Tommasi Il Sestante Amarone Della Valpolicella

Amarone at the table means the food has to meet it halfway. Braised short rib, wild boar ragu, or aged hard cheese are the moves here; the concentration and dried-fruit weight of Appassimento-method Valpolicella will flatten anything lighter, but against something equally rich, it finds its footing.

Tommasi is one of the Valpolicella Classico zone's most respected family estates, with roots in the region going back to 1902 and vineyards concentrated around the historic communes of Sant'Ambrogio, Negrar, and Fumane.

Their Il Sestante Amarone della Valpolicella is made from the traditional Corvina, Rondinella, and Molinara blend, with the grapes undergoing the appassimento process: harvested in late September, then dried on bamboo racks for roughly 90 to 120 days before pressing.

This extended drying concentrates sugars, acids, and flavour compounds, resulting in a wine that is full-bodied and deeply structured without becoming over-extracted.

Fermentation is slow and conducted at controlled temperatures, followed by aging in a combination of large Slavonian oak casks and smaller barriques for a minimum of two years before bottling.

The result is a wine that shows both the power expected of Amarone and a degree of elegance that separates Tommasi from lower-quality producers in the appellation. At this price point, it represents genuine value for a true Amarone from a family with multigenerational knowledge of the Valpolicella terroir.

It is well suited to braised meats, aged hard cheeses, or drinking on its own on a cooler evening.