Throughout my WSET studies, I was always surprised by how little attention Amarone received from the curriculum. Even the Master of Wine exams featured Amarone only 2 times in the last 11 years... Perhaps, it is because Amarone was not at the top of Italy's quality classification (DOCG) until 2008? Or perhaps, there was, until recently, too little produced? Nevertheless, it is clear that few outside Italy seem to be familiar with this wonderful and unique wine style...A pity because there is no reason, i think, why it should not be considered among the top...

Especially after tasting Bertani's Amarone 1964. My tasting it at Vinitaly last week firmly put it on my top 5 favorite wines of all times...and clearly confirmed, to me at least, the potential for Amarone to be among Italy's, if not the world's, finest...

Bertani is reputed to be traditionalist. Minimal intervention, restraint, seeking finesse and elegance rather than power and concentration... And it showed in the wine.

First the color, it was amazing, garnet core gently and almost imperceptibly fading into a wide tawny rim...the nose was beautiful, delicious, mouth-watering with incredible complexity. Exactly the type of bouquet one envisions when one cellar a wine for so long... It was savory, musky, gamey, yet full of dried fruits and spices... It was transporting, just like the perfume of a beautiful women... On the palate, incredibly smooth and silky with a perfect balance. It was juicy, delicious, savory. I only wanted to keep it on the palate to let that sensation last for as long as it could... Once taken in, it lasted forever, with an amazing peacock tail finish, exploding with yet more complexity... All of this with finesse, elegance, subtlety, pedigree, and class...

Obviously... an amazing experience...even if it was in the middle of a trade show at the end of a long day....