Amarone, Ripasso, Recioto and Valpolicella: The Differences

One blend, four denominations

Until 2010 the four wines were types of a single denomination. The Valpolicella rules record that on 24 March 2010 ministerial decrees made them independent. Today Valpolicella and Valpolicella Ripasso are DOC wines, and Amarone della Valpolicella and Recioto della Valpolicella are DOCG, the higher tier. All four texts were last amended by ministerial decree on 3 August 2023.

The grape rules are identical in all four. Corvina Veronese and Corvinone, alone or together, make up 45% to 95% of the vineyard; Rondinella 5% to 30%; and other authorised red grapes up to 25%, with no more than 10% for any single variety. The production area is also the same: all or part of 19 comuni in the province of Verona, among them Negrar, Fumane, Marano, Sant'Ambrogio, San Pietro in Cariano and Verona itself.

So the rules do not assign more Corvina to one wine than another. The difference lies in the cellar, and the consortium's figures show how the output splits. Of 59 million bottles in 2024, 48% were Valpolicella Ripasso, 29% Valpolicella and 23% Amarone and Recioto together (Consorzio per la Tutela dei Vini Valpolicella, 2026).

Valpolicella: the wine from fresh grapes

Valpolicella is the only one of the four made without drying the grapes and without ripasso. The rules allow up to 12 tonnes of grapes per hectare and a yield of finished wine of no more than 70% of the grape weight.

When it is sold, Valpolicella must have at least 11.00% vol of actual alcohol, with a maximum potential alcohol residue of 0.40% vol, which keeps it dry. The Superiore type needs 12.00% vol and at least one year of compulsory ageing counted from 1 January of the year after the harvest. Valpolicella without the Superiore mention has no minimum ageing period.

The official description is a red tending to garnet with age, a vinous, delicate nose that sometimes recalls bitter almonds, and a velvety, full-bodied, savoury taste. The consortium describes the young wine as made by classic red fermentation followed by a short period of ageing, and notes that the Superiore is made from selected grapes, sometimes lightly dried, for more alcohol and structure. It suggests the young wine with starters, light first courses and white meat, and the Superiore with red meat and medium-aged cheeses.

Amarone and Recioto: the same dried grapes, dry or sweet

Amarone and Recioto share the drying rules almost word for word. Grapes are selected in the vineyard, and no more than 65% of the maximum output per hectare may be set aside to dry. Drying takes place in suitable rooms in the production area, with climate control allowed only at temperatures similar to traditional drying and no heat-based dehumidifying. After drying the grapes must reach 14% vol of natural alcohol, may not be made into wine before 1 December (unless the Regione del Veneto allows an earlier date), and yield at most 40% of their weight in wine.

The wines then go in opposite directions. Amarone must reach at least 14% vol of actual alcohol and is dry: residual sugar is capped at 9 g/l at 14% vol, rising by 0.1 g/l for each 0.10% vol up to 16% and by 0.15 g/l beyond. Recioto needs at least 12.00% vol of actual alcohol and at least 2.80% vol of potential alcohol, which means unfermented sugar must remain; the rules describe its taste as full, velvety, warm, delicate and sweet. The consortium explains that the fermentation of Recioto is stopped to keep that sugar, and calls it the only sweet wine made in Valpolicella. There is also a sparkling Recioto spumante with the same minimums.

Ripasso: Valpolicella passed over Amarone pomace

Valpolicella Ripasso uses no dried grapes of its own. Its rules define it as wine suitable to become Ripasso, refermented in a single operation on the pomace left after drawing off the wine destined to become Recioto or Amarone. The conditions are precise:

The pomace must still have a potential alcohol of at least 0.50% vol. The liquid it brings must be between 10% and 15% of the volume of wine used. The ripasso must last at least three days. The wine and the pomace must belong to the same producer. The base wine must have at least 11.50% vol of total alcohol, or 12.50% vol for the Superiore.

The volume of wine that may be refermented is at most twice the volume of Amarone or Recioto obtainable at the 40% yield, which the rules give as 62.4 hectolitres per hectare; the Regione del Veneto may lower this ratio to one to one on the consortium's proposal. The finished wine must reach at least 12.50% vol of actual alcohol (13.00% for the Superiore), with no more than 0.60% vol potential alcohol. The consortium describes the result as a wine of medium structure that gains alcohol, polyphenols and extract from the pomace.

Release dates and the words on the label

The four wines reach the market on different timetables. The Valpolicella rules set no minimum ageing for the basic wine, while the Superiore needs one year of ageing from 1 January after the harvest. Valpolicella Ripasso, in all its types, may not be released before 1 January of the second year after the harvest. Amarone needs at least two years of ageing counted from 1 January after the harvest, and the Riserva at least four years from 1 November of the harvest year. The Recioto rules set no minimum ageing period. All four must carry the vintage on the label.

Classico and Valpantena are geographical mentions open to all four wines. Classico covers the comuni of Negrar, Marano, Fumane, Sant'Ambrogio and San Pietro in Cariano; Valpantena is the valley of that name with its own boundary. With either mention, drying (where it applies) and winemaking must take place inside that zone.

Superiore exists only for Valpolicella and Ripasso, and Riserva only for Amarone. The vigna mention, followed by the name of the vineyard, is allowed under specific conditions.

What this means at a tasting

At a Valpolicella winery the usual order runs from Valpolicella to Ripasso to Amarone, often closing with Recioto. The rules explain the progression. Minimum alcohol rises from 11.00% to 12.50% to 14%, and the minimum non-reducing extract rises from 18.0 g/l for Valpolicella to 24.0 g/l for Ripasso and 28.0 g/l for Amarone (32.0 g/l for the Riserva). Recioto shares Amarone's extract minimum but keeps its sugar.

A practical point when buying: if the label says Amarone or Recioto, the wine is a DOCG; Valpolicella and Valpolicella Ripasso are DOC. Anyone looking for a dry wine should avoid Recioto, which is sweet by definition, and the consortium suggests it with desserts, chocolate and cheese.

None of the four rule books says one wine is better than another; they describe how each is made. The best way to understand the differences is to taste the four side by side, which most wineries in the Classico area offer by appointment. For how Amarone is dried and aged, see our page on what Amarone is; for the villages where most tastings take place, see the Valpolicella Classico villages.