Appassimento

What Is Appassimento?

Appassimento (Italian for "withering" or "drying") is a traditional Italian winemaking method in which grapes are dried for several weeks to months after harvest before being pressed and fermented. This process concentrates sugar, aromas, acidity, and extract in the berries, resulting in exceptionally powerful, complex wines.

The Technique

Traditional Method

After hand harvesting, grapes are spread on straw mats (Italian: "arele" or "graticci") or in shallow wooden crates in well-ventilated rooms. Historically, these were attics ("fruttai") with shutters or windows that allowed controlled air circulation.

The grapes typically lie there for 3-4 months (from October to January), sometimes even longer. During this time:

• The berries lose up to 40% of their weight through water evaporation
• Sugar, acidity, and aromatic compounds concentrate by 2-3 times
• New, complex aromas develop through enzymatic processes
• The berry skin changes, becoming thinner and more permeable

Temperature is ideally maintained at 5-15°C, humidity at 60-80%. Too dry, and the grapes shrivel too quickly; too humid, and rot threatens.

Modern Method

Many estates today use climate-controlled drying rooms with computer-managed temperature, humidity, and air circulation. This allows:

• Precise control of the drying process
• Prevention of noble rot (Botrytis) or harmful rot
• More consistent quality
• Shorter drying times (sometimes only 6-8 weeks)

Despite modern technology, many top producers maintain the traditional method, preferring the more natural, complex aromas it yields.

Effect on the Wine

Concentration

The dramatic water loss concentrates all components:

• Sugar: Rises from a typical 20-22% to 28-35%, which can lead to alcohol levels of 15-17%
• Acidity: Also concentrates, but remains balanced through ripening during drying
• Phenols and tannins: Increase, but often become finer and silkier
• Glycerol: Rises and gives the wine a velvety, oily mouthfeel

Aromatic Transformation

During drying, complex biochemical processes occur:

• Primary fruit transforms from fresh cherry to dried cherry, plum, raisin
• Secondary aromas develop: chocolate, coffee, spices
• Floral notes can become more intense (violet, dried roses)
• Tertiary nuts such as almond, hazelnut emerge

Texture & Structure

The tannins, despite their concentration, often become softer and silkier, as the ripening of the berries during drying alters the phenolic structure. The high glycerol concentration gives the wine a creamy, oily texture.

Wine Types with Appassimento

Amarone della Valpolicella

The most famous and prestigious appassimento wine. After 3-4 months of drying, the grapes (mainly Corvina, Rondinella, and Corvinone) are fully fermented, resulting in a dry, powerful red wine with 15-17% alcohol.

Typical aromas: Dried plum, cherry compote, chocolate, tobacco, sweet spices, leather Aging potential: 10-30+ years

Recioto della Valpolicella

The "sweet sibling" of Amarone, also from dried grapes, but fermentation is stopped early, leaving residual sugar (8-12%). Intensely sweet, velvety smooth, perfect with chocolate desserts.

Typical aromas: Chocolate, dried figs, raisins, cherry compote, spice cake Alcohol: 12-14%

Valpolicella Ripasso

A clever hybrid method: young Valpolicella is passed over the still-warm pomace (skins and seeds) of freshly pressed Amarone and refermented. This adds additional aromas, extract, and alcohol — a kind of "appassimento light."

Character: More powerful than standard Valpolicella, but more approachable than Amarone Alcohol: 13-14.5%

Sforzato di Valtellina (Sfursat)

From Lombardy, north of the Veneto. Made from Nebbiolo grapes (locally called "Chiavennasca"), which are dried using a similar process.

Character: Powerful, tannic, mineral, with notes of dried rose petals and tar Alcohol: 14-16%

Modern Appassimento Wines

Many Italian producers outside traditional areas experiment with the technique for IGT wines (Indicazione Geografica Tipica). Often only part of the grapes are dried and then blended with fresh must, allowing a subtler concentration.

History & Tradition

The roots of appassimento reach back to Roman times. The ancient Romans already knew methods of grape drying for making sweet wines ("passum"). In the Veneto, the technique developed further in the Middle Ages, initially mainly for sweet Recioto wines.

The name "Amarone" only emerged in the 20th century — "amaro" means "bitter" — when a Recioto accidentally fermented completely and became dry. What began as a mistake became legend: the first documented Amarone dates from the 1930s, but it was only in the 1950s-60s that it was deliberately produced and gained international recognition.

Traditionally, appassimento wines were celebration wines — elaborate to produce, precious, and served only on special occasions. This tradition lives on: Amarone remains one of Italy's most exclusive and expensive wines.

Challenges

The appassimento method is elaborate and risky:

• Space requirements: Large, dry rooms for the grapes
• Time-intensive: 3-4 months of constant monitoring
• Rot risk: Wrong climate can lead to spoilage
• Yield loss: 100 kg of fresh grapes yields only 60 kg of dried grapes
• Variety selection: Only thick-skinned varieties like Corvina with natural rot resistance are suitable

These factors explain the high price of good Amarone wines — the effort is immense, the risk great.

Related Techniques Worldwide

Appassimento is not unique to Italy, but nowhere else has it been perfected to the same degree:

• Strohwein/Vin de Paille (France, Austria, Germany): Similar technique for sweet white wines
• Passito (various Italian regions): General term for wines from dried grapes
• Pedro Ximenez Sherry (Spain): PX grapes are dried in the sun
• Eiswein (Ice Wine): Concentration through freezing rather than drying

The key difference: appassimento not only concentrates sugar but preserves acidity and develops secondary aromas through the slow ripening during drying.

Conclusion

Appassimento is one of the most fascinating and elaborate techniques in winemaking. It transforms fresh grapes into concentrated, complex masterpieces with unique character. The resulting Amarone is not just a wine but an experience — powerful, elegant, complex, and with enormous aging potential.

Anyone who has enjoyed a well-aged Amarone understands why appassimento has fascinated the winemakers of the Veneto for centuries and delights wine lovers worldwide.