Corvina

The main grape of Valpolicella and Amarone: light in colour, bright in acid, and well suited to drying.

Red
Home: Veneto, north-east Italy
Italy

At a glance

Also known as

Corvina Veronese
Cruina

Colour

Red

Origin

Veneto, north-east Italy

Main regions

Valpolicella and Bardolino, near Verona

Varietal or blend

Mostly blended with Rondinella and other local grapes (formerly Molinara); some single-variety Corvina exists.

Body & sweetness

Light (Bardolino, young Valpolicella) to very full (Amarone); dry or sweet (Recioto).

Taste & style

Flavour: Sour cherry and red berries with an almond-like bitter finish; dried versions add raisin, fig and chocolate.
Style: Young wines are fresh and easy. Amarone is strong, rich and dry; Ripasso sits in between.

In the vineyard & winery

Growing: Vigorous, with fairly thick skins that resist rot — important when bunches are dried for months.
Winemaking: For Amarone and Recioto the grapes are dried after harvest (appassimento) before fermenting. Ripasso is made by re-passing wine over Amarone skins.

Food matches

Pasta with meat sauce (Valpolicella)
Risotto all'Amarone
Braised beef or game (Amarone)
Aged hard cheeses

Notes

Corvinone is a separate, larger-berried grape, not a clone of Corvina.

From the glossary

Used with several other grapes to create the light red regional blends known as "Bardolino" and "Valpolicella" that have a mild fruity flavor with hints of almond.

From the Wine Grape Glossary by Anthony J. Hawkins (1931–2018), reproduced with authorship credit as he requested. Written in the 1990s.