Beyond Chianti and Pinot Grigio

I once heard someone say that if you didn't know Italian wines, you didn't know wine - period. Maybe that's a bit of a overstatement ( and a tad snobby), but there is some truth to it. Aside from Chianti and Pinot Grigio, many great Italian wines go about as undiscovered for most people as 48-year-old Scottish chanteuse Susan Boyle before her stint on Britain's Got Talent.

Part of the reason for this is that there are hundreds, if not thousands, of indigenous varietals and categories to pick from. And just when you think you know that Chianti is made from Sangiovese, they go and call it Morrellino di Scansano, Brunello di Montalcino, Chianti Classico or Vino Nobile di Montepulciano in different areas causing us to scratch our heads in linguistic befuddlement.

Italian wines have come so far in a relatively short period of time. It wasn't that long ago that you could usually find a fiasco (straw-covered flask) on someone's table with a candle stuck in it as folks passed the ubiquitous bowl of spaghetti and meatballs with a shiny green can of cheese giving chase around the table. Aside from the handful of other wines, Chianti and Pinot Grigio were about all we had imported into this country. Now, it's not hard to find wines from any of Italy's 20 regions. In doing so, you could taste through a profusion of styles and flavors that could make our seemingly endless satellite TV menus seem like just the author's note from War and Peace.

Where to begin?

This depends on what you currently like. If you enjoy new world reds - wines from Australia, Chile and Argentina, for instance - then you may like the wines from Southern Italy including Sicily, Puglia, and Sardinia. Cannonau wines from Sardinia (made from Grenache) can often taste like a baby Chateuneuf-du-Pape from France but at a mere fraction of the cost. Nero d'Avola from Sicily are smooth, silky, and amost sweetish on the attack though they are fermented dry. Negroamaro from Puglia typically produces high-powered wines with a licorice flavor.

If you enjoy classic, old-world styles like Bordeaux, Burgundy, and many Spanish wines, you may prefer the wines of the North. Piedmont is rich with high-structured, long-lived Barolos and Barbarescos as well as a personal favorite, the lithe and silky Dolcetto di Dogliani. Then, there is the Veneto with the regal Amarone which is created by harvesting the grapes in the fall and leaving them to dry on straw mats until around January before pressing, when they reach a raisinated state, which produces luscious wines.

So, what about Chianti?

Not so long ago, Chianti had to be a specific percentage and blend of grapes which also included white grapes, though it has always been mostly Sangiovese. This made for a very restrictive style for for the winemakers, many of whom wanted to abandon traditions and create new wines. In doing so, eventually the stringent blending has become far more lax and new categories have emerged, such as "Super Tuscans". Some of these wines are among the most highly collectable (and expensive) wines in the world.

White wine, please.

Until fairly recently, high quality Italian white wines were about as obscure as a sunny day in New Hampshire last June. Now, a stunning array of choices is available. Fiano, with its fragrant refined qualities is one of the finest whites grown in the south of Italy - predominantly in Campania - and can age beautifully. Cortese from the north, with its light, crisp, citrusy aromas and flavors is a perfect summer wine. Vernaccia from Tuscany is always one of my favorites; and its high acidity makes it a tremendous food wine.

When in doubt...

Sometimes with all the challenges in delineating Italian wines, it just makes sense to go with a great importer. Banfi made their fortune with Riunite, and although that brand was the engine that drove the Banfi express, they are highly commmitted to producing a stunning line of fine wines that keeps them well on track with the world's best. Leonardo LoCascio of Winebow focuses on regionality and sense of place in his amazing selections. Neil Empson and his wife Maria loved Italty so much after visiting some 30 years ago, that they never left. He is one of the very first - and still one of the best - Italian wine importers to the U.S. Kobrand and Frederick Wildman both have tremendous Italian portfolios and can always be counted on for fine selections year after year.

If Rome wasn't built in a day, then Italian wines can surely not be wholly understood in the fleeting narrative. The best way to understand them, I think, is to drink them. Got Italian?

Salute!