Sip Quips

Central Italy comprised the provinces of Tuscany, Umbria, Marche, Abruzzo, Lazio, and Molise, but for the sake of wine the star of the show in Central Italy is Tuscany with Abruzzo and Umbria singing backup. Tuscany has been synonymous with Italian wine exports since American Italian restaurants first stuck a candle in a Chianti bottle. 

While Chianti has changed significantly in both composition and reputation since those days, it is still the first Italian wine that comes to mind for most.   The vinoscape of Tuscany, while famed for Chianti, is also home to Brunello di Montalcino, Rosso di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and Rosso di Montepulciano as well as numerous other DOC regions that are not extensively exported. It is also home to the famous (or infamous, depending on who you ask) wines known as ‘Super Tuscans,’ but more on that later. 

Chianti laws have changed significantly in the last few decades, resulting in much higher quality wines. The primary grape (75-100%) of Chianti is Sangiovese with the remainder of the blend comprised of several red grapes that few outside of Italy are familiar with and possibly up to 10% white grapes (Trebbiano and Malvasia), although this tradition has fallen out of favor in recent years.Within the region of Chianti, lies the subregion of Chianti Classico, which is considered the historical heartland of the Chianti region. The blends of Chianti Classico will be basically the same, but Chianti Classico requires a minimum of 80% Sangiovese, rather than the 75% required in Chianti. 

The town of Montalcino, in Tuscany, is known for its pricey Brunello di Montalcino and slightly more affordable Rosso di Montalcino. Brunello is a clone of the Sangiovese grape, whose name translates to ‘little dark one.’ The wines are big, deep, intense reds with long-term aging potential, and some of the most expensive wines coming out of Italy. Rosso di Montalcino wines are essentially the same as Brunello di Montalcino, only not aged as long prior to release, only six months for a Rosso as opposed to the four years required for a Brunello. The result is the Rosso di Montalcinos are fresh, fruity and far simpler than their big brothers Brunello. 

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano (remember here that Montepulciano is the place name, not the grape name) is made from yet another clone of the Sangiovese grape referred to by its local name of Vino Nobile. The wines comparable to Brunello di Montalcino, but aged only two years, as opposed to the four required by the Brunello DOCG. So, basically what all of the hubbub in Montalcino and Montepulciano boils down to is this

Rosso di Montalcino – fresh, fruity Sangiovese clone. Aged only six months. Rather simple. Rather cheap

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano – more full-bodied and structured Sangiovese clone. Aged minimum two years. More complex. Still fairly affordable.

Brunello di Montalcino – most full-bodied and intense Sangiovese clone. Aged minimum four year. Very complex, long-term aging potential. Amongst Italy’s most expensive wines.

Outside of Tuscany, the wine production of Central Italy can be attributed mainly to Abruzzo and Umbria. Abruzzo is known for Trebbiano d’Abruzzo and the confusingly named Montepulciano d’Abruzzo (confusing because here Montepulciano is a grape, not a place as in Tuscany). Trebbiano d’Abruzzo is a fresh, simple white wine best served as an aperitif, or apertivo if you want to be Italian about it, or with simple fish dishes. Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is an affordable, widely available Italian red, that is still (thankfully) underrated. Look for the wines of Arboreto or Casal Thaulero. 

Though there is red wine produced there, Umbria is best known for its white wine Orvieto. I always think of Orvieto as a white for a red wine drinker as it has a mouthfeel more akin to a red wine than a white, but it has all of the fresh flavors of a white wine. It’s an outstanding accompaniment to all seafood, but I do love it with calamari.

Since Italy didn’t become a unified (and I do use that term loosely) country until the 1800s there is really very little unified about the wine, food, and local culture. For argument’s sake you can break Italy down into four geographic areas that are similar enough to draw a comparison rather than having to learn the ins and outs of all 20 provinces. 

Starting at the toe of the boot and working our way up you have Southern Italy, Central Italy, Northwestern Italy, and Northeastern Italy. Now I’m not trying to say that every province within these regions is exactly the same, I’m simply trying to break Italy into manageable chunks, draw some comparisons, and convey the differences in local food (and wine) culture. 

Southern Italy

Geographically, we are talking about the boot from about mid-shin down, and for simplicity, we’ll toss both islands of Sicily and Sardinia in here too. This region produces nearly half of the wine consumed in Italy, but most of this can be attributed to low-quality, high-quantity bulk wine. Very little of the massive wine production is fine wine, and very little of it is exported – with the Marsala of Sicily being the one notable exception.

The food and wine culture is far more Mediterranean than the rest of Italy, probably due in large part to the colonization of this area by both the Greeks and North African Muslims at different points in its history. Food and wine are ubiquitous and ever-present. None of the finest foods or the finest wines come from this region, leave that hype to others. When it comes to food and wine, it must be simple and delicious.

Central Italy

Central Italy encompasses the area from the curve of the calf on up, well, pretty much all the way up. Food and wine are serious business here, with the region accounting for about one-third of Italy’s wine exports, and all things alla fiorentina housed here. Chianti, arguably Italy’s most famous wine region, is situated in the heart of Tuscany alongside the Brunellos, Rossos and of Montalcino, Orvieto, Montepulciano D’Abruzzo. Basically, a good chunk of the Italian wine section of your local wine store comes from this region.

The food and wine culture here isn’t just big business, it’s also serious business at the dinner table. Florence is often touted as the birthplace of Italian cooking, at the dinner table of the Medici court. Here food and wine are painstakingly prepared to be their very best, and once you’ve tasted Bistecca alla Fiorentina, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, and Orvieto you’ll thank your lucky stars that the locals put so much stock in and take so much pride from their preparation. Read more about Central Italy.

Northeastern Italy

Some extraordinary, not to mention underrated, fine white wines come from this little crook of Italy, nestled between the foothills of the Alps and the Adriatic coast. This is the most technologically advanced and possibly least Italian (coincidence?) wine region in Italy.  

Most of the wines are fresh, bright, clean whites which pair beautifully with the local cuisine full of cream, risotto, potato dishes and polentas. The climate is quite cool, and the food shows a definite influence from nearby Germany and Hungary, so it is no wonder that white wine grapes would grow better (cool climate) and white wines would pair better with the food (germanic influences). Read more about Northeastern Italian wines. 

Northwestern Italy

This region is possibly the hardest to group together as one cohesive unit, because the provinces are rather divergent. The relative proximity to France, Monaco, Switzerland, and Germany change the local culture significantly. When it comes to wine – the best is in Piedmont. When it comes to food – the best is in Emilia Romagna. 

The consistent vein weaving through the local food and wine culture of this disparate region is richness. The food is laden with truffles, Parma ham, Parmesan Reggiano, cream, butter and the finest chocolate of Italy. The wine is equally rich with the Nebbiolo based wines of Barolo and Barbaresco, Dolcetto d’Alba and the creamy bubblies of Franciacorta. If you visit the Northwest of Italy, make sure to bring your walking shoes. You’ll need them to work off the rich delicacies which are too delicious not to indulge in. 

I think the single most perplexing thing about Italian wine is how it’s named. There is no consistency across the country let alone within regions. In Italy a wine can be named by the place the grapes were grown, eg Chianti;  a combination of the grape type and the region, eg Moscato d’Asti; the varietal if the wine is 100% one grape, eg Pinot Grigio; or a proprietary name like Ornellaia. So how do you ever know what you are getting in your bottle of Italian wine?

The short answer – you won’t, unless you learn a lot about Italian wines. The slightly longer answer – there are a few tricks that will help you to discern which type of label you are looking at, but without a baseline knowledge of Italian wines you won’t always be able to figure out what is in the bottle. Can you start to see why I have sort of left Italian wines as a delicious mystery?

Let’s take a look at the four different ways to name a wine, and I’ll share with you my cheats for remembering what I can about the convoluted Italian wine laws.

Place Name

Typically, if the place name is on a label it means that the wine is from a place of note, often a DOC or DOCG zone. In these instances you will find the words Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) or Denominazione di origine controllata e garantita (DOCG) on the label.

Now that you’ve figured out where the wine is from – what does that mean to you. Well, unfortunately not too much unless you learn what grapes are permissible in which regions, or unless you learn that you really like Orvieto, Valpolicella, or <insert you favorite wine region here> wines. The place name will simply tell you where the wine is from and what style it is made in. It’s up to you to do the leg work of tasting all the regions and figuring out which you like best.

In addition to the place name you may find a whole host of other terminology on the label, indicating the style of that DOC or DOCG zone. 

Classico – indicates that the wine is from the heart of that region

Secco - the wine is dry

Abbocato - a slightly sweet version

Recioto - made from semi-dry grapes, typically show concentrated, raisinated flavors

Riserva - the wine is aged longer

Superiore - higher alcohol (at least 1% higher than the norm), not an indication of superior quality

Frizzante - lightly sparkling

Spumante - sparkling

With a quick Italian lesson, you can actually learn more about the style of the wine from the DOC or DOCG name when it’s modified with these terms. There is a whole lot more Italian terminology on the labels, but little of it will tell you much about the wine, so we’ll stick with the short list for now. 

Combo Grape and Place Name

This label style give you a little more info, and is fairly easy to spot. It always comes in the format of grape name di place name. In the instance of a place name beginning with a vowel (which there seem to be an inordinate number of wine regions beginning with the letter ‘A’), the di is shortened to d’.

From these label types you learn the grape the wine is made from and the wine region of origin. So if you love Barbera, try both a Barbera d’Alba and a Barbera d’Asti and see which region you like better. 

There is one hiccup in this label type, and it is the bane of my organizational existence  - the Montepulciano wines. If you have been in an Italian wine aisle, you have no doubt seen Montepulciano on the occasional wine label, but is a grape name or a place name?

Well, the confusing answer is both!! In the case of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, the grape is Vino Nobile (a local name for Sangiovese) and the place is Montepulciano (a small town southeast of Florence). In the case of Montepulciano d’Abruzzi, the grape is Montepulciano (a spicy red grape grown throughout Italy) and the place is Abruzzi (a region on Italy’s Adriatic Coast). Confounded Italians!

Grape Names

Most of the wines labeled with only the name of the grape and the region come from the Trentino Alto-Adige and Fruili regions in the Northeast of Italy, and it’s rather easy to figure out what you are getting, as it is boldly stamped across the label. Here you find Pinot Grigio, Pinot Biano, Chardonnay and some Pinot Nero (aka Pinot Noir) labeled as such.

Proprietary Names

These are the wines that typically carry some of the heftiest price tags of the Italian wine market, and they also represent the producers that do not follow local tradition or local wine law. Often the bottles will be classified as Indicazione geographica tipica (IGT) wines, and often the wines will be labeled as Super Tuscans (read more about Super Tuscans here). The proprietary names include Ornellaia, Sassacaia, Tignanello, Luce, Serena, and Summus. 

These producers have carved out a name for themselves and feel that their proprietary name is all the marketing collateral they need. Proprietary wines are typically more ‘new world’ in style, meaning that they are very fruity, often tannic, and often pleasing to the American wine-drinker. Regularly the wines are made with non-traditional grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Sauvignon Blanc. Occasionally these wines will be blended with more traditionally Italian grape varieties, like Sangiovese. 

This covers the basics of Italian wine laws and labeling, but we have yet to really address any of the wines of Italy. Perhaps the convoluted nature of Italian wine is why I prefer to drink it rather than study it. 

Read more about Italy’s wine regions in part 3.

Over the last ten years Viognier has become more of a mainstream grape, leaving the relative anonymity of obscure French varietal and taking its place as a fashionable wine. 

For those of you not familiar with Viognier (VEE-ohn-yay), here’s a little more about this unique grape. Viognier is a white grape native to the Rhone Valley in Southern France. The wines are known for their floral, almost perfumed, aromas. For the most part Viogniers are meant to be drunk while they are young and fresh. These are not generally wines for the cellar. It is a fairly low acid wine so when it is good it’s full and soft on the palate, but when it’s bad it’s flat and flabby. One particularly unique tidbit about Viognier is that it is often blended into red wines to soften the wine, and add a pretty floral character.

As for regions Viognier is grown in the Rhone Valley of France, Central California, South America and Australia. Look to Australia for good value in Viognier. The wines are typically very tropical and floral. but beware they’re occassionally very low acid wines so you may encounter the flat and flabby wine when sipping down under. Yalumba ($9) makes a nice Viognier, d”Arenberg’s ‘The Hermit Crab” ($12) is a lovely Viognier blend, and most of the wines coming from the relatively cool Eden Valley are safe bets.

Domestically Pepperwod Grove ($8) makes a pretty Viognier which is relatively easy to find, as is Eberle ($18). Alban ($45) and Adelaida ($30) are both not as readily available, but well worth the search. for a stateside Viognier blend find a bottle of Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc Viognier blend ($12) – really floral with pineapple and melon fruit flavors.

If you want some of the prettiest examples of Viognier, and you don’t mind dropping a pretty penny look to the wines of Condrieu. Guigal ($50) makes a spectacular example, ripe with peach, melon and honeysuckle. For a little less coin the wines of Chateau Grillet are a nice alternative, or in the south of France the Coteaux du Languedoc Viognier from Laurent Miquel ($13).  

When pondering what to pair with your bottle of Viognier I would suggest a lemony roast chicken or anything with Herbes du Provence. It is a nice food wine, but lovely as an aperitif as well.

Last night we had a pretty little bottle of Bordeaux – a 2006 Chateau Rauzan Lafargue, Cotes de Bordeaux. It reminded me of how bored I’ve recently become with California Cabernet. I love CA Cabs for what they are, but I’m not always in the mood for a big jammy fruit bomb. Sometimes I want something a bit more restrained. Something that smells more like the school supplies aisle (think pencil shavings and erasers) than the produce aisle.

Many wine drinkers stray away from the Bordeaux appellation because the famed first growths have associated the region more with big money than with big value. But if you look at some of the second and third growths, or even the Cru Bourgeois wines, you can get all of the flavor for a fraction of the price.

If Bordeaux is your first foray into foreign Cabernet blends don’t expect the bright berry flavors of California Cabernet Sauvignons. The wines of Bordeaux tend to have a broader spectrum of flavors – showcasing licorice, leather, smoke, pepper, tobacco and a stemmy sort of fruit quality. These wines are definitely interesting. The kind of wines that you keep coming back to the glass and finding something else new and intriguing. This is not a wine you turn to on a night where you are drained and just want to chill in front of the tube and sip a glass of wine. This is a glass of wine that makes you think. At the very least you’ll think up bad puns about wine regions.

The reds of Bordeaux are typically a blend of mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc with small amounts of Malbec and Petite Verdot, which leads to the depth and richness of flavors. If you want a Cabernet Sauvignon dominate blend look for a bottle from the Medoc or Graves regions, aka left bank regions, as they are on the left bank of the Garrone. If you want a Merlot based blend look to the Saint Estephe, Paulliac and Margaux regions.

Look for a bottle of Bordeaux next time you are having a big juicy steak with some Pommes Dauphinoise (au gratin potatoes). When you are pairing with Bordeaux think rich, meaty and fatty flavors and you’ll be very happy.

For those of you not familiar with the Loire Valley this is definitely a region to check out. The Loire Valley whites are made from Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc, while Loire Valley reds are made from Cabernet Franc. Loire Valley, and Vouvray (a region within the Loire Valley) in particular, come to mind because of a pretty little wine that we had for dinner last night.

The wines of Vouvray are all white and made from Chenin Blanc. Your typical Vouvray is made in an off-dry (read – lightly sweet) style with a lovely honey and floral characteristic. These wines often age gracefully for years, and are reasonably priced so a good place to start looking for some older white wines.

The bottle that we had last night was a 1990 Aigle Blanc. Despite it being old enough to vote – the wine still was fresh and smelled of honeysuckle and apricots. This was one of those bottles that I played with the temperature of, serving it at nearly 60 degrees. The warm temperature really showed off the wine’s pretty nose, but it was still cool enough to be refreshing.

Now you may ask what kind of meal warrants a 1990 Vouvray – why grilled cheese and homemade tomato soup of course. Remember, the whites of Vouvray are typically reasonably priced, so you can often find older bottles on the cheap. As whites age they kind of soften up around the edges and lose the crisp focus of their youth. This makes for a nice compliment to a cozy meal like grilled cheese and tomato soup. With a comfy meal, you want a comfy wine. Don’t worry if you can’t find a bottle older than a seventh grader, a younger Vouvray would still give you that warm, fuzzy feeling you’re looking for. Regardless of the vintage pick up a bottle of Vouvray to try with your next comfort meal. Mac and Cheese anyone?

Last night we had a beautiful dinner – spaghetti, tomato ragu and a lovely bottle of Chianti. After dinner I sat sipping the last of my wine and nibbling on a little chocolate and thought about the food and wine of the old world. Man, do they have it easy.

In Europe there is no complicated method for devising great pairing, you simply eat the local food and drink the local wine and you have a simple, beautiful meal. The long culinary tradition of Europe means that centuries of cooks have been devising recipes to showcase the local wines. Basically, they did the hard work for you, and all you have to do is learn the local. If you are eating provencal cuisine look for a nice Cote du Provence, beef bourgogne drink a Burgundy, pasta all’arrabbiata of Abruzzo with a Montepulciano d’Abruzzo – you see the trend here. Let the local chefs do the hard work for you and you’ll never be disappointed.