6 Misunderstood Italian Wines

Aglianico, Verdicchio, Asti, Nero d'Avola, Soave, Lambrosco

Rethink Italian Wines

Italy produces more wine than any other country in the world, with over 350 officially recognized grapes and over 500 indigenous grapes, which makes it easy to see why people get a little overwhelmed. So, people stick to what they know: Chianti, Pinot Grigio, Prosecco, and maybe Barolo, because someone told them it was good and they're feeling adventurous. And, those are all great wines… they're just so many more to consider. I've said it over and over: I love Italian wine because it is versatile, food-friendly, and generally low in alcohol (that varies by variety). There's also the problem that, somehow, some Italian wines have an undeserved bad reputation. So, I'm here to set the record straight or straighter. Here are 6 maligned Italian wines (through no fault of their own) that you should reverse course on.

Lambrusco:

Most people think Lambrusco is sweet, syrupy, and slightly fizzy. Okay, this misconception is sort of understandable. During the 1970's and 80's, the export market flooded the world with cheap, sweetened versions of Lambrusco.

But Lambrusco today (the stuff consumed in Emilia-Romagna) is completely different. It's dry or just barely off-dry, lightly sparkling, refreshing, and spectacularly food-friendly. The slight fizz cuts through rich, fatty foods (it's made to pair with prosciutto and Parmigiano-Reggiano, after all), and it's best served with a slight chill. I love it as an after-dinner drink… It's the perfect complement after finishing a meat-laden or rich pasta meal. 

The trick is to look for "secco" (dry) on the label. It may become your new replacement for rose.

Soave:

Again, this is a wine that suffers from a bad rep due to poor-quality wine saturating the export market in the 1970's and 80's. Soave from that period resembled flavored water.

Today's Soave (Italian for smooth) is anything but. Crisp, dry with notes of citrus, ripe pear, apple, and slightly bitter almond is a welcome change from the ubiquitous Chardonnays and a lot easier to pair with food. It's also a price performer where a nice bottle can be had for $13.00

Verdicchio:

If you were around in the 1960's and 70's, you may remember seeing green wine bottles shaped like fish. That was the popular vessel for Verdicchio, a white wine from Italy's Le Marche region on the Adriatic coast. Just like so many Italian white wines from that era, it was simple, unmemorable, and the bottle was the only thing remarkable about it. 

But Verdicchio producers took note, and now Verdicchio is one of Italy's most versatile and age-worthy wines, pairing with everything from shellfish to roast chicken.

Verdicchio combines citrus, herbs, and a slightly nutty, almond-like quality into a truly unforgettable glass of wine. Verdicchio's best versions come from Le Marche's Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classic region and, like so many other Italian wines, are extremely affordable.

Asti Spumante; now Asti:

Asti Spumante, or Asti, is a sweet, slightly sparkling wine from the Piedmont region of Italy. Made from the Moscato Bianco (Muscat) grape, it was exceptionally popular after World War II until the 1970s,  when people realized just how sweet and cloying it was. Its loss of popularity, while not nose-diving, definitely reflected people's changing tastes.

Today's Asti (Spumante was dropped along the way) is much drier, which wine drinkers find a bit more appealing. It's actually a very lovely wine when served with the right food. It's light, frizzante (think of it as Champagne on training wheels and a lot sweeter), making it a perfect after-dinner drink or an aperitif. This wine is an excellent price performer.

Nero d'Avola:

Everyone knows about Italian reds from Tuscany and Piedmont, but Sicily's Nero d'Avola rarely gets the attention it deserves. Maybe it's the unfamiliar name (it translates to "black of Avola," referring to the grape's color and the town where it likely originated). Maybe the dark, inky color is intimidating.

Whatever the reason, it's a shame, because Nero d'Avola is exactly what you want in a red wine: dark fruit, some spice, enough body to handle grilled meats, and prices that won't break the bank. If you are a big Syrah, Shiraz, or Malbec drinker, you're going to like Nero d'Avola.

Aglianico

Aglianico (pronounced ahl-YAH-nee-koh) should have an inferiority complex; tarred with the same brush as a lot of Italian red wines, it's deemed too tannic, too alcoholic, and just too big (as if there were such a thing). Aglianico is one of my favorite wines. It's not called the Barolo of the South for nothing.

Grown primarily in Southern Italy, in the Campania and Basilicata regions, Aglianico is a red wine that, admittedly, has great body with pronounced tannins; earthy, with notes of black fruit, dried figs, and leather, to name a few, it's a delicious, complex wine. Pair the wine with BBQ, game, pasta like lasagna with a rich meat sauce, or grilled Portobello mushrooms, you'll have achieved nirvana. And, as a rule, Aglianico is 1/3 less expensive than Barolo. Or, to put it another way, a $40.00 bottle of Aglianico is comparable to a $60.00 bottle of Barolo.

All of these wines, if you're in the United States, are available either in person or online at Total Wine. Or check out your local wine stores, many stores now carry these wines.

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