Say Ciao to summer with Italian wine

Italian wines

The Greeks first grew grapes for wine production in Italy around 800 BC. During the Roman Empire, wine production flourished and was an important source of trade during the reign of Rome. Today, Italy is a major wine producer and a leading wine exporter around the world. Italy is considered one of the most complex and challenging countries to master its wide variety of wines. The Italian Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry acknowledges that more than 850 grape varieties are currently used to make Italian wines. Most are small production wines that never leave the country. Due to the large number of wines produced, Italy saw the need to implement a classification system. The goal is to standardize the grape varieties used in the wines of a region (i.e. Chianti wine in the Tuscany region must use between 75% and 100% Sangiovese grapes to obtain DOC status) and provide to consumers a quality rating system.

Italian wines have these four broad classifications:

– VDT, basic Italian table wine.

– IGT, denotes wine from a specific region in Italy, but does not adhere to Italian wine laws.

– DOC, refers to specific denominations in Italy and only uses grapes approved for use in that wine region.

– DOCG, wines that have DOC status and are winners in blind tasting tests, making them the highest quality wines in a region.

Italy has 20 major wine regions. For red wines, the Piedmont and Tuscany regions produce the world-famous wines Brunello di Montalcino, Barolo (nicknamed the King of Italian reds) and Barbaresco. The Sangiovese grape is used to make the Brunello wines of Tuscany, while the Nebbiolo grape is used to make the noble Barolo and Barbaresco wines of Piedmont.

Italian White Wines

Aside from Pinot Grigio, most Italian white wines are not as well known as their more famous red wine cousins. Italian white wines tend to be smooth, acidic, and pleasant. They are excellent companions with food or enjoyed alone as good wines. Northern Italy produces some of the best white wines in Italy. The three main regions are Veneto, Fruili-Venezie Giulia and Trentino Alto-Adige. Italian white wines are affordable, so try these wines:

– Soave – from Veneto, it is dry and crisp with flavors of peach and apple

– Pinot Grigio – The best known white in Italy, it is light, dry and crisp with citrus and lemon notes.

– Verdicchio – de Marche, is a medium-bodied, dry and crisp wine with pronounced mineral and lemon flavors.

– Orvieto – from Umbria, it is medium-bodied, dry and crunchy with aromas of apple and pear

– Gavi – from Piedmont, it is medium-bodied, dry and crisp with floral notes, melons, minerals and honey.

– Arneis – from Piedmont, it is light to medium bodied, dry and has aromas of pear and almonds

– Prosecco: from Veneto, Italy’s famous sparkler, it is slightly sweet with flavors of lemon, almonds, melon and honey.

Food pairings

Offering world-class cuisine, Italian wines were designed to be food-friendly and accessible. Geography always plays a role in food combinations. As Italy is surrounded by water, many wines pair well with seafood. These include Pinot Grigio, Gavi, Soave, Arneis and Orvieto wines. Salads pair well with Prosecco and Pinot Grigio wines. Grilled chicken pairs well with Orvieto and Pinot Grigio wines. Light pasta dishes pair well with Prosecco, Pinot Grigio, Arneis and Verdicchio wines. Verdicchio and Soave wines also pair well with basil / pesto sauce, fish, and creamy risotto with vegetable dishes.

Italian pasta recipe

Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe (Cheese and Pepper Paste)

Easy to prepare and tasty.

Ingredients

1 pound spaghetti

6 tablespoons heavy cream

1/2 cup freshly grated pecorino romano cheese

1/2 cup freshly grated Asiago cheese

1/2 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper

Salt to taste

Addresses

– In a large pot of boiling salted water, add the spaghetti and cook until al dente; drain but do not rinse.

– Put the cooked spaghetti back in the pot.

– Add 2 tablespoons of heavy cream over the spaghetti while stirring 1/3 of the two cheeses

– Repeat this process two more times (2 tablespoons of cream and 1/3 of cheeses), until all the cream and cheeses are mixed.

– Once the spaghetti is covered with cheese, sprinkle in the black pepper and stir to mix

– Salt to taste

– Transfer to a serving bowl and Mangia!

The spicy character of this pasta dish calls for a fruity red wine, such as Barbera.

Italian white wine selections

2009 Zenato Lugana San Benedeto 90 pts. R. Parker

2009 Tamellini Soave 88 pts. R. Parker

2010 Terredora Falanghina 88 pts. R. Parker

2008 Inama Soave Classico 89 pts. R. Parker

2010 Tiefenbrunner Pinot Grigio Not rated yet, Quality Producer

2008 Broglia Gavi la Meirana 90 pts. R. Parker