Italy—Land of Wine Values

Italian wines are wonderful and at the same time maddening. Many of the wine regions blend their wines with the same grape varietals, giving them a “sameness” that makes it difficult to differentiate the regions by taste. Still, no matter how frustrating it may be to find taste differences between regions, Italian wines are some of the best values for the money.

The colonizing Greeks called Italy Oenotria, “the land of wine”. Its topography is ideal for growing grapes. On this peninsular, caressed by the balmy breezes of the Tyrrhenian, Ionian, and Adriatic seas there is an abundance of sunshine, sloping hillsides and a temperate climate. The soil is no less perfect than the topography is for viticulture; much of the soil is volcanic and limestone with plenty of gravel and clay to nurture the most finicky grape vines. With seemingly everything in its favor to consistently produce great wines, it somehow manages to be very inconsistent in the greatness of its wines. However, if there is one constant about wines from Italy, it is that Italian winemakers produce good wines, sometimes great wines but almost always produce affordable wines that are well worth the money.

Most wines made in a country will compliment the country’s cuisine and Italy is no exception. Italian wines are wonderful taste companions for chicken, veal, meatballs, pork sausage, tomatoes and tomato sauces. It is hard for me to think of pasta or pizza without a glass of Italian wine. Never do I think of a French wine, whose virtues I continuously extol, nor do I crave a hearty California wine to go with a bowl of pasta or a thin crusted pizza. It is always a wine from Italy with just the right amount of fruit and acids to intermingle with the tomato sauce clinging to my pasta or to wash down, but not overpower the melted mozzarella cheese and pizza crust. Italian wines were made to compliment Italian food but they are also perfect partners for similar dishes that are not necessarily Italian.

A Patchwork of Denomination of Origins
Italy’s numerous wine regions and designations of origination are of minimal value in determining a specific taste because of their overlapping borders and also many regions use the very same grapes in their wine. There are twenty official wine growing regions in Italy. Within these twenty “official” regions, there are thirty-six DOCG’s (denomination origins of control guaranteed) with an additional and overlapping twenty-one DOC’s, which do not have the word “guaranteed” in their designation. DOCG and DOC are designations similar to the French AOC (Appellation Origin of Control) and the American AVA (American Viticultural Area) which further defines a geographical wine producing area and also sets limits on the amount of grapes grown there to prevent dilution of the grape’s quality. To add to this already abundant list of designations, Italy has added new categories, VDT (Vino da Tavola) and IGT (Indicazione Georgraphica Tipica) which in some instances are expanded versions of already existing DOCs and DOCGs.

Italy “boasts” three hundred and fifty varietals grown throughout the country, some of the same grapes are used to make wine in more that one region. Unfortunately, because of this the DOCs and DOCGs lose their significance. For example, the Sangiovese grape is grown in many regions and is used in the wine in these regions, such as Tuscany, Veneto, Umbria, Sardinia and others. The differences in the wines from these regions will be in their “regional style” and also in how much of the Sangiovese grape is used, rather than the tightly defined location of where the Sangiovese grape is grown. In some instances we can almost always be assured of tasting Sangiovese, to one degree or another, in some wines, no matter what the DOC or DOCG. Fortunately we do not need to work our way through all the origins of control to find very good and affordable wines from Italy. Let us visit three wines regions with very good wine values.

Abruzzi
The first region is Abruzzi, situated southeast of Rome on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. Outside of the tiny city of Vasto Italy, population approximately 36,000 lays the DOCG, Montepulciano d’Abruzzi. This wine is named for its grape, Montepulciano and its wine growing region of Abruzzi. Most of the wines here are fruity bargains, selling for about eight dollars a bottle and up. Like most wines in this price category, they are young and fruity and the quality can vary from bottle to bottle. However, these wines are invariable well worth the money for simple, everyday table wines. (A word of caution, do not confuse this wine with Vino Di Montepulciano from Tuscany, which is more expensive and made from Sangiovese.)

Tuscany
Traveling northwest from Abruzzi we come to the romantic region of Tuscany, home of Chianti and one of Italy’s most abundant grapes, Sangiovese. Chianti, like most of the wines from Tuscany is made from mostly, if not all Sangiovese. The better Chiantis are labeled Chianti Classico, the classical or original Chianti area, as opposed to simply Chianti, which is the new and expanded Chianti zone. Generally, Chianti will have more body than Montepulciano d’Abruzzi and will not be as fruity.

Chianti Favorites
My two favorite Chiantis are both from the Chianti Classico DOCG and are labeled “Riservas”, which guarantee a minimum of barrel aging depending on the producer; usually it is twelve months or more. Nozzole Chianti Classico is one hundred percent Sangiovese, wood barrel aged for twelve months and sells for approximately $23.00 locally. This wine was recommended to me back in 1970 by a very knowledgeable wine merchant in New York City and I have been drinking it ever since. The quality of Nozzole has hardly varied over the years. It is medium bodied, soft to moderate tannins with a long spicy finish.

My other favorite Chianti is Ruffino Riserva Ducale with the gold label. It is aged in wood for two years, and is a medium bodied Chianti with softer tannins than Nozzole and a moderately less spicy finish. It sells for about the same price as Nozzole, under $25.00 a bottle, depending on the merchant. Both of these Chiantis will add a special touch of Italy to any Italian styled dinner.

Veneto
Next we travel north to the verdant hills of the Veneto wine region, where we will find the DOCG, Valpolicella. Of all of the wines in Italy (except for Barolo from Piedmont and Amarone from this same region, both of which have become far too expensive to enjoy casually) this wine is the most intriguing and the best value for its quality.

My Favorite Valpolicella
Valpolicella is a blend of indigenous regional grapes, mostly Corvina and is made using an ancient local fermentation method called ripasso. This process ferments the wine a second time with used, dried grape skins from the more distinctive Amarone wine. The result is a Valpolicella that is deep, round and very well balanced, with soft tannins, moderate acids and flavors reminiscent of dried prunes—a flavor that comes from the grape skins used in making Amarone. A good example of a tasty, well balanced Valpolicella is produced by Masi, called Campofiorin and is available for less than $20.00 a bottle.

Very few countries can boast the vast array of wines that Italy has to offer, with prices that can satisfy the most cost conscience wine lover. These three are just a small sample of the wine values from Oenotria, the land of wine—values.