
Clear differenceThe overall impression of liveliness — a composite of acidity, alcohol balance, fruit character and the absence of tiredness. Distinct from raw acidity: a wine can be high in acid yet taste heavy.
Valpolicella is fresher: high against medium.
Where they are much the same
Just as useful: knowing which parts of the choice do not matter.
- Aromatic intensity: Similar — both medium.
- Floral character: Similar — both low.
- Herbal / green character: Similar — both low.
- Earthy character: Similar — both low.
- Carbonation: Similar — both low.
Full side by side
| Dimension | Amarone della Valpolicella | Valpolicella |
|---|---|---|
| Body | typically high, ranging from medium-plus to high (5/5) | typically low-medium, ranging from low to medium (2/5) |
| Spice | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) | low (1/5) |
| Texture | typically high, ranging from medium-plus to high (5/5) | typically low-medium, ranging from low to medium (2/5) |
| Tannin | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) | typically low-medium, ranging from low to medium (2/5) |
| Alcohol | typically high, ranging from medium-plus to high (5/5) | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium (3/5) |
| Perceived freshness | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium (3/5) | typically high, ranging from medium-plus to high (5/5) |
| 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 high, ranging from medium-plus to high (5/5) |
| Fruit intensity | typically high, ranging from medium-plus to high (5/5) | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) |
| Oak influence | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium-plus (3/5) | typically low-medium, ranging from low to low-medium (2/5) |
| Savoury character | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium (3/5) |
| 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 | 13–15°C |
| Typical flavours | dried cherry, fig, raisin, bitter chocolate, cinnamon | sour cherry, red plum, almond, violet, 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
Valpolicella
Light, high-acid, sour-cherry red from the hills north of Verona — the fresh counterpart to Amarone.
Comparison
Valpolicella vs Ripasso
What does "ripasso" do to the wine?
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.