This textual content is excerpted from the “101 Points We Love About Italy” cowl story throughout the April 30, 2022, concern of Wine Spectator.
The choice of la dolce vita brings hundreds and hundreds of vacation makers to Italy yearly, capable of uncover the nation’s rich paintings and historic previous, the thriving wine and meals custom, beautiful environment and further. Having enjoyable with Italy is as rather a lot regarding the broad, bucket guidelines objects (glimpsing Venice on the horizon as you velocity all through the lagoon from the airport) as it is the smaller particulars (having enjoyable with the hustlebustle of Rome’s Campo de’ Fiori with its stacks of current produce and flowers).
One of many important and delicious parts of Italy to search out is its wine, which begins with the assorted distinctive grape varieties planted all by means of the nation. Beneath, our editors spotlight just a few of their favorites, with particulars on their ideally suited meals pairings, important variations and further.
White
Carricante
A high-acidity white choice native to Sicily, Carricante is grown just about fully on the slopes of Mount Etna, with marked curiosity from native producers resulting in a significant uptick in plantings so far 5 years.
—Alison Napjus
PAIRINGS:
Fish, Poultry, Cheese
STYLE:
Stainless-steel vinification and rising older results in vibrant and tangy expressions, normally displaying inexperienced apple and crunchy peach fruit. Partial malolactic fermentation and/or oak rising older add weight and a creamier differ of poached fruit, honey and herb notes. A lemon curd backbone of acidity and a salty mineral tang are frequent, and with age, the right variations are akin to aged Riesling or Chablis.
DECODING THE LABEL:
Seek for the Etna designation (the overwhelming majority of bottlings), whereas a handful of wines are labeled beneath the larger Terre Siciliane or Sicilia designations.
TRY:
Cortese
The Cortese grape is current in parts of Lombardy and southeast Piedmont, nonetheless is primarily associated to the Gavi space of Piedmont. There, it makes crisp wines with flavors of apple, citrus and almond. Its bracing acidity and saline aftertaste make it food-friendly.
—Bruce Sanderson
PAIRINGS:
Fish, Poultry, Inexperienced Greens
TRY:
Fiano
From modern-day Campania, believed to be the vary used to provide Apianum, a wine much-loved by the normal Romans.
STYLE: Fleshy apricot and peach fruit is underscored by stony minerality and citrusy acidity; richer variations with age or some oak have an effect on are honeyed and creamy.
TRY: San Salvatore Fiano Paestum Trentenare 2019 (90, $30)
Friulano
Beforehand usually referred to as Tocai Friulano, that’s the flagship white of the Friuli–Venezia-Giulia space, home to half of the nation’s plantings.
—Kristen Bieler
PAIRINGS:
Fish, Poultry, Inexperienced Greens
STYLE:
“Vigorous, pure and fruity, with a creamy texture,” describes Laura Felluga of Friulano champion Livio Felluga, “distinguished by minerality and hint of almond.” Her wonderful pairing: “San Daniele prosciutto along with frico, pan-fried cheese and potato cake, in our rural customized.”
LABEL DECODER:
Friuli’s prime DOC areas are Collio and Colli Orientali del Friuli, which border Slovenia. Seek for good price amongst the Fruili Grave and Friuli Isonzo DOCs.
TRY:
Garganega
Though few know this grape by title, many are accustomed to the white wine it most famously produces: Soave, which hails from volcanic hillsides throughout the northern Veneto space. This comparatively small area (roughly 10,000 acres of vines) has come into its private so far decade or two, with top quality bottlings from fairly just a few producers that present current and generally superior whites. Among the finest examples, labeled Classico, provide current citrus, honeyed stone fruit and melon, with racy cores of salty minerals.
—Okay.B.
PAIRINGS:
Fish, Poultry, Inexperienced Greens
TRY:
Pinot Grigio
Italy’s most usually planted white grape, Pinot Grigio, is a favorite in america, the place customers purchased better than 10.5 million circumstances in 2020, in keeping with Have an effect on Databank. In distinction with its French counterpart, Pinot Gris, Italy’s variations are basic crisper, with a additional linear focus.
—A.N.
PAIRINGS:
Fish, Poultry, Inexperienced Greens
REGIONS TO KNOW:
Delle Venezie: Among the finest of these low-cost wines are light-bodied, with tangy fruit notes.
TRY: Zenato Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie 2020 (85, $15)
Alto Adige: Lithe and racy, displaying good stone and citrus fruit expression, along with mineral notes.
TRY: Elena Walch Pinot Grigio Alto Adige 2020 (90, $18)
Friuli–Venezia-Giulia: Mineral-driven, usually with a little bit of bit additional physique and a tighter-knit building; prime bottlings are cellar-worthy.
TRY: Jermann Pinot Grigio Friuli 2019 (91, $30)
Timorasso
This native choice rivaled Cortese as in all probability essentially the most prolific white grape in Piedmont throughout the nineteenth century. It fell out of favor on account of inconsistent manufacturing and because it was troublesome to farm. It was all nonetheless forgotten until the late Nineteen Eighties when vintner Walter Massa launched it once more from the brink of extinction throughout the Colli Tortonesi space of Piedmont. Completely different native producers joined Massa, and in current instances a few well-known Barolo producers have launched even bigger consideration to the world.
—B.S.
PAIRINGS:
Salumi, Pork, Cheese
STYLE:
Timorasso expressions differ from crisp, with floral and citrus aromas, to full-bodied and verging on oily, with petrol, pine, honey and baked apple flavors. Normally, they’ve a saline, mineral issue, and with age will likely be paying homage to Alsace Riesling, with honey, quince paste, beeswax, lanolin, smoke and stony notes.
TRY:
Trebbiano
This family of white grapes is definitely one in all Italy’s most planted. Although historically mass-produced and relegated to undistinguished bottlings, the vary is ready to greatness when grown within the becoming terroirs and throughout the arms of thoughtful winemakers.
—Okay.B.
PAIRINGS:
Fish, Salumi, Inexperienced Greens
TREBBIANOS TO KNOW:
Trebbiano Spoletino: This up-and-coming Umbria native can current spectacular focus to its floral, citrus and spice flavors.
TRY: Bocale Trebbiano Spoletino Spoleto 2019 (90, $20)
Trebbiano d’Abruzzo: Inexperienced apple and zesty grapefruit mark this mannequin indigenous to Abruzzo.
TRY: Masciarelli Trebbiano d’Abruzzo 2020 (87, $14)
Trebbiano Toscana: Known as Ugni Blanc in France, the right expressions of this workhorse grape are current, zippy and citrus-driven.
TRY: Antinori Toscana White Villa Antinori 2020 (88, $14)
Trebbiano di Lugana: From the small space straddling Lombardy and Veneto, the native alias Turbiana presents vibrant floral and citrus character.
TRY: Zenato Lugana San Benedetto 2020 (88, $15)
Trebbiano di Soave: Grown primarily in Lombardy and Veneto, that is a similar to Verdicchio, with hallmark flavors of peach, honey, melon and bitter almond.
TRY: Suavia Trebbiano Veronese Massifitti 2018 (91, $30)
Vermentino
The signature white grape on the island of Sardinia, Vermentino will also be produced alongside Italy’s western seaboard and in central Italy. The wines are generally barely fleshy, with a spine of citrusy acidity and a minerally streak of salinity.
—A.N.
PAIRINGS:
Fish, Shellfish, Basil
REGIONS TO KNOW:
Liguria: Colli di Luni, Riviera Ligure di Ponente
Sardinia: Vermentino di Gallura, Vermentino di Sardegna, Isola dei Nuraghi
Tuscany: Bolgheri, Toscana, Maremma Toscana, Colli di Luni
Umbria: Torgiano
Purple
Aglianico
This distinctive crimson is grown all by means of southern Italy nonetheless is best-known from the Campania and Basilicata areas. Structured by company tannins, the wines current darkish berry and cherry fruit with an pure overtone. It’s ageable and capable of expressing terroir.
—A.N.
PAIRINGS:
Beef, Rabbit, Mushrooms
REGIONS TO KNOW:
Campania: Taurasi, Aglianico del Taburno, Irpinia
Basilicata: Aglianico del Vulture
Puglia: Castel del Monte
Try:
Barbera
Planted all through Italy, Barbera reaches its peak expression in Piedmont, the place it ranges in trend from elegant and racy, with pure fruit, to richly textured, darkish fruit-flavored selections wrapped in spicy new oak. Its naturally extreme acidity and low tannins make it appropriate with a ramification of cuisines (notably tomato-based sauces), however oakier sorts pair best with grilled or roasted crimson meats. Normally used as a mixing grape in Piedmont, Emilia-Romagna and Lombardy, the vary will likely be compelling by itself, and its attractive prices make it a powerful totally different to Piedmont’s pricier, Nebbiolo-based reds.
—B.S.
PAIRINGS:
Poultry, Salumi, Tomato/Sauce
REGIONS TO KNOW:
Emilia-Romagna: Emilia; Gutturnio
Lombardy: Oltrepò Pavese
Piedmont: Nizza; Barbera d’Asti; Barbera d’Alba; Monferrato
Corvina
This crimson grape is grown just about fully all through the Valpolicella area of the Veneto space.
—Okay.B.
PAIRINGS:
Beef, Mushrooms, Pizza
STYLE:
Black cherry, herb and mineral notes are frequent descriptors for Corvina, nonetheless they’re crafted in 4 completely totally different iterations.
Valpolicellas are crisp and fruit-forward.
Superiores, aged for as a minimum a yr, have additional depth of style and medium-bodied weight.
Amarones, made with dried grapes, are full-bodied, traditionally dense and just about Port-like. They’re discovering additional freshness and equilibrium amongst trendy vintners.
Ripassos, which incorporate partially dried grape skins, are richer and medium- to full-bodied, with plush nonetheless dense tannins.
TRY:
Nebbiolo
Nebbiolo is ideally suited to the limestone, clay and sand of the Langhe area. It is answerable for Barolo and Barbaresco, along with wines from totally different Piedmont appellations. As of 2010, 13,674 acres of the vary had been planted in Piedmont.
—B.S.
PAIRINGS:
Beef, Mushrooms, Sport Birds
REGIONS TO KNOW:
Barolo and Barbaresco: Nebbiolo at its best, with wines capable of rising older for a few years.
TRY:
Gattinara: Focused, minerally Nebbiolos from volcanic soils.
TRY: Antoniolo Gattinara Riserva 2016 (93, $51)
Nebbiolo Langhe: An incredible introduction to Nebbiolo from reliable producers.
TRY: Sottimano Nebbiolo Langhe 2019 (91, $28)
Nerello Mascalese
A late-ripening choice, Nerello Mascalese is almost synonymous with Sicily’s Mount Etna, thriving on the variegated volcanic soils in vineyards at elevations rising to about 3,300 ft.
—A.N.
PAIRINGS:
Poultry, Tomato/Sauce, Eggplant
STYLE:
Black and crimson cherry fruit presents as ripe, dried and/or flippantly bitter and macerated in these light- to medium-bodied reds framed by taut tannins. Anticipate a streak of pronounced minerality, which shows the terroir of a specific web page, along with delicate herb, spice and citrus notes.
DECODING THE LABEL:
The wines are just about solely bottled beneath the Etna designation (with out the grape title on the doorway label), although some examples are found from the larger Terre Siciliane or Sicilia areas. Seek for cru (contrada) variations naming the contrada, equal to Feudo di Mezzo.
TRY:
Nero D’Avola
That’s the king of grapes in Sicily, the place better than 97% of the world’s plantings of it reside, totaling roughly a fifth of the island’s vineyards.
—A.N.
PAIRINGS:
Beef, Lamb, Tomato/Sauce
STYLE:
From spherical and easy-drinking to vibrant and classy. Nero d’Avola wines will likely be cellar-worthy, counting on native circumstances and winemaking methods, which might embrace oak. Each means, depend on black cherry and plum fruit, with pure overtones, good acidity and spherical nonetheless dense tannins.
LOOK FOR:
Single-variety variations from the Terre Siciliane and Sicilia appellations. When blended, fine quality examples emerge from Cerasuolo di Vittoria, Noto, Contea di Sclafani and Contessa Entellina.
TRY:
Sagrantino
Grown just about fully in and throughout the tiny, hilltop metropolis of Montefalco, in Umbria, for tons of of years.
STYLE: Extraordinarily tannic and deeply-hued crimson, with dense, sturdy building wrapped in darkish berry and cherry fruit and appreciable herb character.
TRY: Arnaldo Caprai Montefalco Sagrantino Collepiano 2016 (93, $50)
Sangiovese
Primarily essentially the most extensively planted grape in Italy, Sangiovese represents about 10% of the nation’s vineyards. Though synonymous with Tuscany, it is grown all by means of the nation from north to south. In Tuscany, Sangiovese is the underside for wines equal to Chianti Classico, Chianti, Montepulciano and Montalcino, representing a minimal of 70% to 100% of the cuvée. It’s normally blended with Bordeaux varieties in large Tuscans, nevertheless it sometimes stands by itself.
—B.S.
PAIRINGS:
Beef, Pork, Tomato/Sauce
REGIONS TO KNOW:
Montalcino: Delivers pure expressions of Sangiovese; full-bodied, with rich tannins.
TRY: Caparzo Brunello di Montalcino 2016 (96, $49)
Emilia-Romagna: Sangiovese with aromas and flavors identical to its Tuscan cousins—cherry, plum and wild herbs—in a lighter, sometimes rustic trend that hardly exceeds medium-bodied.
TRY: Umberto Cesari Sangiovese Romagna Riserva 2017 (89, $22)
Chianti Classico: Primarily essentially the most vibrant and sometimes austere expression of Sangiovese, offering up cherry and strawberry fruit flavors.
TRY: Castellare di Castellina Chianti Classico 2019 (92, $25)