3 Christmas Recipes Featuring Ugolini Vini’s Amarone Valle Alta

Some wines seem born to be enjoyed during the holiday season, and Amarone is undoubtedly one of them. Rich, enveloping, and capable of transforming a dish into something special, the Amarone della Valpolicella Classica Valle Alta by Ugolini Vini is the ideal ingredient to add a note of character to your festive recipes.

Its robust structure, along with notes of dried red fruit, cocoa, and spices, makes it perfect not only for tasting but also for use in the kitchen to elevate traditional dishes and create surprising pairings.

At Christmas, when everything seems suspended in a sweeter, fuller time, Amarone Valle Alta becomes a precious ingredient, capable of binding flavors together, warming the atmosphere, and filling the table with elegance.

Three Christmas recipes that highlight Ugolini’s Amarone

1. Amarone Risotto with aged Monte Veronese cheese

An elegant, creamy first course, perfect for a refined Christmas Eve dinner. The rice is deglazed with Amarone, allowing the wine to dye the grains a deep, profound red. At the end of cooking, a fondue of Monte Veronese cheese wraps everything in a savory caress. It is a dish that tells the story of Valpolicella: its softness, its structure, and its vocation for simple, accomplished beauty.

2. Braised Beef in Amarone: the great classic that warms the table

There is no Christmas without a dish that scents the house for hours. The Braised Beef (Brasato) in Amarone Valle Alta is a ritual: the meat rests in an Amarone marinade for a whole night, slowly absorbing the wine's character. Then comes the gentle cooking, the sauce thickening, and the aroma rising from the pot to transform the kitchen into a place of sharing. A festive Sunday dish for laden tables and generous glasses. Serve with soft polenta or buttered mashed potatoes.

3. Amarone poached pears with vanilla cream and spices

A light, poetic, and pure dessert. Conference pears are immersed in Amarone, cinnamon, star anise, and orange peel, then left to simmer until soft and glossy. The result is a dessert that smells of winter, elegant without being cloying: a perfect finish for a memorable Christmas lunch.

Perché cucinare con l’Amarone?

Amarone adds depth to dishes. It amplifies flavors, binds them together, and creates a common thread that runs through the entire dinner. Above all, it brings with it the heart of Valpolicella: the stone that warms, the vine that resists, the wind that dries, and the fruttaio (drying room) that waits.

Putting Amarone Valle Alta into a recipe means bringing a piece of the territory to the table and gifting it to the people we love.

This Christmas, come taste it where it’s born

To fully understand the value of Amarone Valle Alta, the ideal way is to taste it in the place of its birth. At Villa San Michele, the home of Ugolini Vini, our doors remain open even during winter, offering a warm and spectacular atmosphere perfect for a unique experience.

Every wine tour allows you to discover the vineyards, the drying rooms, and the winery's signature wines, but it is precisely in winter that the Wine & Opera path becomes the perfect experience: music, art, and wine intertwine amidst warm lights and winter scents. During the visit, you can taste the Amarone alongside our other crus, immersing yourself in the history and authentic flavors of Valpolicella.

This Christmas, come taste Amarone Valle Alta at Villa San Michele: a glass awaits you, capable of turning every dish into a special occasion.