Chapter 14: VIVA ITALIA!

Greetings and salutations!  As was briefly noted in Chapter 13 of The Wine Bargain Sleuth, Italy has steadily but surely overtaken France as the world’s largest wine producer.  In fact, as recently reported in Wine Enthusiast, Italy has led the world in wine production for the past three years, with 2012’s total being a whopping 40.8 million hectoliters produced.  Even more relevant to Americans, Italy is the number one exporter of wines to our country.  Yet many of us in the United States (along with everyone in France!) still consider France to be the wine leader of the world.  Equally important to you wine bargain sleuths, Italian wines afford many opportunities to greatly enhance your wine collections without breaking your piggy banks!  Please join me as we scratch the surface of the joy that is Italian wine.

Italian wine labels, similar to those of French wines, can be a bit intimidating for the uninitiated.   To paraphrase the great Steve Martin in “The Jerk”, it’s like those Italians have a different word for EVERYTHING!”  Unlike “new world” wines of Australia, New Zealand and the good old US of A that tend to easily identify the grape varietal, the Italian wines instead typically focus on the region of origin.   This in turn requires us sleuths to do a little homework to unlock the information of the labels.  Despite 350 grape varietals currently being grown in Italy, many would be hard pressed to name more than Pinot Grigio, Sangiovese, Chianti and Prosecco.  Despite such challenges, America’s growing fascination with the healthy Mediterranean lifestyle and the delicious, affordable wines of Italy has resulted in easy access to great Italian juice.  This trend has not gone unnoticed by the wine press; Wine Enthusiast has focused its April issue on “The Golden Age of Italian Wine”, while Wine Spectator’s April issue similarly features Italian wines and food.  Well I, for one, am in!

This Chapter will briefly focus upon a few of the varietals from two of the most famous Italian regions:   Tuscany and Piedmont.  Although these two are far from the only quality wine producing regions (Veneto and its increasingly popular Proseccos and crisp Pinot Grigios come to mind), we have limited time together this month.  The good news for consumers is that producers from these two regions have banded together to create identifiable subzones: Bolgheri, Montalcino, Montepulciano and Chianti Classico in Tuscany; and Barolo and Barbaresco in Piedmont.  Below are but a few examples:

Tuscany.   If you enjoy French Bordeaux Blend wines or California Cabernet Sauvignon wines, it is worth your while to get to know the wines of Bolgheri.  The primary grapes of the wines of Bolgheri are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot, along with Syrah and Sangiovese.   The wines of this region are often referred to as “Super Tuscans”.   For huge Cab Sav fan, look for the designation “Bolgheri Sassicaia”, which by law requires at least 80% Cabernet Sauvignon be blended into the cuvee.  By contrast, the label designations “Bolgheri Rosso” and “Bolgheri Rosso Superiore” are more flexible for the winemaker and can by law be 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot or Cabernet Franc or contain blends up to 50% Sangiovese or Syrah.

In contrast to the Bordeaux varietals typically found in Bolgheri, the primary grape varietal in Chianti Classico will be the classic Italian Sangiovese varietal.  Sadly, many of us have been conditioned to react to Chianti as mediocre jug wine found in basket-covered bottles served in checkerboard tablecloth restaurants; however, a sample of a truly well made Chianti Classico or even a Chianti Superiore such as the amazing 2009 Filicaja Chianti Superiore DOGC featured as Value Wine No. 1 in last month’s Chapter will quickly change your perceptions about how remarkable the Chianti grape can be in your glass.

I also highly recommend that you try a glass of Brunello di Montalcino, arguably the highest development of the Sangiovese grape that is so prevalent in Tuscany.   These are ageworthy Big Reds that are also incredibly food friendly wines that will pair with anything from grilled meats to robust sauces and cheeses.

Piedmont.       As opposed to the Sangiovese-based cuvees of Tuscany and the Bordeaux Blends of Bolgheri, Nebbiolo is often the grape varietal of choice for most Piedmont producers.  According to Wine Enthusiast, Piedmont recently completed a laborious remapping its celebrated crus that is nearly as detailed as the classifications of Burgundy.   Often the silky smoothness of a well-aged Barolo from Piedmont is highlighted for the velvety integration of the tannins that seem to dissolve in one’s glass.  Other grape varietals utilized in Piedmont include Barbera, which reminds one more of a Pinot Noir in the sense of being fruity and delicate when compared with the more tannic Nebbiolo grape.  Finally, worth a mention is the Asti grape that is goes into the Moscato sparkling wine that is becoming more popular in the USA, particularly with younger wine consumers.

Unfortunately, your friendly Wine Bargain Sleuth is out of time for now to extol the virtues of Italian vino!   Hopefully this month’s Chapter will encourage you to branch out a bit and see what sexy Italian your own taste buds prefer.  And without further ado, here are this month’s recommendations:

Value Wine No. 1:   A Superior Italian White

From the cool climates of the Friuli region of Northeastern Italy comes the delicious 2011 Scarbolo Pinot Grigio, this month’s Value Wine No. 1.  The Scarbolo is a light-to-medium bodied white wine that manages to still have more substance than most Pinot Grigios that I have sampled over the years.  With a nose of apricots and a mid-palate of lemons and green apples, this Pinot Grigio is both food friendly and delicious as a spring or summer chiller by itself.  This wine makes a clever alternative to Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay for white wine fans.  The Scarbolo was recently determined by Food and Wine to be one of the top twelve Italian value wines, with the comment that it has “far more depth and complexity than most Pinot Grigios.”  Best of all, the 2011 Scarbolo Pinot Grigio can be had in wide distribution for the bargain price of $15 or so.  What a perfect entry into the delicious world of Italian whites!

Value Wine No. 2:  A Remarkable Tuscan Value

Value Wine No. 2 is a delicious blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Montepulciano, the 2010 Fattoria Carpoli Toscana Sada Integolo.  If you enjoy Cabernet Sauvignon then this Tuscan blend makes a delicious entry point into the world of Italian reds.  Wine Spectator recently awarded an impressive 92 rating on the Fattoria Carpoli blend, meanwhile raving thusly about the silky red wine:  “…black currant, cherry and spice flavors melding effortlessly with the texture and firm structure…displaying a long aftertaste of fruit and spice.”   Surely such a delicious wine from a legendary region such as Tuscany will set your wallet up for a bruising, you think?   Not the case, my friend.   The 2010 Fattoria Carpoli can be had for a list price of only $18.  That would be a remarkable value worth of this month’s Value Wine No. 2.

Worth a Splurge Wine of the Month: A Prototype Chianti Classico

Completing our triumvirate of great Italian imports, this month’s Worth a Splurge Wine is the 2009 Castello di Volpaia Chianti Classico Riserva.  As with last month’s Splurge wine Meiomi Belle Glos, The Wine Bargain Sleuth is cognizant of the last of the holiday bills and the coming Tax Day, and this month’s Splurge Wine retails for a mere $27.  As noted above, this Tuscan red beauty features primarily Sangiovese and truly is a textbook example of how delicious a classic Tuscan red can be.  Wine Spectator was so impressed with the Castello di Volpaia offering that it laid a strong 92 rating on the Chianti Classico Riserva, commenting that “the sweet black cherry, blackberry and spice flavors highlight this powerful, polished red.”  The Castello Di Volpaia is still a bit tannic, indicating that a few years of patient and proper storage would reward the drinker.   I recommend that you pair this Chianti Classico Riserva with a hearty beef or sausage lasagna. Bellisimo!

Thought for the Day:  More Great Wine Quotes

A mind of the caliber of mine cannot derive its nutriment from cows– George Bernard Shaw

Compromises are for relationships, not wine.– Sir Robert Scott Caywood

The discovery of a wine is of greater moment than the discovery of a constellation. The universe is too full of stars– Benjamin Franklin

Until next month– Cheers!

© The Wine Bargain Sleuth 2013—All Rights Reserved