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Amarone Vintages 1991 to 2022: What the Consorzio's Vintage Reports Say

Updated 15 Nov 2026Facts verified Nov 20264 sourcesHow we research

The Consorzio per la Tutela dei Vini Valpolicella publishes an official report for each Valpolicella vintage from 1991 to 2022, with weather, harvest dates and vine health; 1999 is missing from the file and nothing later has been published. The reports give no scores. They do describe, for example, 1995 as the harvest old growers called the vintage of the century, and 2022 as a drought year picked from 5 September.

This page summarises what each report says, year by year where one exists, in the consortium's own terms. It also explains when each vintage can reach the market under the disciplinare, and how to taste older vintages at a winery. For the rules behind the wine, see what Amarone is.

What the vintage reports are, and what they leave out

The reports come as a single PDF of 33 pages on the consortium's website, titled Schede annate 1991-2022. Each page covers one harvest. The early sheets are short notes on weather and the state of the grapes; from 2015 each opens with a table of four dates, budbreak, flowering, veraison and harvest, set against an eight-year mean, followed by sections on climate, vine development and plant health.

Three limits are worth knowing. The reports cover the whole Valpolicella area and all its wines, and many sheets also comment on the grapes set aside to dry for Amarone. They give no scores or star ratings, only the consortium's description. And the file has gaps: there is no sheet for 1999 (the 1998 sheet is printed twice), and the series stops at 2022, so on 15 November 2026 there is no official report for 2023, 2024 or 2025.

The disciplinare sets when each vintage can be sold. Amarone needs two years of ageing from 1 January after the harvest, so a 2022 Amarone could be released from 1 January 2025 at the earliest. A Riserva needs four years from 1 November of the harvest year, so a 2022 Riserva could not be released before 1 November 2026.

The 1990s: 1991 to 1998

The 1991 sheet calls the year slightly below a five-star 1990 but very good, with rain on 13 September saving the vines from drought. 1992 is described as delicate, with heavy rain at harvest; growers who picked a few days early did best. 1993 split into an excellent first period and a rainy second one, but the consortium still judged it excellent overall, with the grapes set aside to dry reduced by 25%.

1994 was very dry and hot in July and August; the harvest came about ten days early, the consortium set its start for Monday 19 September, and the weather favoured drying. 1995 is the year the sheet says older growers did not hesitate to call the harvest of the century. A cold, wet spring gave loose bunches with thick skins, ideal for drying, and Amarone production was about 30% below average, around 40,000 quintals of grapes expected to give about 2 million bottles.

1996 was wet with little sun; the harvest was about ten days late and drying was difficult. In 1997 a violent hailstorm on 4 July hit San Pietro in Cariano and Negrar, with damage above 50% in places, but the sheet calls the year exceptional for drying grapes. 1998 was picked from 28 September to 10 November, with a cold, windy winter that the sheet calls very good for the drying grapes.

2000 to 2008

2000 is described as a resounding harvest, picked eight to ten days early, with sugar about two degrees above average; a hailstorm on 28 June damaged about 400 of 5,000 hectares in the Negrar and Verona area, and the consortium expected 100,000 to 120,000 quintals of grapes to dry. In 2001 the grapes for drying, picked from 13 September, reached 126,000 quintals. 2002 was difficult and delicate: hail devastated about 300 hectares, and a dry, very cold January rescued the drying grapes.

2003 was the year of torrid summer heat and little rain, with drying grapes picked from 3 September; the bunches set aside were small, loose and thick-skinned. 2004 was picked at a normal time, from 1 October for drying grapes, and dry, windy, cool weather let some producers leave the grapes drying longer than usual. 2005 was close to average, with 10% to 20% less fruit after rain in August and early September.

The 2006 sheet ends by calling it an exceptional vintage that will long be remembered, with a considerable quantity of grapes set aside to dry. 2007 started about 20 days early after a warm winter and was picked from 10 September in stable weather. 2008 marked a return to the normal calendar, picked from 22 September, and the sheet calls it a fresh vintage with fully ripe grapes.

2009 to 2014

The 2009 sheet records a torrid August comparable only to 2003, a dry harvest from 9 September, smaller quantities and excellent quality, and calls it one of the best vintages of the decade. 2010 was the opposite: a long, cold winter and a cool, rainy summer made it one of the coolest vintages of the decade, if not the coolest, with harvest from 23 September and quantities in line with the rules.

2011 brought the most important early start of recent years, with flowering more than 15 days ahead of 2010, a dry harvest from 5 September and grape quality the sheet calls excellent. 2012 was a year of heat and drought stress, with a hailstorm on 21 July in the Val d'Illasi; yields were contained and quality good overall.

2013 had two opposite halves: 229 mm of rain over 18 days in May delayed flowering by about ten days, then a hot, dry summer followed, with a hailstorm in the Classica zone on 24 August and harvest from 20 September. 2014 is the sheet's year of the rains: over 1,500 mm, 860 of them in the growing season and more than 250 mm in July alone, before a warm, dry harvest from 19 September.

2015 to 2018: the phenology tables begin

2015 was a year of extremes, with twenty-year records for maximum temperatures, especially in July, and little rain. Harvest began on 10 September against an eight-year mean of 14 September, and the heat kept downy mildew and botrytis away. 2016 started early with budbreak on 1 April, then turned cool and wet in spring and summer, with significant downy mildew where vineyards were not well protected; harvest began on 15 September.

2017 was hot and dry from winter onwards. Budbreak came on 25 March against a mean of 6 April, a late frost in April damaged a small area around San Martino Buon Albergo, hail at the end of August hit mainly the Valpantena and the eastern side, and harvest began on 4 September, about ten days earlier than in 2016, with high sugar levels.

2018 had a cold start to spring, a wet early summer and a warm August. Harvest began on 10 September, four days ahead of the mean, and heavy storms in the first ten days of September caused landslides and flooding in some vineyards. The sheet records good sugar and acidity and larger berries than in the two previous years.

2019 to 2022

In 2019 the April and May pair was the coldest and wettest in 30 years, followed by a very hot summer with peaks of 38 degrees in the late-June heatwave. Veraison ended late, in the last week of August, and harvest began on 16 September, close to the mean and a week later than 2018.

2020 was dry until flowering and then very wet: from June to August 575 mm fell at the San Pietro in Cariano station and 461 mm at Illasi, against about 230 mm in an average year, with some hail. Harvest began around 13 September, unevenly across the area. In 2021 flowering came on 7 June, about ten days late, veraison stayed about nine days behind, and a dry September allowed harvest from around 15 September with little botrytis.

2022 is the drought vintage. Rain from January to July totalled 190 mm against a mean of 450 mm, a 60% deficit, and the heat caused severe water stress in some vineyards, especially young ones on light soils. Veraison came on 25 July, about two weeks early, and harvest began around 5 September against a mean of 14 September. August rain let most vineyards recover.

How to taste older Amarone vintages

The reports describe growing seasons; how a particular bottle has aged depends on the producer. The disciplinare's technical report says Amarone can keep for more than twenty years, which is why many wineries hold back older bottles and pour them at tastings.

The way to taste an older vintage is to ask the winery when you book. The consortium's member list gives the address and website of 278 wineries, and the Strada del Vino Valpolicella lists 94 members you can filter by comune. Neither list says which vintages each estate pours, so name the years you are interested in when you write. A winery that made Amarone in 1995, 2006 or 2009, three years its own reports single out, may still have some to show.

If you prefer a guided visit, the tours from Verona listed on this page include tastings at Valpolicella wineries; our guide to Valpolicella wine tours from Verona explains how both routes work, and the comparison of Amarone, Ripasso, Recioto and Valpolicella explains what else will be in the glass.

Frequently asked questions

5 questions

What are the best Amarone vintages according to the Consorzio?

The consortium gives no scores, but its reports single out 1995, which older growers called the harvest of the century, 2006, called exceptional, and 2009, called one of the best of its decade. 1993, 1997 and 2011 are also described as excellent or exceptional.

Is there an official report for the 2023 or 2024 Amarone vintage?

Not on 15 November 2026. The consortium's published series covers 1991 to 2022, with no sheet for 1999.

When can a 2022 Amarone be sold?

Under the disciplinare, Amarone ages at least two years from 1 January after the harvest, so a 2022 could be released from 1 January 2025. A 2022 Riserva needs four years from 1 November 2022, so not before 1 November 2026.

What was the 2022 vintage like in Valpolicella?

A drought year: 190 mm of rain from January to July against a 450 mm mean, early veraison on 25 July and harvest from around 5 September, according to the consortium's report.

Was 2014 a good vintage for Amarone?

The consortium's report calls 2014 the year of the rains, with over 1,500 mm, and credits growers with keeping grape health good overall despite the difficulties. It gives no score.

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