Book excerpt: Michael Garner's Amarone and the fine wines of Verona is the first book to focus on the third of the triumvirate of great Italian reds: amarone. Garner describes the astonishing growth of amarone's popularity during the last twenty years and its rise from a wine that first appeared in the 1950s to its role today as ambassador for the fine wines of Italy.To understand amarone properly the wine needs to be seen in its true context, that is within the hierarchy of the wines of Verona, which have a history of production and consumption dating back to pre-Roman times. The other wines of Verona are no less well-known if not necessarily held in such great esteem: soave and valpolicella have been among post-war Italy's top selling wines. They too are wines with a massive following.Michael Garner's Amarone and the fine wines of Verona is a sure-footed guide to all aspects of Veronese wine production, examining the history of the wines and geography of the region as well as viticulture, climate, grape varieties, wine styles and appassimento. Amarone and the fine wines of Verona concludes with profiles of all the region's important producers, including assessments of their wines.