Published on September 7, 2026

Amarone vs Ripasso: Two Veneto Reds, One Shared Spirit

In the Veneto, around Verona, a single family of grapes — Corvina and Rondinella chief among them — gives rise to an entire range of reds with radically different styles, from everyday light Valpolicella all the way to Amarone, one of Italy’s most powerful reds. Between the two, Ripasso occupies a place of its own: a wine that borrows Amarone’s technique without its power or its price.

Amarone: the dried grape above all

Amarone della Valpolicella is born from a technique called appassimento: after harvest, the healthiest bunches are laid out on wooden racks, in well-ventilated rooms, where they dry slowly for several months. Water evaporates, sugars and aromas concentrate — the grapes lose up to 30 to 40% of their weight before they’re even pressed. The result is a very full-bodied wine, high in alcohol, with concentrated aromas of dried fruit and jammy black fruit.

This concentration comes at a cost: less juice per kilo of grapes, months tying up the harvest before winemaking even begins, meticulous sorting work. This is what explains Amarone’s high price.

Ripasso: Valpolicella’s second life

Ripasso, literally “re-passed,” starts from a clever principle. A classic, lighter Valpolicella is re-passed over the still-warm, still-active marc of Amarone (the skins and seeds left over after pressing). This second maceration transfers some of Amarone’s aromatic richness and structure to the Valpolicella, while sometimes triggering a slight re-fermentation that raises the alcohol level.

The result: a wine more full-bodied and complex than a classic Valpolicella, but more moderate than Amarone — halfway between the two, in both power and price.

Same family, same origin

Both wines share the same base grapes, Corvina and Rondinella, and come from the same production zone around Verona. So it’s not a difference of terroir that separates them, but the winemaking technique alone — a textbook case for understanding just how much cellar work can transform the same grapes into radically different wines.

Which one to choose, and for what occasion?

Amarone is a wine for contemplation, to savour alone or with a dish able to stand up to its power — game, braised meats, aged cheeses. Ripasso, more affordable and more versatile, pairs easily with an everyday meal while offering far more substance than a classic Valpolicella. It’s often the best entry point into the world of appassimento without the investment of an Amarone.