Auction update: Romano Dal Forno

Romano Dal Forno is one of the brightest stars in the Amarone firmament – but, only a few decades ago, the idea of the estate making its own wine was just a dream. db investigates. 

In recent years, iDealwine has made enormous strides in its offering of Italian wines, as this is by far the most wellrepresented country of origin outside France (making up 61% of all non-French wines sold on iDealwine in 2022). An already impressive 33% increase in Italian wines sold in 2022 was almost instantly dwarfed in 2023, as a single July auction featured over 3,000 bottles (more than half of 2022’s entire volume).

While the majority of top Italian producers in 2022 iDealwine auctions came from Tuscany and Piedmont, the Veneto region still gave cause for excitement. Historic domain Bertani made it into the top 20 Italian estates by value (nearly €10,000), and a 2003 bottle of Quintarelli Amarone was among the top 20 highest-priced bottles from Italy, selling for €495 in February.

Another fantastic producer from Italy’s Veneto region is Romano Dal Forno. This family estate is located in the small village of Illasi, a surprisingly long distance to the east of Valpolicella’s Classico area. Although it is considered one of the highest-quality producers in the region today, Romano Dal Forno is a product of humble beginnings.

Until 1983, the Dal Forno family vineyard produced grapes exclusively destined for the local cooperative. The main focus of their land was traditional agriculture, with the idea of making their own wine being more of a dream than a future reality. However, in 1983, facing declining crop prices and potential economic hardship, Romano Dal Forno began expressing interest in producing wines under his own name. Although his friends and family were adamantly opposed to the idea, Dal Forno was able to convince legendary winemaker Giuseppe Quintarelli to tutor him, ensuring for himself a priceless education in Amarone winemaking techniques. Affectionately referred to as the “the maestro of Valpolicella”, Giuseppe Quintarelli was an instrumental figure in the popularisation of wines from this region. Today, the winery bearing the name of Quintarelli’s protégé, Romano Dal Forno, is often considered to be the only Valpolicella producer of the same or greater quality than Quintarelli itself. Dal Forno’s vineyard area now stretches to 26 hectares in total, yet the work required to create the finished product is still entirely carried out by the family itself – a truly impressive achievement, considering that vineyards of this size sometimes employ several dozen workers.

As is the case for other top-quality producers in Valpolicella, Dal Forno specialises in the production of Amarone wine – a local winemaking style featuring a unique production process known as appassimento. The appassimento process requires partial dehydration of grapes for months at a time before pressing. The resulting wine is full-bodied and high in alcohol content, with a deeply expressive flavour profile. To the end of November 2023, iDealwine auctions have featured six bottles of Dal Forno Amarone: two from the 1994 vintage, one from 2002 and three from 2013. The most expensive of these bottles came from the 1994 vintage, which sold for €300 in April.

In addition to its Amarone wines, Dal Forno also produces extremely high-quality Valpolicella Superiore.

Unlike other producers, Dal Forno uses the appassimento process for all of its wines, not just the Amarone. The Valpolicella Superiore grapes are dried for a month and a half, compared to three months for the Amarone wines. The estate’s enormous drying chambers are equipped with proprietary moveable fans to keep airflow in constant flux during the drying process.

Prior to their release, all Dal Forno wines are aged for two years in new oak, followed by another four years in bottle. A total of eight Valpolicella Superiore bottles from Dal Forno have been sold in 2023 iDealwine auctions, ranging in vintage from 1995 to 2016. The most expensive of these bottles was a 1995, which sold for €150 in November, although the 2001 vintage wasn’t far behind, selling for €125 in September. Already celebrated as one of the region’s greatest producers, the best is yet to come for Romano Dal Forno. The most recent vintage to be released was 2016, with CEO Marco Dal Forno exclaiming that he believes it will eventually be considered one of the best vintages of the entire century. The 2016 Valpolicella Superiore was released in 2023, while the Amarone bottles of the same vintage are scheduled for release in 2024. Wine enthusiasts around the world can surely expect to see this vintage on sale at iDealwine in the near future.

In addition to its fantastic producers, Italy is also home to an abundance of passionate wine enthusiasts. As of 2023, the country counts more than 1,000 active customers on iDealwine, generating around €2.5 million in yearly sales. In appreciation of this ever-growing community, iDealwine has recently launched an Italian version of its website, and the company frequently attends Italian wine conferences and events.

Auction update, in association with iDealwine.com