Wine, etc. 

Romano Dal Forno, the King of Valpolicella

La Val d'Illasi, a zone in the east of Verona, doesn’t have the honour of belonging to the Amarone Classico territory (which includes Negrar, Fumane and Novare). However, thanks to only one person, the paradigm of superiority of Classico over Normale has been resolutely revised.

Romano Dal Forno was born in 1957 in the village of Capovilla, a couple of kilometers away from Illasi, in a family which had been engaged in wine production for three generations. At that time the work in the vineyard was hard labour, and what is more, it brought just a little satisfaction, because grapes were handed over to the cooperative and the profit received was extremely low. At the age of 22 Romano was lucky to meet the Great Master of Amarone, Giuseppe Quintarelli. That acquaintance became a revelation for him and pushed him towards choosing a right target. But the problems to be solved along the way were not simple ones: a limited number of hectares of his own vineyard for many years were used for getting maximum quantity of grapes, and that, undoubtedly, didn’t give an opportunity to make “serious” wines. Besides, Quintarelli was sure that the valley of Illasi was good enough only for maize growing.

But Romano was willing to try, because that was a very fascinating challenge. He started his work having only the experience of working in the vineyard, being neither a winemaker, nor an agronomist, nor an engineer. Even his recurring communication with the Great Master that threw light upon his way, was far from being sufficient. First years were very hard. Romano tried to reduce the vines productivity, but the plants, being accustomed to overwork for years, could not re-form at once. Dal Forno started to go to Agrarian School and little by little he came to understand the optimum technique of dealing with the vine. Besides, he understood that a lot of local winemakers used the traditional method of appassimento (work with dried bunches) mainly in order to “improve” a generally mediocre wine. Gradually he increased the density of planting, for it was clear that a greater extract content and concentration was to be achieved.

1983 became the first remarkable year in his way to celebrity: it was in that year that Dal Forno started selling his own wines. He continued making wines in that handicraft manner without proper equipment for few more years, until in 1990 he ventured to completely renovate the production. An amount of 1.3 billion lire was to be invested. The risk was enormous, but Romano knew that the game was worth the candle. That was the only way to make a step forward. The process of drying of the grapes is a very delicate stage even and a small mistake can cause a disastrous loss.

In the same 1990 instead of Slavonian-oak casks, habitual for local winemakers which were used from year to year for aging Amarone, Dal Forno started to use 225-litre barrels made of new French oak (barriques). And naturally, wine of a new crop was aged in new barriques; also the wine would not show up for sale before a long period of up to 5 years. Later some experiments were made with a partial aging in barriques (up to 2 years) and then another 4 years in bottles.

In 1995 to 12 hectares of his own vineyard were added 8 hectares of his son-in-law and, in 2000, 5 more hectares of his cousin, which gave him an opportunity to make experiments more intensively. In some cases the density of planting reached 11,000 vines per hectare. The current goal is to increase the average density up to 11-13 thousand which would guarantee the annual production of 40,000 bottles of Valpolicella and 15-20,000 of Amarone.

There were a number of interesting decisions and achievements by Romano Dal Forno. For example, he made a decision to take the Molinara grapes out of Amarone composition because he was utterly dissatisfied with the limited nature of the potential of this grape. In 1991 he planted a re-discovered Oseleta vine instead, and after numerous tests it became an essential part of Amarone mixing. Here is another important accomplishment: Valpolicella, the wine which for many years was considered to be an adequate copmanion to pizza, was changed radically; thanks to Dal Forno’s efforts its structure and complexity became commensurable with Brunello, but at the same time it preserved such a concentration of color that had been absolutely unimaginable before. On the whole, it should be acknowledged that Dal Forno managed to clearly demonstrate how the principles of modern oenology can be taken into consideration in order to improve the quality of wine produced in complete accordance with the long standing traditions. His wines are unconditionally revolutionary, but at the same time they are both true and genuine Valpolicella and Amarone della Valpolicella.

A distinctive feature of Valpolicella Dal Forno is a beautiful deep colour of a dark ruby with clear purple traces, fragrance of sweet cherry and vanilla, underbrush and spices. In the mouth it combines softness and harmony of magnificent fruit and charmingly long aftertaste.

Amarone represents impeccable union of innovation and tradition; it is a rich potent wine but on no account “over-sugary”. Two compulsory years in new barriques. Every crop is individual, but it unconditionally allows to feel the “hand of the producer”, the man of knowledge and esteem, maturity and profundity, wisdom and experience. There is no other man capable of acquiring the alcoholic strength of 17.5 degrees. But at the same time we don’t deal with a tiresome wine. On the contrary, it surprises by its immaculacy with which all its components are combined and which allows to hide the alcoholic squall from our nose. The quality of Dal Forno wines makes it necessary to reconsider the system of assessment itself which is used regarding other wines. That’s true, the price of his wines is obviously stratospheric but it is properly justified. It would be sufficient to learn that 100 kilos of grapes result in only 15 liters of Amarone «a la Dal Forno». One would apparently lack words to praise them adequately. It can definitely be claimed that there is a rare wine that can possibly arouse the same excitement as those bottles of Romano Dal Forno. Should you once award yourself with his Amarone, you will become its hostage forever.

The text is based upon the article of Roberto Giuliani “Romano Dal Forno: il re della Valpolicella” (www.lavinium.com).