Roll Wine & Spirits
Dreaming of La Dolce Vita
by Timothy Buzinski & Mei Ying So | Artisan Wine Shop

Mention great Italian wines and you’ll hear about reds like Chianti Classico, maybe a Barolo or Brunello. But it’s actually the whites that have us dreaming of being in Italy this summer. The fact is the rise in quality of Italian whites has been profound in recent years. The causes are varied: adaptation of modern technology and techniques, the resurgence of the small winegrower and a growing market for all things indigenous, authentic and unique. Derived, it seems, from every part of this very diverse country and its neighbors; the list of Italian wine varieties is long. Their very names are part of the charm: arneis, verdicchio, greco, falanghina, vermentino, cortese and so on. In general, we love the range of styles and flavors: citrus, melon, stonefruit, cool minerality, refreshing acidity, light to full body and sometimes distinct, sometimes elusive nuttiness.

The best way to acquaint yourself with these intriguing wines is, of course, to taste a few bottles. Try a mixed case of Italian whites over the next few weeks and explore different regions. Or if you find yourself perusing a restaurant wine list for a match with spicy crab pasta, look for one of these ancient varietal whites. But if you’re really intent on being a home-based traveler this summer, throw together this five-course tasting with friends. These are typical dishes made all over Italy, many with regional variations, best enjoyed with the local wine. By the third course, you’ll feel like you’re living la dolce vita.

Five-Course Tasting with Italian White Wines

First course: sliced meat and cheese plate. Wherever you travel in Italy, you’ll find local, region-specific meats and cheeses. In many cases, they are simply called salumi (generally, cured or preserved meats) and pecorino (generally, sheep’s milk cheese), but locals know they mean the specialty salumi and pecorino from the region they’re in. In FRIULI, you’d break open a bottle of tocai friulano to go with the salty richness of the plate; the Azienda Agricola Livon Tocai Friulano Collio DOC 2006 would be a superb choice. Or maybe you’d like to start your trip further south in one of Italy’s newer hotspots, the MARCHE, where you’d be sipping verdicchio, perhaps the Casalfarneto Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi DOC Fontevecchia 2006.

Second course: grilled calamari. Just a whiff, and you’ll be seaside in a second — quickly grilled calamari doused with lemon, with a smattering of fresh herbs. You’ve taken a jaunt towards the coast of LIGURIA where, made nearby, the citrusy and nutty La Battistina Gavi DOCG 2005 picks up the char on the tentacles nicely. Or maybe you’re dining under the warm UMBRIAN sun with a glass of Orvieto (a blend predominantly of trebbiano di toscana and verdello) in hand. The Palazzone Orvieto Classico 2007 is perfectly dry, but its floral notes highlight the briny flavor of the squid.

Third course, pesto pasta. What’s more inviting than a bowl of warm pasta adorned with bright green, fragrant basil pesto? A staple in coastal areas such as GENOA, this would work well with the Brovia Roero Arneis DOC 2005, a crisp minerally take on this typically low-acid wine. But if you head due south to the north coast of SARDINIA instead, you’ll be drinking vermentino; look for the naturally herbal, lemony and crisp Sella & Mosca Vermentino di Sardegna DOC “La Cala” 2006.

Fourth course: fritto misto. A heaping plate of delicately fried fresh catch drizzled with lemon and seasoned to perfection. This was one of our most memorable meals in Italy, wildy briny and brightly flavorful. In Alassio, we drank a local Cinque Terre, but you might try a falanghina from the CAMPANIA region — try the Ocone Taburno DOC Falanghina 2006 for its crisp, lemony flavors.

Fifth course: zuppa di pesce. There may be as many versions of this dish as there are families in Italy, but the basics are the same: use a flavorful fish broth to gently cook a variety of fish and, in some versions, shellfish. From the LOMBARDY region, the Tenuta Roveglia Lugana DOC 2006 made with the widely planted trebbiano offers peachy flavors with superior freshness. Or the Argiolas S’elegas Nuragus di Cagliari DOC 2006 from the island of SARDINIA would be a natural choice with even richer fruit to match the heady aromas of the stew.