The Mystery That is Italian Wines

To me, there is little in the world of wine that is anywhere near as confusing as Italian wines. With well into four figures of grape varieties that are used in the country, the confusion of IGT, DO, DOC, and DOCG, and then concept of the Super-Tuscan, often the most highly sought after of all despite not having a denomination of origin, how do you go into a store and buy a bottle of Italian wine that you know nothing about?

It's not easy. And, I am not going to purport here that I am going to solve that for you in a few paragraphs. In fact, I'm likely not going to solve it for you ever.

For me, knowing how to buy other than extraordinary (I know those by the name and vintage) Italian wines is more about knowing geography and climate than anything else. The wines of the Piemonte have a style with the reds being big and broody, often not approachable young, but incredibly ageworthy. In particular, this applies to Barolo and Barbaresco, but can apply to others as well. The whites, however, often from Alto Adige, are much fruitier.

In Valpolicella, you get the red wines that are heavy in Corvina and Corvinone, many of which are made in the apassimento style. Those, of course, are somewhat raisiny and also ageworthy. And, then there are the wines from the Montalcino area, Brunello being at the top of the list, of course.

Outside of the Piemonte, though, among the red grapes, Sangiovese is king. And, one of te really great things about Sangiovese is how food friendly it is. In fact, it even pairs well with white meat based foods like chicken and even fish. Just add in some Italian seasonings and you're good to go.

All that said, though, it's still not easy. Perhaps, however, it's easier to know the roots of food. When I think pizza, I think Naples and Sicily. You want to pair with Neapolitan or Sicilian food, find a wine from Naples or Sicily. If you were with me 2 or 3 months ago, you might recall that I thought and still think that nothing pairs with a traditional pizza better than Nerello Mascallese, but it's not easy to find.

Ultimately, Italian wines are still tough, but what makes them appealing is that for the most part, they do go with food and they are easy to drink.

So, don't sweat it; just drink it.

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