If you take the road from Verona and head north-west towards Lake Garda you'll come to the Valpolicella. It's a name that's known to wine-drinkers all over the world, but people with a long memory will have different expectations from those who are coming to its wines fresh. Thirty tears ago the Valpolicella was an area whose production was geared more to quantity than quality, although there were as ever notable exceptions. Today that history is all but forgotten, as once again good wines are being made here.

It has a micro-climate of its own: placed as it is at the foothills of the Dolomite Alps, the prevailing winds that surge northwards up the Adriatic curl around and through the Valpolicella, forced to turn by the mountains. This has the effect of dispersing the mists that are prevalent in the northern Italian plains as well as keeping frosts at bay. These mists that close airports frequently in the winter, also have their effect on how the grapes are grown here. The traditional 'pergola Veronese' can be seen in the vineyards in the area. The vines are trained first upwards and then outwards to meet the leaders of the vines in the parallel rows, forming a canopy. This ensures that the bunches of mature grapes are kept high enough above the ground to escape the low mists that can encourage mould and rot.

The predominant grape variety in the Valpolicella is the Corvina, which is used for the Valpolicella DOC, Amarone and Recioto. Traditionally, as in many parts of Italy, the wines of this region tended to be sweeter than we would drink today. It's been suggested that when sugar was a great deal rarer in our diet, sweet wines were appreciated for their sugar content. But today the wines are dry, although the semi-sweet recioto is much appreciated locally. Since Roman times the wines in this area have been made by a system the Italians call 'appassimento', which means a portion of the grapes are dried, losing up to 40% of their moisture content, before they're pressed and added to the newly fermented wine. This starts secondary fermentation.

What put the area back on the wine map was the emergence in the 1950s of Amarone. The name in Italian means 'bitter' and it was applied to a recioto wine in which all the sugar was fermented out, leaving it bone dry. Because the must for Amarone contains so much sugar, the final alcoholic content of the wine is very high - never less than 14% and sometimes as much as 16% by volume. The system of a second fermentation late in the year when it's cold, ensures a complex and well-structured wine.

In the north-west of the Valpolicella is the Possesione Serego Alighieri. It was bought in 1353 by Pietro, son of the poet Dante, and it's been in the family since. The grapes of the estate are vinified by the adjoining Masi winery, but the ageing and the appassimento take place on the estate, which also makes grappa, balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

Wine of the Week

Serego Alighieri Valpolicella 1998

A soft, supple and complex wine that I tasted alongside some venerable and expensive Amarones. It held its own surprisingly well in exalted company.

RRP £9.99. Available The Grapevine, Redmonds, O'Briens, Cooney's and Higgins off-licenses.