Fiano(many producers)
A step up - Soave calvarino by pieropan
Thanks for the responses.
We always have Fiano in the house.
I’m a big fan of most whites from Campania and Sicily.
I love that Valentini for a special treat.
As far as preparations, shrimp is an inexpensive meal here.
Depending on the dish I would have a Gavi for it’s crisp acidity or a well made Soave for depth of flavor. In my neck of the woods a Gavi is easier to find than the Soave. One note on Soave’s is that many in local stores are poor representation of what they can be.
Pigato; Greco; Fiano; Carricante; Friulian wines that don’t see wood, many of the varietals; Erbaluce. Pretty broad question.
I totally agree - and PRA -
Agree with the above comments. Currently, I have Guado al Tasso Vermentino from Antinori’s Bolgheri estate in the fridge for seafood but I have to admit that I like some lighter reds with many seafood preparations.
I love Vermentino. However, a couple of years ago the somm at Marea suggested a Kuenhof Veltliner (Alto Adige) that was a drop dead perfect match for our meal.
As others have said – in general, most Italian whites are good with seafood, and which one depends on the specific seafood and the preparation. Shrimp bisque, I’d go with a richer version of Fiano or Ribolla Gialla or a Valentini Trebbiano. With garlic and lime, I’d go with Vermentino or basic Soave or Falanghina or Pinot Grigio from northest Italy. Lots of good options for everything in between.
If there’s a local source for Jermann, you should really try both the Pinot Grigio and especially the Ribolla Gialla.
This is an interesting comment. I love both Calvarino and La Rocca and consider both to be in the uppermost echelon of Italy’s white wines, but there are possibly five or six Fianos that I consider to be at least on the same level (Picariello, Clelia Romano, Pietracupa, Villa Diamante, Guido Marsella, Vadiaperti…).
Back to the OP, it depends on the preparation, but I am usually not really inclined to pair Fiano with shrimp: great Fiano (particularly if properly matured) can be a seriously voluminous, complex wine that would, in my experience, overpower most simpler shrimp preparations.
The good news is Italy offers literally any number of absolutely brilliant wines to pair with shrimp. Many have been mentioned in this thread. Just sticking to Campania, I would be tempted to reach for something like Lonardo’s Grecomusc or Casa d’Ambra’s Frassitelli. A good, well-made, fresh, acidic Asprinio di Aversa would be great as well (f.i. Vite Maritata by I Borboni), or, for that matter, a good Falanghina (Vinosia does a very good job with the variety). Not to mention Greco di Tufo.
You’re literally spoilt for choice.
I agree with Tvrtko. But then I always do.
the italians oughta quit making white wine…
James,
Do you want to spell that out for us?
I agree, it’s hard to go wrong, but with seafood specific stuff I find it hard to stray from the triumvirate of Greco di Tufo, Fiano & Falanghina.
I cheat. Assyrtiko.
That Wine that came in a fish-shaped bottle…
Alto Adige wines offer a lot of good options here, even (gasp!) the best Pinot Grigio’s and Sauvignon Blanc’s. Cantina Terlano produces wines of consistent quality across price and varietal spectrums. Cantine San Michele Appiano is also reliable.
Pieropan La Rocca and Calvarino are excellent suggestions…as is the normal Soave from a price-to-quality perspective…but very different wines and better suited for different shrimp preparations, as La Rocca is fuller bodied and shows its oak mantle, while Calvarino is more taut and mineral driven.
The Campania wine varietals could be good choices, but I’d be careful on the producer and vintage, as the styles can range dramatically with some of the Fiano’s and Greco’s very ripe and fuller styled…but that could work depending on the preparation.
Generally, I’ve found it hard to go wrong with Pigato from Liguria and Vermentino from Sardinia, which may or may not be the same grape…there seems to be very strong opinions on both sides of the subject. Vermentino di Gallura is an appellation worth exploring.
1 Like
At the lower end, I was pretty happy with a couple of glasses of Scarpetta’s Frico ‘Bianco’ while traveling. It paired well with a risotto, and is light/fresh/aromatic with Granny Smith apple notes. A well distributed wine and of good technical quality. These northern Italian whites seem to get the balance between zip and fruit just right!
Vermentino and shrimp sounds right to me, but there are so many good options.
Agree with the remarks that most Italian (good) will go great with seafood so will be down to the preparation and even then I’m sure you’ll have a wide list of contenders.
This is recent thread that with good suggestions in general for Italian white wines:
thread over. Winner.
1 Like