I am sorry, i dont get Italian Wine

A few things

I am 50 years old and have been drinking wine a long time but not always seriously.

I am now a huge Cali wine fan with a bias for Cali Rhones and Pinots. I am still a fan of Bordeaux, burgundy, Champagne and port.

Whatever I taste I just cannot see the attraction of Italian wines, over the last few months ive had numerous bottles of good but not great Italian wine ($20-50range) it all shares the same character of being slightly dull, watery and with little fruit. Now if you hate big Cali wines I can see why your drawn to this but I love big wines. Tonight I had a 2008 Barolo ( Damilano ) that was almost brown in colour with no body at all

I am not trying to be argumentative but I just cannot see why everyone promotes Italian wine, it is just table wine best

Alan

Price inflation has hit Italy, as well.

There’s little if any great Nebbiolo in that price range, nor will it get you the best reds of Mastroberardino or Bea.

And if you don’t like “Brown”, then you definitely don’t want to be drinking Sangiovese.

If I were you, I’d go down market, and enjoy the best Prosecco [Zardetto and Bisson] and the best Moscato d’Asti [Paolo Saracco].

Nathan

Thanks, but at those levels ill stay in US

Well, I agree with you.

From the late 80ies until 90ies I tasted and bought almost everything that should have been fine …
from Gaya to Sassicaia (incl. 1985), from Barolo to Brunello and Vino di Tavola.

The result was that I almost never took an Italian bottle up to dinner.
When my wife said: we´re having pasta this evening, come and get an Italian wine - I did … and we regretted it later not having had a French bottle.

So some 12 years ago I sold all my Italian (and almost all Spanish) wines … and never missed one single bottle ever since.
I concentrated on French and Austrian wines almost exclusively …

Sure I have still tasted Italian as well as most important wines worldwide (from Conterno to Giacosa, Screagle to Grange, from Vega S. to Stellenbosch … incl the very best), but almost never buy any (except Port, some German Rieslings … and bottles I get as a gift).

The Italian wines I liked best were: Brunello Caparzo La Casa 1985, several Ornellaias, Darmagi 90, some aged Barolo like Giacosa 71 and 64 … yes also Sassicaia 82 and 85.

However: for every Italian good wine I know a French one that I would prefer to drink … so what.

For me Italian wine is determined by it´s pronounced acidity, often with sharp tannins (in Barolo) …) with the fruit taking a back seat, and in maturity also being more structured than sweet and voluptuous …
Modern South Italian wines have fuller fruit, but are lacking complexity and finesse - I prefer almost any 5-8 Euro bottle from Southern France.
That´s regarding the reds - for whites I´m perfectly served in Austria - with some important additions from France …

Your last sentance is important, many/most Italian wines are for the table, and are wines of structure with firm acidity. If you don’t like them then fine, but so what? Do you think they should try harder to suit your tastes?

Russel, no complaints from my side, but even at the table I have a great many alternatives from elsewhere, and most of the time cheaper.
I simply leave it to those who like it more than me …

Alan - it doesn’t appear to me that you are looking for answers, but merely stating that you don’t like Italian wines. You then explain that you prefer big wines, i.e. California Cabs, Rhones, and Pinots. It is understandable that you wouldn’t have an appreciation for the more acidic style of wine which requires food to be most enjoyed. So, yes, it is meant to be a wine for the table. Personally, I have more difficulty pairing those big wines to food.

I’m curious to know if you have tried any good Chianti Classico, which are in your price range? I recently had two excellent ones (again with food), 2009 Montesecondo, and 2006 Felsina Rancia Riserva.

While I have a cellar full of French wines, as well as California, which I seem to drink more than Italian, there are times when I am best served by opening a beautifully aged Barolo.

More for us. Drink your sappy sweet cal Rhones. No worries.

I’m interested in responses to this thread as well, as I’ve started to branch out a little into Italian but haven’t opened any yet (continue to hear they must age). My guess is Alan is simply trying to understand if he’s missing something, given all the popularity of Italian wine on this board. Sort of like when folks say “buy all the burgundy you can now - you’ll thank me later”.

Brunello

For years i tried to figure out Italian wines and thought there was way too much dirt and acidity, Brunello, Chianti just didn’t hit my sweetspot. I then had a 74 Barolo(don’t remember producer) that a Napa buddy brought to dinner and i had my aha experience.

I haven’t branched out much beyond Nebbillio but Barberesco and Barolo are now a growing spot in my cellar. The regular Produttori Barberesco is one of my top qpr at $26-30. It does need a few years to soften and the fruit to come more in balance but it drinks at twice it’s price point. A 2001 Conterno Fantino Sori Ginestra and 2001 Aldo Conterno Granbussia were reference point wines for me this year. For me these are wines best appreciated with food. Fruit is not the primary profile but with time in the cellar these are wonderful wines.

Here’s a great $50 Barolo that is still available. Try it with some Pasta Amatriciana and give it a good decant or better yet give it till 2016 or later.

2008 Schiavenza Barolo Bricco Ceretta

If I could go back to 2007 I would have bought alot more Burgundy and Barolo and less Cali Cab… Love them all now just appreciate more diversity in the cellar.

Cheers,
Fred

As usual Nathan is insane. There’s tons if great Italian wine for under $30. But I only drink Italian wines with Italian food, or sometimes with simple grilled meats. Italy, IMO, represents the best value in wine for the table. There is also immense variety in Italy.

While I generally don’t like a lot of body in my Italian wines for the table, you may love Amarone or something in that style.

But for value and food pairng ability Italy is top in my book (though I drink more French). I favor Monsanto CCR, produttoris Langhe and basic Barbaresco.

Some inexpensive suggestions for you are Caburnio (a fruit forward Italian that still does well with food), and Dolcettos di Dogliani from someone like Pecchinino or Boschis.

I’m new to this forum so, hello all! I’ve tried a few Italian bottles this year and I also haven’t been charmed just yet. I tried a 2010 Sasicaia and as someone noted I’m probably trying something too young. I didn’t get it, but I’m also not a fan of the gamey funk flavors I picked up and it felt like the bottle was so dense it overwhelmed my palette’s ability to pickup anything interesting.

I like acid, I like grip.
With the right food I love Italian wines.

Now, of course, that is insanely simplistic, but it popped into my head.
That would be the case with many young wines. With well-aged ones you can get a different view of heaven.

No need to apologize for your personal tastes/palate, Alan. FWIW, I think most Cali Pinot is overripe crap masquerading as Syrah, and you won’t see me apologizing for my palate.

Ten years ago, I wrote something very similar to the original post. I called mine, “Are Italian Wines Worth The Trouble” which was immediately dismissed as being a troll. My big complaint back then, and still to a large degree today, is the lack of clarity created by proprietary names on so many wine labels, without any description of what is actually in the bottle. Add the sheer magnitude of both varieties and regions, and the whole thing can be quite overwhelming.

Just recently in the “Only Two Producers Thread”, I named Bartolo Mascarello and Montevertine as the two I would choose, so obviously my attitude has changed significantly. On the high end, and to a lesser degree over all, strong producers are the key. But even then, one must familiarize with producer styles: traditionalists, modernists, and centrists.

It’s a great time to be interested in Italian wines both because of a lot of great recent vintages and relative affordability compared to other great wines of the world. While prices for some of the major wines have increased, they still look like bargains compared to classified growth Bordeaux. And if someone has the benefit of the knowledge of someone like our Roberto, there is no end to the succession of affordable, highly enjoyable options from varieties unique to Italy.

I am sorry, I don’t get this thread. Italy is huge in terms of production and yet it can all be classified as of a type? Or of two types? I wish I had tasted enough to make that call

Ok, but WHEN is a Barolo beautifully aged …???

(seriously: some from the 60ies/70ies were excellent, but most younger were too young for me…)

Italian wines don’t perform well in tastings. I can’t remember the last Italian I have had without food. To try and compare to CA wines is silly.

George

It depends on vintage, and I don’t necessarily mean that a wine needs to be old to be “aged.” I just wrote a tasting note on a 2000 Mascarello Barolo that meets my criteria.