Sip Quips

If you’ve been reading my series on Italian wines, you’ve no doubt heard several mentions of Super Tuscans. While it would be a great name for an Italian crime fighting team (or super villain, I can’t decide), the Super Tuscans actually refer to a group of producers in Tuscany who balked at the archaic labeling laws and extreme restrictions imposed by these laws, and made exceptional wines from non-traditional grapes, like Cabernet Sauvignon, and sold these high-quality wines as Vino da Tavola for astronomical sums of money.

The laws, at the time, allowed for only traditional Italian grape varieties, required that the grapes be blended (so no 100% varietal wines, all wines were sold as regional blends), and  aging in French oak barrels was frowned upon. Several Tuscan winemakers thought that these restrictions were forcing them to make inferior quality wines, so rather than make wines they didn’t believe in and sell them with the ‘esteemed’ DOC label, they made the wines that they wanted to and sold them as Vino da Tavola, a classification usually reserved for the everyday wine sold in large quantities. These wines quickly gained notoriety, and soon became ultra-pricey, ultra-premium and highly sought after. 

The social revolution spurred the wine regulators to look at the laws in place and investigate whether traditional methods were the best, or whether it was time for reformation. It took a few decades, but finally the rules loosened to accommodate this new style of wine and elevated the Super Tuscans through the ranks of IGT, DOC, and finally DOCG. I guess social revolution really can cause governmental change.

Northeastern Italy encompasses the provinces of Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, an Trentino-Alto Adige, and as I said earlier the wines are the least ‘Italian’ in style and the winemaking is the most technologically advanced. The close proximity to Austria and Germany strongly influences the food and wine culture, label style, wine technology, and well, pretty much everything about this Italian wine region.

Many of the wines coming from this area are white, but there is a good bit of red produced here as well. The foods of this area are a far cry from the red-sauce intensive menus of American Italian restaurants, so the wines are also a far cry from the bright, tart reds coming from further south. The best known exports from this neck of Italy include Prosecco, Valpolicella, Soave, and the Pinot Grigios coming from Fruili. For me these are the diamonds in the rough of the Italian wine market – the whites are bright and fruity – an unusual trait for Italian white wines, and the reds are fragrant and fruity. 

Prosecco has quickly become the recognizable name in Italian sparkling wine since Asti Spumante has fallen off the proverbial map. Popular not only as a crisp and appley bubbly in its own right, Prosecco is the key ingredient a Bellini, the cocktail made famous at Harry’s Bar in Venice. Prosecco is a wonderfully bright alternative to Champagne, and for the price of one bottle of good Champagne you can buy three or four bottles of Prosecco. Not a bad deal at all, if you ask me. 

Valpolicella is the red wine coming out of Northeastern Italy, Veneto specifically. If Orvieto is a red-wine drinkers white, then Valpolicella is a white-wine drinkers red. The tannins are almost imperceptibly soft, and the blend of Molinara, Corvina, and Rondinella produce a bright and cherry-scented, highly-quaffable red.

Also coming from Veneto and from the same trilogy of grapes (Molinara, Rondinella, and Corvina) are the wines of Amarone. The soft, sexy wines of Amarone are made from grapes that are allowed to dry out and raisinate.  The resulting wine has a texture unlike any other – smooth and velvety, and the flavors are concentrated and a little raisinated in their own right. Try Amarone with game meats, fruit sauces, soft cheeses, or as an after-dinner alternative to Port. 

Soave is and always will be my wine pairing for mussels. The blend of Trebbiano and Garganega (go ahead, say it, Garganega – fun isn’t it?) makes for a lovely companion to shellfish. Soave is a dry-white with a lemony, mineral quality. If you are going to try a bottle of Soave, I would skip over the end-cap of Bolla, and look for a bottle of Soave Classico. Believe me, the extra money you shell out comes back four-fold in flavor. 

As for the Pinot Grigio and other whites from Northeastern Italy, there is more to this region (thankfully) than Santa Margarita Pinot Grigio. I was so underwhelmed by Santa Margarita when I first had it that I discounted all Pinot Grigio for far too long. Good Pinot Grigio is fresh and clean, and a surprisingly good value. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for Santa Margarita Pinot Grigio, which I find thin, watery, uninspired and blah.

The wines of Fruili and Alto Adige are often labeled by grape variety rather than region, as is the custom in the rest of the Northeast of Italy. Additionally, the wines of Alto Adige are often label in Italian and German, or occasionally just German. I love the wines from this area – you get the heart of an Italian winemaker with the precision of a German manufacturer – consistent, high-quality, and absolutely delicious. 

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.

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.

It used to be that you couldn’t go into a liquor store without seeing at least a few bottles of Asti Spumante, but any more it is nearly impossible to find. These days if you are looking for an Italian sparkling wine chances are you will end up with a Prosecco, or perhaps a Franciacorta, but try as you might you’ll be hard pressed to find an Asti Spumante. You may see Moscato d’Asti, Barbera d’Asti, or even just Asti, but whatever happened to Spumante?

Well, there is still sparkling wine coming from the Asti region of Italy, but these days you will predominateyl find Asti and Moscato d’Asti. The term ’spumante’ means foaming in Italian, and refers to wines that are fully sparkling, rather than the ‘frizzante’ wines, which are only lightly carbonated. Wines labeled simply ‘Asti’ are today’s equivalent of the Asti Spumante that you used to see on the shelves, fully carbonated sparkling wines made from the Moscato grape. The wines labeled as ‘Moscato d’Asti’ are lightly sparkling wines, or frizzante, and are also made from the Moscato grape. Moscato d’Asti wines tend to be lower in alcohol and slightly sweeter than Asti.

As of 1995 the sparkling, or spumante, wines of Asti were elevated to the highest quality ranking of Italian wines, the DOCG. Once the wines received this acclaim, many producers dropped the term spumante from the label, because of the long standing associations with inexpensive sparkling wine (i.e. Martini & Rossi Asti Spumante). These days you rarely see a wine labeled Asti Spumante, however there has recently been an increase in wines simply labeled as Spumante. 

Taking advantage of the hole in the market left by the winemakers of Asti when they dropped their Spumante, many producers are making ‘Spumante’ wines that they are simply labeling as Spumante. Usually these white wines are anywhere from lightly to fully sparkling, fairly low in alcohol (8-11%), and not necessarily of the highest quality. While fine for a toast at a large party, the sparkling sweet wines labeled Spumante aren’t the sort of wines you need to contemplate. Simple and straightforward, Spumante is one sparkler that doesn’t deliver. For my money, there are many more bubblies out there that are comparably priced, but much more bang for the proverbial buck!