At the age of 22 Romano Dal Forno met Giuseppe
Quintarelli, a man who could justifiably be called
the father of Valpolicella. Some 37 years later and
having followed the master Quintarelli’s guidance, Dal
Forno has risen to become one of, if not the stand out
producer of the region.
The Amarone, for which the estate is best known, is a
tour de force. It shows power and richness, engendered
by drying the grapes on straw mats before pressing to
concentrate the juice, but also great elegance.
And his Valpolicella shows the same attention to
detail. It undergoes similar winemaking practices
to the Amarone, where the only differences are the
time the grapes are dried before pressing (one and a
half rather than three months), and the use of some
fruit from younger vines. This result is a wine with the
same breeding as its bigger brother, but a touch more
freshness and a little less brute power.
These are some of the great fine wines of the world.
But produced in tiny quantities, they can be difficult
to secure.