Wine of the week: An Amarone to cuddle up with

2009 Taste the Difference Amarone, Veneto, Italy (£15.89, Sainsbury's).

When I host my Quintessentially wine masterclasses and other events, the most mentioned style of big red wine that keen wine lovers seem to adore is Amarone. This style hails from the Veneto region of northern Italy and it involves partially drying bunches of grapes in order to evaporate water (often 40% of the weight of the bunch) and increase sugar. This results in a strong, lusty, often high alcohol red wine with a touch of sweetness lurking on the finish heaven.

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I am ultra-fussy when it comes to this noble creation and I tend to stick to a very short list of trusted wineries, so I was shocked to find this exceptional version on the high street. Made by expert co-op Valpantena, this is a superbly flashy wine and it is much richer and more brooding than the competition. In these cold winter months, this is the red to cuddle up on the sofa with!

Matthew Jukes is a winner of the International Wine & Spirit Competition's Communicator of the Year (www.matthewjukes.com).

Matthew Jukes has been the MoneyWeek wine correspondent since 2006.

He has worked in the UK wine business for well over three decades and during this time has written 14 wine books. His four highly-acclaimed, annual wine reports – the Burgundy En Primeur Report, the Bordeaux En Primeur Report, the Piemonte Report and the 100 Best Australian Wines – are published on his website.

Matthew is a winner of the International Wine and Spirit Competition's Communicator of the Year Trophy. His thoughts, recommendations and tastings notes are followed very closely by the wine world at large.