Barolo, Brunello and Amarone are the three kings of Italian wine. But while Barolo and Brunello have been around for centuries – even millennia – Amarone has only existed since 1938. How has it reached equal renown so quickly? In short: Amarone is unique. It’s made using dried grapes. That’s standard practice for sweet wines. as it reduces the water volume in the grapes, upping the percentage of sugar. But Amarone ferments the grapes to dryness, meaning it’s got a lot of alcohol, a lot of viscosity – and a lot of flavour. It makes for a seriously opulent wine. Plush. Layered with both fresh and dried-fruit flavours. There really is nothing quite like it. Fantastic with braised meat and aged cheese like Parmesan or Pecorino.