Varietal Guide
Corvina
Reviewed by Morgan Dannels, Head Sommelier · Last updated May 14, 2026
Sip Tip
Corvina grapes are intentionally dried for up to 120 days after harvest on bamboo racks or in wooden crates — a process called *appassimento* — which concentrates their sugars and flavors before fermentation, and this technique is what transforms them into Amarone della Valpolicella.
Corvina leads the blend in Valpolicella, and the range it covers is extreme. At the everyday end you get light-bodied, high-acid reds with sour cherry flavour, the kind of wine you crack midweek with pasta. At the other pole sits Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG, a powerful dry wine made by partially drying the grapes before fermentation, with alcohol that ranks among Italy's most potent.
Basic bottlings stay pale ruby and simple. More expensive examples from hillside vineyards in the area west of Verona deliver deeper concentration and complexity, with notes of baked stone fruit, dried cherries, and prune.
What does Corvina taste like?
In its simplest form Corvina-based wines show a colour ranging from pale to medium ruby, lighter body, soft tannins, and bracing acidity carrying sharp, sour cherry fruit. More serious bottlings from hillside vineyards show greater concentration and complexity: think baked stone fruit, plum, and prune. Amarone takes it further: full body, high tannins, alcohol levels among Italy's highest, and concentrated dried-fruit character.
What food pairs with Corvina?
Match the wine to the style. Light Valpolicella wants pizza, pasta, or light meat dishes. Amarone demands rich, bold food: braised short ribs, rich stews, hard aged cheeses, or dark chocolate desserts. Amarone stands out as one of few dry reds you can sip on its own after a meal.
- •Basic Valpolicella: pizza, pasta, light meat
- •Amarone: braised short ribs, rich stews, hard aged cheeses, dark chocolate desserts
How to serve Corvina
- 1.Drink basic Valpolicella young, it's built for immediacy, not the cellar.
- 2.Amarone ages exceptionally well; buy it with a few years on it or plan to hold bottles for a decade.
- 3.Valpolicella Classico signals hillside fruit from the historic zone, which usually means more concentration than the plain DOC.
- 4.Expect Amarone's alcohol to run high; it's part of the style, not a flaw.
- 5.If you find Amarone too intense, look for Valpolicella Ripasso, a middle ground made by refermenting regular Valpolicella on Amarone's spent grape skins.