Comparison
Amarone della Valpolicella vs Washington Cabernet Sauvignon
How Amarone della Valpolicella and Washington Cabernet Sauvignon differ, dimension by dimension.
The short answer
The main differences: Amarone della Valpolicella has more sweetness; Amarone della Valpolicella has more alcohol; Amarone della Valpolicella has more savoury character.
Choose
Amarone della Valpolicella
Choose Amarone della Valpolicella if you want something sweeter, stronger and warmer, more savoury.
Choose
Washington Cabernet Sauvignon
Choose Washington Cabernet Sauvignon if you want something fresher.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
Washington Cabernet Sauvignon is fresher: 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.
- Acidity: Similar — both medium-plus.
- Tannin: Similar — both medium-plus.
- Body: Similar — both high.
- Fruit intensity: Similar — both high.
- Aromatic intensity: Similar — both medium.
Full side by side
| Dimension | Amarone della Valpolicella | Washington Cabernet Sauvignon |
|---|---|---|
| Sweetness | typically low-medium, ranging from low to medium (2/5) | low (1/5) |
| Alcohol | typically high, ranging from medium-plus to high (5/5) | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to high (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) |
| Spice | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium-plus (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 high (4/5) |
| Acidity | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) |
| Tannin | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to high (4/5) |
| 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) |
| Oak influence | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium-plus (3/5) | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium-plus (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 | 16–18°C |
| Typical flavours | dried cherry, fig, raisin, bitter chocolate, cinnamon | blackcurrant, black cherry, cocoa, graphite, sage |
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
Washington Cabernet Sauvignon
New World ripeness with Old World structure — a product of desert heat and extreme diurnal swing east of the Cascades.
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.