Giuseppe Quintarelli

Giuseppe Quintarelli is, for many, the soul of Valpolicella. Operating from the hamlet of Cere di Negrar, this small family estate has been producing some of Italy's most sought-after wines for over a century — built on Corvina, Rondinella, Molinara and a handful of other indigenous and non-indigenous varieties grown with extraordinary care.

The Quintarelli approach is defined by patience. Grapes for Amarone are dried for up to four months before pressing; wines spend years in large Slavonian oak barrels before bottling. The results — Amarone Classico, Alzero (Cabernet Franc), Recioto — are wines of otherworldly complexity: dried cherry, chocolate, liquorice, tobacco, and an almost meditative depth that sets them apart from anything else produced in the Veneto.

Since the passing of Giuseppe in 2012, his daughter Fiorenza and her family have continued the work with the same rigour and devotion. Quintarelli is not a producer to collect — it is one to experience slowly, patiently, as the wines themselves demand.