What to do with my old Amarone collection?

This old collection stems back from my earliest start in wine when I lived in London. It was easy to order wine from Italy then. It sat in storage in the UK until a few years ago when I finally got it over to the US. Perfect storage conditions? No, but the few I’ve opened since they got stateside, have been fine.

Palates change. Today, this is as far removed from the style I like to drink. But there are some real gems in there, like Dal Forno, Quintarelli and Bussola (but mostly mid-level stuff like Accordini and Masi), dating all the way back to 1970’s. It would be a shame to see it sit for another 10 years un-drunk (as you know, they tend to age less gracefully).

It’s about 4 cases. So, what to do with it? Maybe have a big dinner in some rented restaurant/venue and splash it all out over one big feast? I’m not looking to make any money on the stuff, but maybe just recover some of the cost and share them? And what would you pair with it? It’s notoriously hard.

Any ideas on how to best go about it? Would there be any interest from board members to have a big long table dinner and drink/pair the stuff?

Here’s unboxing of when they came to the US after about 15 years:

Commerce Corner seems obvious; perhaps you’re uncomfortable with that idea? If not, definitely put them up there. You could offer to trade for dry Riesling.

I don’t know much about these wines or what their fair prices are, but I’d buy a case, maybe more if I liked them a lot.

[cheers.gif] Sangria party?

1 Like

Dal Forno is otherworldly good.

Give a bottle way with every berserkerday purchase next year!

They’ll go on commerce corner.

I love quintarelli, have had an opportunity to share some really special and rare bottlings thanks to a friend in Ireland. Those wines are probably worth a small fortune.

The easy choices are to sell on commerce corner, to Benchmark, or send to Auction like K&L but if you didn’t want to monetize the collection, no question you should be able to find plenty of people willing to help you plow through those! Hell I may need to find a reason to get to LA for that occassion!

I’d say otherworldly oaky, but I haven’t had any older bottles, just ones that have been way too young.

But yeah, I’ve heard they are pretty brilliant once they get enough years to integrate all that wood.

1 Like

I live in Los Angeles and would purchase and pick up a bottle or two.

Keep 'em. Like you said, Tastes Change. It’s not that much and there are quite a few gems. With significant age they can be quite beautiful. I too have quite a few but feel no compunction to sell them. And my tastes have also changed.

Based on how Amarones age and how they supposedly are not kept in optimal storage conditions, I wouldn’t see much upside in keeping them. While every now and then I’ve tasted a nice older Amarone, I’ve noticed that at the moment the 1990’s Amarones are still drinking nicely, but when it comes to 1980’s wines and older, many are already falling apart. And these are wines that have been kept in optimal conditions. I can believe producers like Allegrini, Bertani, Dal Forno or Quintarelli can make wines that age much longer, but I have a strong suspicion against most others.

Agree with Otto. The big names should be fine. The mid-tier ones probably need drinking up.

Run a randomizer between all BD2022 buyers and add a surprise on their shipment.

1 Like

I’d be in for a case if you put them on Commerce Corner. Wines are more hardy than a lot of folks think, so storage in a chilly English home probably didn’t hurt them.

Wines are definitely more hardy than people think, but I’ve had some older Amarones and even with properly aged bottles it’s a minefield with wines from the 80’s and older. Even though people think the wines are obviously built for the long haul, I’ve noticed that most Amarones really don’t age that well.

1 Like

The reciotos should be fun to taste.

Didn’t see any reciotos, just Amarones (and Recioto Amarones).

I didn’t really get the Amarone bug when I started getting more serious about international wines. I bought a few, mostly in the mid range (Quintarelli was already too rich for my blood), and just didn’t get excited. But I think many of us go through this, and are weighed down by too-ripe Cabernet or Super Tuscans or over-the-top Priorat.

Here’s my hybrid idea: Sell the ones that are upper-echelon as they are probably worth the effort. Then have a shindig and drink the mid-levels. Heck, I’d sign up for it just because it would be fun and interesting, a look back at one winemaker’s palate evolution. Don’t make promises that the wine will be all that, just make it a fun social event. Don’t sweat the matching too much. (Maybe just cured meats, cheeses, crusty bread and a lot of walking around talking about the wines. For my money, duck tacos go with everything, so try that?) As I said, I would go to that event, and pay to defray costs.

1 Like

Sounds like a great idea! [cheers.gif]

1 Like

I meant it! Sign me up!

1 Like