AMARONE OPERA PRIMA CELEBRATES THE CONSORTIUM’S 100TH ANNIVERSARY
15 gennaio 2025
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VALPOLICELLA CONSORTIUM: AMARONE OPERA PRIMA CELEBRATES THE CONSORTIUM’S 100TH ANNIVERSARY
SPECIAL GUEST ANDREA PENNACCHI PRESENTS ‘AMARONE, AN EPIC IN VALPOLICELLA’
2020 VINTAGE DEBUTS FROM JANUARY 31 TO FEBRUARY 2 IN VERONA
(Sant’Ambrogio di Valpolicella – VR, January 15, 2025) – Seventy-eight wineries and 106 accredited journalists, 73 of whom come from 26 countries including Argentina, the UAE, Japan, the US, Poland, China, Singapore, and the UK. This is the current snapshot ahead of the 21st edition of Amarone Opera Prima, the event hosted by the Valpolicella Wine Consortium, set to take place in Verona (Palazzo della Gran Guardia) from January 31 to February 2, 2025. The event marks the beginning of the Consortium's centennial celebrations for one of Italy’s most iconic wine appellations. The spotlight will be on the 2020 Amarone, which officially debuts on the market, while on the auditorium stage, actor and theater director Andrea Pennacchi will present "Amarone, An Epic in Valpolicella" a monologue created for the Consortium’s centenary.
Christian Marchesini, President of the Valpolicella Wine Consortium, says: "In this special edition, Amarone Opera Prima looks to the future, particularly focusing on the new potential growth areas for the denomination in an accelerated evolving landscape. This shift requires a paradigm change based on renewed strategies and approaches. Our commitment to promotion is yielding results, with record participation in the event and 51 new members joining the Consortium in 2024."
Amarone Opera Prima kicks off on Friday, January 31, with an exclusive program for invited national and international press, including two masterclasses. The first, "Amarone: Iconic of Fine Dining in the World’s 50 Best" will be led by expert JC Viens and will explore a selection of Amarone wines featured on the wine lists of the world’s top 50 restaurants, as ranked by UK’s Restaurant magazine (Palazzo della Gran Guardia, 10:30 AM). This will be followed by a three-star lunch curated by Giancarlo Perbellini at Teatro Filarmonico. In the afternoon, Andrea Lonardi, MW and Vice President of the Consortium, will present "The Memory of Time, A Journey Through Amarone’s Historic Vintages" (3:00 PM, Palazzo della Gran Guardia).
On Saturday, February 1, the event will focus on “Valpolicella: 100 Years of the Denomination’s Past and Future” with speakers Christian Marchesini, President of the Consortium, and Carlo Flamini, head of the Wine Observatory at Unione Italiana Vini. The session will be moderated by Andrea Andreoli, Director of Telenuovo. The day will culminate in the premiere of Andrea Pennacchi’s unique theatrical performance.
From 12:30 PM, tastings will take place at the stands of 78 participating wineries, and from 4:00 PM, the event will open to 'Amarone lovers.' The event will continue on Sunday, February 2 (10:00 AM to 5:00 PM) with a special focus on restaurateurs, ending with an aperitif entitled "Valpolicella: Freshness and Creativity in the Glass" hosted by the Consortium’s Young Group.