Quintarelli Joseph
This is a legendary estate founded in 1924 in Negrar (Veneto) in Italy. Joseph Quintarelli (Bepi), “Il Maestro del Veneto” has become THE reference for “Amarone” and has been considered the greatest of all Amarone producers. He ran the company from 1954 until his passing in 2012 due to Parkinson's disease.
He was a very traditional winemaker, known for his complex wines which aged for up to 8 years in large Slavonian oak barrels. Today, the family business is managed by her heirs: her daughter Fiorenza together with her husband Giampaolo Grigoli and their sons Francesco and Lorenzo.
The other famous producer of Amarone, Romano dal Foro, was the protege of Giuseppe. Currently, various wines are produced at the domaine, which covers about 11 hectares. The “Valpolicella Classico Superiore” is made from Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella grapes, with a small percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon, Croatina, Sangiovese and some other varieties. 50% of the grapes are pressed directly after the harvest, while the other 50% is dried for 2 months. After fermentation, the wine is decanted for 7 years in large oak barrels.
The "Amarone della Valpolicella Classico" is also made with the aforementioned grapes, but they are all dried. This wine ages in large Slavonian oak barrels for at least 7 years and during the aging period, alcoholic fermentation continues, so the result will be a dry wine with an alcohol content of at least 15%. Amarone is produced only in exceptional years. Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Riserva is even rarer and is a personal selection of the family.
There is also a "Recioto della Valpolicella Classico", a sweet wine capable of keeping for decades, the "Alzero Cabernet", obtained from dried grapes of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot, the "Rosso del Bepi" and the whites " Bianco Secco ”and“ Amabile del Cere ”. They are all true masterpieces and a point of reference for the Veneto.