2019 Pietro Dal Cero Amarone della Valpolicella, Ca' dei Frati

• Style: Dried-grape intensity, silky structure
• Taste: Blackberry, cherry leather, bittersweet spice, dark fruit
• Food: Aged cheese, braised beef, game, roasted meats
• Occasion: Gifting, cellar worthy, special dinners
• Serve: 16% ABV, now through 2027–2029

In the Glass — Tasting Notes

Dense and layered, this Amarone opens with blackberry and cherry leather before bittersweet spice and dried-fruit intensity unfold on the palate. The appassimento method — where grapes are hung or laid on trays after harvest and allowed to concentrate their sugars and tannins through careful drying — gives the wine its powerful backbone. At 16% ABV, the alcohol is folded seamlessly into the dark fruit and savoury spine, delivering weight without heaviness. Balance is the hallmark: the traditional Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella blend provides structure and skin tannins that air-drying amplifies, yet the winemaking remains poised rather than over-extracted.

The Winery — Ca' dei Frati

Situated on the southern shores of Lake Garda, Ca' dei Frati has grown substantially under the Dal Cero family over the last two decades. Originally just 12 hectares, the estate expanded significantly in 2008 and now works over 200 hectares of vineyard. This growth in scale is matched by rigorous quality standards, establishing Ca' dei Frati among the region's finest producers. The 2019 vintage is built to age gracefully; drink it now and watch the tannins soften and secondary flavours emerge through the next eight to ten years.

At Your Table — Food Pairing & Serving

Serve this wine with braised beef, roasted game birds, slow-cooked lamb, or mushroom risotto — it has the richness and grip to stand beside serious food. A wedge of aged Grana Padano is a classic pairing. This is a wine that demands slow sipping and company at the table. Whether you're gifting a bottle to a collector or building your own cellar, the 2019 Dal Cero represents a natural gateway into Amarone della Valpolicella at its finest, and a doorway into the wider world of Italy's most powerful red wines.