Learning Italian wine tasting recs

I’ve been really behind the curve where I want to be in Italian wines. What I’d like to do is open one benchmark wine from every significant grape/region within a short time frame if not on the same night. I’m not sure how many wines this might entail honestly, but I’d like to get a general education in as many as might make sense.

I’m not looking for labels and high end wines here, I’m looking for classic examples of each grape which are readily found and preferably at the best qpr.

One wine from each grape/region, so who you would put in the tasting(s) and what wines would you include in this benchmark tasting.

You are sure to get plenty of advice with this but what you are suggesting would be a massive undertaking. Ian D’Agata counts Italy’s native varieties at over 500. A more streamlined and systematic approach would be more realistic.

There is also the question of winemaking style. For example, in Barbaresco you may consider Produttori del Barbaresco and La Spinetta as two representative producers at a similar price point. They vary widely in style with the Produttori being very classic and the Spinetta being modern… Your conclusion may be driven more by producer than region.

Another suggestion is to spend a bit of time in each region, for example the Langhe. Look at a few producers from each sub-region (Barolo, Barbaresco) at different levels and from different winemaker, to really get an idea what you like… I would limit this to the main regions first and then dive into smaller and lesser known areas.

Italy is very variegated and diversified with a higher number of indigenous grapes than anywhere else in the world. If you want a broad stroke you could try to go for grape variety and basically hit all the 20 regions, or you could focus more on the most important regions, as already suggested, and then continue into the more obscure stuff. And a middle-ground would be to go for appellations. For example: Barolo, Barbaresco, Langhe Nebbiolo, Chianti Classico, Bolgheri, Valtellina Rosso/Superiore, Etna Rosso, Aglianico del Vulture, Primitivo di Manduria, Taurasi, Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi, Greco di Tufo, Franciacorta, Prosecco Valdobbiadene, and so on.

A thread to start in the white wines camp: What are your top italian whites ? - WINE TALK - WineBerserkers

A list of top Italian whites: Italy's 50 Best White Wines

Italy is just as daft as Burgundy. Maybe moreso.

One tip: taste the difference between Brunello di Montalcino and Chianti made from 100% Sangiovese. Brunello is required to be 100% Sangiovese. You’ll have to make sure you get a proper Chianti because they can be blended with small amounts of other grapes. I suggest this is because of the 2 different strains of Sangiovese: Brunello being Grosso, and Chianti being Piccolo. Grosso is a larger berry than Piccolo. Not only are they different sizes, but grown in different areas with different soils. In warmer Southern Tuscany, where Brunello is grown, the soils are loamy limestone giving more tannin and richness with a darker fruit flavor. The wines are in oak for at least 3 years, longer for Riservas, and are made for extended cellaring before drinking. In the cooler Classico region, where the best Chiantis are made, the soil is clay & limestone, making the wine more acidic and red fruited. These wines are in barrel for approximately a year (again, longer for Reserve), and are made to be consumed earlier.

Sounds like a lark!

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Italian Beginner here, so the plan was to keep it to the basics and the classics and then we can branch off from there. A starting point which can lead down the many tributaries in the worm hole. I guess I was thinking maybe the top dozen or maybe twenty wines (classic in style) to taste over a week to just get a feel for where I might like to go first. I probably shouldn’t have said grapes, appellations as suggested might be a better focus.

I realize this is to easy to pin down and can never be all inclusive, but I’d just like to pick up 10-20 bottles and see where it might take me.

You could make it easier linking us a retailer site you use. That narrows it down for us, and gives you one stop shopping. If their selection sucks, we’ll tell you. That gives you enough to taste to give you direction what to look for and ask about next.

Probably the best way would be to taste through the classic regions both red and white and go through them by tasting some classic producers. If 20 wines, then probably these:

Whites/bubblies:
Franciacorta
Piemonte: Roero Arneis / Timorasso
Alto Adige: Pinot Bianco
Veneto: Soave Classico
Friuli: Ribolla Gialla / Friulano
Friuli with skin contact like Gravner or Radikon
Tuscany: Vernaccia di San Gimignano
Marche: Verdicchio di Matelica or Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi
Campania: Fiano di Avellino
Sicily: Etna Bianco

Reds:
Emilia-Romagna: dry Lambrusco
Lighter Nebbiolo: Gattinara/Bramaterra/Ghemme/Valtellina
Weightier Nebbiolo: Barolo/Barbaresco
Veneto: Amarone della Valpolicella Classico
Friuli: Schioppettino/Refosco
Tuscany 1: Chianti Classico
Tuscany 2: Brunello di Montalcino
Umbria: Sagrantino di Montefalco
Campania: Taurasi
Sicily: Etna Rosso

You are just scratching the surface with these, but if you manage to source some classic (i.e. not overtly polished, glossy modern wines), you should get a somewhat clear picture of the Italian wines as a whole and the stylistic differences between the regions. However, it’s hard to point out to good producers/wines when one doesn’t know what is available where.

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Otto’s list is a great starting point.

Robert,
I’m on the same road. Aside from from several random buys I also connected with the Italian wine buyer, Lance Montalto, for The Wine House (very close to me) and had him select a case for me. That was super educational as it included wine areas and grapes that I didn’t even know existed.
Also Sec Wines in Portland has an excellent selection at extremely good prices, also they all lean traditional according to Eric, the owner.

That list is ‘gold’. Otto.

Very good, comprehensive list above, though for a true beginner, I would move slowly, and focus on a few of these before moving on to some of the more obscure ones. Truth be told, I would urge any beginner, particularly someone whose initial wine knowledge is primarily based on New World reds, to begin in Tuscany…And actually start with Super Tuscan and Bolgheri wines (focused on international varieties, either alone or blended with Sangiovese), and then from there to Chianti and Brunello. I feel like Sangiovese is actually an acquired taste, and if someone is just “tasting through” 50 different Italian varietals, they’d rarely wind up thinking that they liked Chianti/Brunello. It’s only with drinking enough samples to recognize the characteristic flavors (and the differences, for example, between typical Chianti Classico, Chianti Classico Riserva, and Brunello, as well as the difference between more modern and traditional versions of each) that I think anyone can begin to have an informed opinion of the grape.

Next up would be Piemonte…Langhe, Barolo, Barbaresco (and maybe even Barbera and Dolcetto if the goal is to focus on QPR food-friendly wines).

While ALL of the regions above can make amazing wines and are worth exploring later, any more mainstream discussion of Italian reds will typically start and stop with Tuscany and Piedmont, and any list of the top 10-20 red wines of Italy would likely be 85%+ comprised of wines from just those two regions…Once a base understanding of the above is achieved, move on to the others (Aglianico, Nerello Mascalese, Sagrantino, Refosco, Corvina, etc.)…

Otto +5!

There are far more grapes and regions on top of Otto’s excellent list. Italy is probably the most diverse wine-producing country, and you can only scratch the surface with something like this. While Barolo/Barbaresco, Chianti and Brunello make up most of the big names, there are so many other varieties and regions that make fantastic wine.

Otto, thanks for taking the time to make that list, very helpful. If anybody has specific wines to fill in that would be great. I can shop at any place that ships really, although NY/Chi/DC would be best.

I tolerate modern wines ok, but my palate is decidedly northern Rhône minus Brett. (Maybe that Actually makes it modern :slight_smile:)

I certainly don’t think I’m going to tackle Italy in a week, I’m just looking to get a good start with classic wines and avoid easy missteps along the way.

Just start drinking the wines with dinner. Try to match up with typical dishes of the region or something appropriate. There’s no shortcut. You will imho shortchange your experience if you try to lump all these various wines together over just a few nights.

A few recents for me for value and quality:
Tuscany: Col D’orcia 15 Brunello, Carpineto 15 Vino Nobile
Piedmont: Moccagatta 16 Barbaresco Bric Balin, Giacosa Roero Arneis
Marche: Simone Capecci 18 Pecorino
Emilia Romagna: Fattoria Moretto Lambrusco sec
Campania: Salvatore Molettieri 12 Taurasi Vigna Cinque Querce, Radici Fiano di Avellino

I don’t necessarily have to taste them all at once, but I do need to buy them all at once or I’ll keep pushing it off. There just isn’t enough of a selection around here to try and piece together a broad collection here and there.

Many of these are NOT the “board favorites” (as many of those will take you over the $80 range…While 1-2 of these might be over $80, I’ve tried to focus on a variety of styles and values relative to the categories as a whole:

Chianti Classico (and Chianti Classico Riserva): (Look for '15 and '16 vintages): Felsina Chianti Classico Riserva; Monsanto Chianti Classico Riserva; Fontodi Chianti Classico; Antinori Badia a Passignano; Tenuta Tignanello “Marchesi Antinori” Chianti Classico Riserva; Fonterutoli “Castello di Fonterutoli” CR; Badia a Coltibuono CR; Selvapiana ‘Bucerchiale’ Chianti Rufina Riserva

IGT (“Super Tuscan”) and Bolgheri: Felsina Fontalloro (100% Sangiovese); Antinori Tignanello; Isole e Olena Cepparello (100% Sangio); Montevertine ‘Montevertine IGT’ (100% Sangio); Caiarosso ‘Caiarosso Toscana’ (Merlot/Cab Franc blend); Castellare di Castellina ‘Poggio al Merli’ IGT (Merlot); Castello di Bossi ‘Corbaia’ IGT. Also, any number of very solid Bolgheri wines available for $35-$45…Le Maccheole ‘Paleo Rosso’ is terrific and has been a favourite over the years, but is now pushing $100…I’d look for under $50 in this category.

Brunello di Montalcino: (Look for '15 or soon-to-come '16) Lisini; Livio Sassetti Pertimali; Fuligni; Ciacci Piccolomini; Altesino; Il Poggione; Uccelliera; Conti Costanti; Argiano. (At $33, the Caparzo is a decent value, and something of a “go-to” wine for pizza but is definitely NOT as exciting or as good as any of these others (although the others area mostly about twice that price).

Barbaresco/Barolo: (look for '15 and '16 if you’re buying recent vintages): Mauro Molino Barolo (always a great value for about $33, and sometimes at Costco); Vajra Barolo (‘Albe’ or ‘Bricco della Viole’, both nice values); La Ca Nova Barbaresco (great value; any of the single vineyards…Montestefano and Montifico are good ones); Moccagatta Bric Mentin (or Basarin) Barbaresco (more modern); Produttori di Barbaresco ‘Barbaresco’ (or their ‘Lange’) (board favourite…always solid).

Campania (Taurasi or Aglianico del Vulture): Elena Fucci ‘Titolo’ Aglianico del Vulture (Great value); Terredorra di Paolo Taurasi (probably my favourite Taurasi from a consistency and value perspective); Mastroberardino ‘Radici’ (or Radici Riserva) Taurasi (modern-ish but a gold standard example)

Umbria (Sagrantino): Paolo Bea ‘Pagliaro’ (but it’s pricey at $110-ish); Lungarotti (good value); Perticaia; Scacciadiavoli

Sicily (Nerello Mascalese, Frappato, Nero d’Avola): COS (any of their wines); Occhipinti (any of the wines); Calabretta Nerello Mascalese V.V. (brilliant value); Tenuta Terre Nere (any of their wines); Passopisciaro (Never been my favourite, but many here love it)

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Nice work putting some “flesh on the bones”, John. Robert is not going to be the only beneficiary of this thread for sure.

Otto’s list is great. And Ian had a good suggestion to try Brunello, Chianti Classico, and Chianti. I agree that Sangiovese is an acquired taste. My palate is happy with cheaper Chianti. Yours might not be so happy.

It sounds like you have dismissed your local wine shops. I think you should reconsider. I live near Indianapolis and there are at least 3 wine shops where I could easily pick up a nice mixed case of Italian wines. And Indy is not a wine town. Surely Cleveland or the burbs has one or two good shops? Rozi’s in Lakewood looks interesting. And the downtown Heinen’s says they have 1000 labels - not sure if they have a wine-specific employee. Just my .02.

WRT Sangiovese being an acquired taste, everyone is different. I have a good friend who didn’t like wine but his wife loved it and he asked me to help him find something he would like so he could share at least some wine with her. We tried a number of things without success. Not sure now what led me to try Chianti’s but he liked it from the first sip. That’s been a few years ago now and he has branched out to other things but still loves his Chianti especially Monsanto.