Italy is a country famed for its incredible wines. Think of the rolling green hills of Tuscany and the rich earth surrounding the south’s many volcanoes, and it’s easy to see why Italy’s vineyards produce such an amazingly rich variety of classic reds and whites.
With perfect pairings for every type of meal, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer choice of Italian wines available. To help you pick the best, we’ve compiled a beginner’s guide to Italian wines.
White Wines for All Occasions
Long overshadowed by their more famous red equivalents, Italian white wines are now growing in popularity and quality, according to Forbes.
If you’re looking for an ‘everyday’ white wine, then you could choose either a Sauve from the Veneto region of Italy or an Orvieto from Umbria. Sauve is made from the Garganega grape and is light, rich and fruity, while the Orvieto is crisp and refreshing, making it an ideal choice served chilled on the hottest summer evenings.
For a special occasion, you can’t go far wrong with Franciacorta. This sparkling wine from Lombardia has all the style and intensity of Champagne, but with a smaller price tag. A high-quality Pinot Grigio can also tick all the boxes. A wine such as the Goretti I.G.P. can be found on the menus of top restaurants such as http://www.forno500.ie/, an authentic Italian restaurant in Dublin.
Red Wines for All Occasions
For something to open with dinner tonight, a dry Lambrusco from the Emilia Romagna region of Italy is a superb choice. These wines have a pleasantly bitter taste on the palate and just a hint of fizz, making them easy to pair with all sorts of pizza, pasta and meat dishes. You could also consider a Gattinara from the Piedmont area; they’re mature and incredibly warming, the ideal partner for hearty stews and roasts.
For something a little special, choose either an Amarone from the Veneto region or a Barolo. The former is dazzlingly deep and concentrated and sure to wow fellow diners, while the Barolo is often called the ‘King of Reds’. A well-aged bottle of Barolo is one of the greatest pleasures in life, so whether you crack it open for a special occasion or save it for many years to come, this is a wise investment for any connoisseur.
Choosing a glass for prosecco and other sparkling wines
Italy’s best known sparkling wine, prosecco, is usually poured into a tall flute, but not everyone in the wine trade agrees that this is the best choice. A flute keeps the bubbles lively for longer and looks elegant, yet its narrow shape makes it very hard to smell the wine, and aroma is a large part of how we taste.
A glass with a wider bowl lets the bubbles fade a little faster but gives you a much better sense of the wine’s flavour and scent. A wider style of flute is a good compromise, and an ordinary white wine glass works just as well.
When it comes to buying, the most important thing is choosing wines you enjoy. Expert recommendations are helpful when you are starting out, and a mixed case is an easy way to try several bottles you might not otherwise pick, whether still or sparkling. In the end, both the wine and the glass come down to personal preference.
Tasting terms that help you choose
Understanding a few basics makes Italian wine far easier to choose. The main difference between red and white comes from the grape skins and the tannin they contain. Tannin is a naturally bitter substance, also found in tea, and it passes into the wine when the skins are left in the juice during fermentation. That is what gives red wine its colour, its slightly bitter edge and its thicker texture. The darker the wine, the more tannin it tends to have, which is why reds such as Sangiovese and Barbera are not served chilled, as cold makes tannins taste harsher.
White wines spend little or no time on the skins, so they have almost no tannin and are more acidic and crisp. Pinot Grigio is a familiar example. Rosé has brief contact with red grape skins but sits closer to white.
When ordering, think about four things: sweetness, from dry to sweet; acidity, which makes whites refreshing; tannin, from smooth to grippy; and body, how heavy the wine feels in your mouth.