Delightful and floral: Seven of the best Italian wines
ITALIAN food and wine is a match made in heaven, says our expert
From the mountainous north to the southern tip of the “boot”, wine grapes flourish all over Italy. There are treasures to be found in every region, but the sheer variety can be overwhelming. Here are seven of my own favourites, each made with a different grape variety.
From left:
Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Primitivo 2009, Salento £7.50, Sainsbury’s, 13% alcohol
From the primitivo grape, this is an aromatic southern red with notes of leather, plums, cherries and spice. Juicy and bright, it’s packed with sweet berry flavours.
Preciso Grillo 2012, Sicily £6.80, tanners-wines.co.uk (01743 234455), 13% alcohol
This is a lovely dense white from the grillo grape, with herby, citrussy aromas giving way to delightful tangerine, grapefruit and quince flavours. It’s great value, too.
Centonze Frappato 2013, Sicily £13.50, hhandc.co.uk (020 7584 7927), 13% alcohol
Hailing from Sicily, frappato is a grape variety you may not have encountered before. Sweet, floral aromas of red cherries and rose petals dominate this beautifully fresh, light-bodied red. It’s quite pricey but once tried, you’ll be back for more.
Terredora Greco di Tufo Terre Degli Angeli 2013, Campania £13.99, Waitrose, 13.5% alcohol
Greco is the grape variety here, and it has created a delightfully floral white wine with grape and citrus fruit, as well as some ripe pear character.
Marks & Spencer Pinot Nero Dolomiti 2013, Trentino £8.99, Marks & Spencer, 12.5% alcohol
Made from pinot noir, this is a beautifully bright, lighter-style red wine with pure cherry fruit and some notes of herbs and spice. It’s utterly drinkable and would be very good with the duck ragu.
Tesco Finest Barolo 2009, Piedmont £15.99, Tesco, 14% alcohol
Barolo is the famous wine of northwest Italy, made from the nebbiolo grape variety.
This is a typical example, with grippy structure under the fresh cherry and plum fruit, and some spicy, tarry complexity.
Poggioargentiera Vermentino 2013, Maremma, Tuscany £9.39, Majestic, 13% alcohol
From the Tuscan coast, this is a great example of the vermentino variety. It’s a lively, crisp, fruity white wine with nice texture to the lemony fruit, as well as a bit of spice. It would be a great match for the chicken ravioli.