Italian wines are hot. Everywhere I go I see more and more people ordering Italian wines. Italian wines can be difficult enough, let alone Italian grapes. So I thought this month I might give you a little cheat sheet you can use to better understand these wines. By the way, there are some good buys in Italian wines despite the Euro’s value.
Let’s start with the most popular Italian wines, what grapes they’re made from, and a little bit about their flavor:
1. Amarone (Ah ma RO nee) – a red wine, the wine has sweetness (residual sugar) in it and is made principally from the Corvina grape – think raisins 2. Barbaresco – the wine has ripe cherry flavors and is made from Nebbiolo (neb ē ō low) grapes 3. Barolo (ba rō lō) – more of the above from the same region of Italy, made with the same grape variety – Neb- biolo. “The wine of kings and king of wines” 4. Brunello di Montalcino (mahn tahl chee no) – rich cherry and iron flavors; it’s made with Sangiovese (san ge ō vā see) grapes 5. Chianti (kee ahn tee) – once thought of as cheap and simple, this wine has some great producers. It’s mostly Sangiovese grapes – cherries and a steely finish 6. Super Tuscano – This is an unofficial category of mostly red wines from all over Tuscany. Mostly they are international in style -- with Sangiovese, Cabernet and Merlot grapes in the mix. These are often more expensive wines and rightly so. 7. Franciacorta (fran cha cor tah) – typically a top-end sparkling wine. It’s made primarily with Chardonnay and Pinot Blanco with up to 15% Pinot Nero 8. Proseco (pro say co) – a sparkling wine priced around $20 a bottle and made from the Proseco grape. Generally lighter and more peachy than Champagne or Franciacorta 9. Orvieto – white, medium-bodied crisp apple flavors, made with Grechetto grapes in Umbria 10. Soave (so ah vae) – crisp white wine with pears and apple flavors. It is made mostly from Garganea grapes 11. Verdicchio (ver dee kay oh) – white wine, one of my favorites. It’s medium-bodied, crisp with a mineral flavor. It’s made from Verdicchio grapes 12. Gavi – This can be a very interesting white wine with honey, grapefruit, and flowers. It’s made with a high-acid grape called Cortese 13. Pino Grigio (pee noh Gree joe) – also known as Pinot Gris. These are light-bodied wines, very dry and crisp. The grape is Pinot Gris (duh) 14. Moscato d’Asti (mo scah toh DAHS tee) – Last, but now least, this is a dessert-style sparkling wine. It’s refresh- ing and light with lots of floral flavors. The grape is Moscato
So these are the basics and should help you on Italian wine selections. I saw a quote from Emma Thompson I really like and thought I’d share it with you:
“I can live without jewels, lovely clothes, and even tea but if I were to never have wine again, it would be like losing part of my soul.”