Taste Your Way Through Italy
Maggie Walters
Visit your local cheese and meat mongers and bring your charcuterie game, because it’s time for all things Italian! Starting from the north and working south, here’s a list of wines that are as diverse as the Italian countryside. Whether you’re hosting a formal wine tasting group or enjoying a casual evening on the terrazzo, we hope you enjoy!
Region: Piedmont
Grape: Barbera
Wine: Vietti Barbera D’Asti
Barolo is the most famous wine from Piedmont, but Barbera is what everyone reaches for because it's so much easier on the pocket book!
Profile: A dry, medium bodied red wine with refreshing acidity (making it perfect to pair with food) and a lasting finish of soft, full tannins.
Pairing suggestions: Barbera is truly a food wine and works well with medium-intensity dishes. Make your pairings pop by adding flavors like cherry, sage, anise, cinnamon or white pepper.
Also try: Sori Gramella Moscato d’Asti
Grape: Moscato
Moscato d’Asti is a perfumed, sweet Italian white wine and is well-loved by wine drinkers of all kinds. If you can get past the faux pas of the cheaper bottled ones, you’ll find that Moscato d’Asti is much more sophisticated than you might think.
Profile: A pleasantly sweet wine with delightful bubbles and flavors of spring wildflowers, fragrant citrus blossoms, and succulent ripe white grapes.
Pairing suggestions: Two words: spicy food. Because Moscato is low in alcohol and high in sugar this is a wine sure to cool your palate even with the most five-alarm dishes.
Region: Veneto
Grape: Glera
Wine: La Gioiosa Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore
This is Italy’s most popular sparkling wine category. The best Prosecco wines come from the smaller sub-region of Valdobbiadene—like this La Gioiosa!
Profile: A sparkling wine with varied and delicately fruity/floral bouquet of green apple and orange citrus. These bubbles clean the palate and lead to a soft, harmonious finish.
Pairing suggestions: Prosecco is a super food-friendly sparkling wine that goes great with antipasto, cured meats, and almonds. It’s also a perfect go-to with spicy Asian food.
Also try: Palazzo Maffei Valpolicella Ripasso Superiore
Valpolicella Ripasso – a great alternative to Amarone!
Grape: This is a red blend dominated by the Corvina grape.
Profile: Bright nose of red and dark fruits, violets, and a touch of fine plum, prunes and roasted spices. Medium body with bright acidity.
Pairing suggestions: Juicy burgers, roast chicken, and mushroom dishes.
Region: Tuscany
Grape(s): 95% Sangiovese, 5% Canaiolo
Wine: Querceto Chianti Classico Riserva
Riserva means that this wine was aged for two years before release and is of top quality!
Profile: A pure, clean red wine with notes of dark fruit, chocolate and earth. This is a full bodied wine with integrated tannins and a long finish.
Pairing suggestions: High acid wines crave high acid foods. You'll do well with tomato-based sauces; think spaghetti and meatballs or vegetable lasagna.
Region: Abruzzo
Grape: Montepulciano
Wine: Vigneti Del Sole Montepulciano d’Abruzzo
Montepulciano is the 2nd most planted red grape in Italy and has a reputation for being low-priced and pizza-friendly.
Profile: This juicy red displays notes of cherry, strawberry and sweet spice. Bright, mouthwatering acidity makes it an easy drinking crowd pleaser.
Pairing suggestions: This wine’s smoky-sweet finish lends itself to pizza, bbq and Italian sausages.
Region: Campania
Grape: Greco
Wine: Feudi Di San Grecorio Greco Di Tufo
Greco is a white wine grape thought to originate in Greece, but now native to Italy.
Profile: This is a delicious perfumed white wine. Clean notes of stone fruit lead to broad acidity and spicy minerality. On the finish there are soft savory notes reminiscent of balsamic vinegar.
Pairing suggestions: Because of the wine’s bright acidity, it pairs ever so well with fatty fishes like sea bass and salmon.
Region: Puglia
Grape: Primitivo
Wine: Antico Sigillo Primitivo Di Manduria
DNA testing shows that Primitivo is the same grape as Zinfandel!
Profile: The palate is fresh with smooth tannins coated with a touch of sweetness: stewed fruits, cocoa liqueur and dried porcini mushrooms. The structure is powerful and promising. Very drinkable, and should improve with age. This is a bold, powerful wine.
Pairing suggestions: This wine pairs well with anything tomato based: spaghetti Bolognese, veal parmigiana, chicken cacciatore. The bold fruitiness in this wine also pairs with earthy flavors like mushrooms and eggplant.
Region: Sardegna
Grape: Vermentino
Wine: Olianas Vermentino Di Sardegna
Vermentino is not very well known; it’s high quality and a great value – win!
Profile: Bright and refreshing notes of grapefruit and citrus with hints of spices and baked bread. The palate is balanced and round with a pleasant finish.
Pairing suggestions: Given its fuller style and herbaceous flavors, Vermentino does wonders with grilled light meats and fish. Also works well with dishes featuring fresh green herbs from the garden.
Whether you're a fan of red, white, sweet, dry, and/or bubbly, there's a wine from Italy for you! Feature these wines with a banquet of Italian food or more casually with cheese and crackers—either way, these wines are sure to intrigue! At Colonial Wines and Spirits, we love to share our love for food and wine from all over the world! We hope that you enjoy this lovely spread featuring all things Italian. If you have more questions about pairings or other wines, please ask one of our experts, we'd love to help!