Valpolicella 'beats' Amarone, Ripasso and Recioto. And together they are worth 600 million a year

A turnover of 600 million a year produced from 8,617 hectares of vineyards, thanks to the work of 2,200 vine growers, plus 316 bottlers and 6 social wine cellars, which in 2023 meant over 61 million bottles, 60% of which were destined for export to 87 countries around the world. These are the figures for Valpolicella, Valpolicella Ripasso, Amarone and Recioto presented by the Consorzio Vini Valpolicella during the "Venezia Superiore" event at the Loggia maggiore della Pescheria in Rialto.

The 40-page dossier, which photographs the evolution of the vineyard in Valpolicella since 1972 and the evolution of production since 2005, shines a spotlight on the value of a wine-growing area that contributes to sustaining the sector's economy at a time when more structured red wines with an 'important' alcohol content seem to be struggling on the market compared to the freshness and lightness of whites (or 'lighter' reds).

In fact, it is no coincidence that Valpolicella (the 'least demanding' of the Veneto consortium's wines) is proving to be the trendy wine of the Veronese denomination even on the international markets that are worth 61% of sales, with Canada (39%) and the USA (15%) leading the export ranking. In the first half of this year, Valpolicella - "which is a candidate to win over the young winelovers of the generation least inclined to wine consumption ever," as they say at Conosrzio - reached a production of almost 9.5 million bottles (+0.4% compared to the same period in 2023 compared to the slowdown of 'noble colleagues' such as Amarone), a figure substantially in line with the pre-pandemic 2019 figure.

"The study published by the Consortium," commented the president of the protection body, Christian Marchesini, "aims to follow and update the progress and change of the denomination. At a challenging time like the present, especially for red wines, it is indeed important to monitor not only the markets but also the capacity of the territory and producers to respond and adapt. In this context, the dossier is a strategic tool for analysing and interpreting trends, starting with the one involving the area wine par excellence, Valpolicella Superiore, which thanks to its versatility is climbing new market shares".