This isn’t any old Amarone, it’s an Amarone Riserva. Meaning it’s been aged for at least three years in oak.

It's made by Federico Cerelli, who’s also made some of Italy’s most iconic wines while he was winemaker at Antinori.

Federico consults with Fattoria San Cassiano in Valpolicella’s eastern side. This is the coolest part of Valpolicella and land is in high demand around here.

The vineyards sit at 400m, which is high elevation for these parts. This ensures a big difference between night and day temperatures, which gives lots of concentration and complexity to the grapes.

And the soil is made up of white marl and is very poor - meaning the vines struggle, and produce less fruit per vine. Again doubling down on that concentration.

It’s the perfect raw material for making world-class Amarone - the grapes are dried for 30 days after harvest, increasing the power and complexity even further. The wine is fermented using ultra-modern, yet secretive techniques that only Federico and a handful of top wineries know about.

The wine is then aged for 3 years in French and American oak barrels, and you land up with a big, seductive monster of a red, just as good Amarone should be.

This is heaven for sipping gently by the fire (indoors or outdoors). Or with served with aged cheese as the perfect ending to a good meal.