Arele Appasimento
⏳ Drinking Window
2023 - 2028
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Slow-braised beef, rich pasta dishes with beef ragu, and aged cheeses such as mature Asiago.
✨ Technical Specifications
Tommasi's 'Arele' pays homage to the historic winemaking traditions of Verona, taking its name from the traditional bamboo trays—called 'arele'—historically used to dry grapes for Amarone and Recioto. Crafted by the Tommasi family, who have championed the Veneto region since 1902, this red blend utilizes a partial appassimento method. A portion of the grapes, primarily Corvina Veronese alongside Rondinella, Oseleta, and Merlot, is dried for approximately 30 days to concentrate their sugars, aromas, and structural depth. The wine is then aged in Slavonian oak casks, resulting in a deeply expressive profile rich with notes of dark cherry, plum, and sweet spices, balanced by a velvety texture and vibrant acidity.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1902 by Giacomo Tommasi in the hillside hamlet of Pedemonte di Valpolicella, Tommasi has evolved across four generations into one of the most prominent family-owned wine estates in northeastern Italy. While anchored in the classic calcareous-limestone hills of Valpolicella Classica, the estate has expanded its viticultural footprint across prominent northeastern denominations, including the mineral-rich, glacial clay terraces of Lugana on the southern shores of Lake Garda, as well as classic terroirs across Delle Venezie. Led winemaking-wise by Giancarlo Tommasi, the house operates under strict sustainability protocols certified via Equalitas. Vinification balances regional heritage with precision oenology, championing extended wood aging in large Slavonian oak casks for its iconic Amarone della Valpolicella and the ultra-prestige single-vineyard De Buris Riserva, while delivering vibrancy and saline minerality through stainless-steel vinifications in white expressions such as Le Fornaci Lugana and Le Volpare Soave Classico.