Dal Forno Romano

Dal Forno Romano was founded in 1983 by Romano Dal Forno in Illasi, just east of the Valpolicella Classico zone. Although his family had owned vineyards for generations, they previously sold their grapes to a cooperative. Frustrated by low prices, Romano began producing wine under his own label and sought guidance from Giuseppe Quintarelli, a leading Amarone producer.

From the mid‑1980s onward, Romano implemented a meticulous, hybrid viticulture and winemaking approach. Vineyards planted to Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella, Oseleta, and Croatina are managed with green harvesting and extreme attention to ripeness. Grapes undergo appassimento: Valpolicella fruit dries for about 1½ months, Amarone for around 3 months, in computer‑ventilated drying rooms, followed by fermentation and ageing in new French oak and Slavonian casks.

Today the estate spans roughly 34–35 ha and is run by Romano alongside his sons Marco, Luca, and Michele. The winery combines traditional methods with patented cellar technology (such as vacuum-pressured tanks and gentle piston fermentation) and releases only in years of exceptional quality. Dal Forno’s Valpolicella, Amarone, and rare sweet passito wines are esteemed for their purity, concentration, and aging potential.