Valpolicella Wine Country

Valpolicella is the wine district immediately north-west of Verona in the Veneto, famous for Valpolicella Classico, Ripasso and above all Amarone della Valpolicella, a dry red made from partly dried grapes. The heart of the Classico zone, including Fumane, Sant'Ambrogio di Valpolicella, Negrar and San Pietro in Cariano, lies 15-25 km from the city, reached in about 30-45 minutes. ATV buses serve the main villages, but timetables are thin and cellars are often scattered across hillsides, so many visitors use a car, taxi or an organised wine tour from Verona. San Giorgio di Valpolicella, centred on Piazza della Pieve, is home to the Pieve di San Giorgio, a Romanesque church dating back to the early medieval period and one of the most important in the region, with a small archaeological collection and an atmospheric cloister. Elsewhere in the district are family cellars, large estates, hilltop villas such as Villa della Torre near Fumane, and drying lofts where grapes rest for months before pressing. A good day begins with a morning cellar visit when palates are fresh, usually with a tour of the vineyards and the fruttaio, the room used for drying grapes, followed by a tasting of several wines. Lunch can be taken at an agriturismo or trattoria, where local dishes such as risotto all'Amarone, pasta with Monte Veronese cheese, and braised meats pair naturally with the local wine. The afternoon suits a visit to the Pieve di San Giorgio and a second, shorter tasting, or a drive along the hill roads for views across the vineyards. The best season runs from March to November. September and October, when the harvest takes place, are especially atmospheric, though busy; spring brings green vineyards and mild days, while winter is quiet and many small cellars open only by appointment. Visits and tastings should be booked in advance, as many producers do not accept walk-in visitors. Anyone driving should pace the tastings and nominate a driver or use a tour with transport.