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[Needed Recs] Cheap, widely available, good wine in Italy?

[Needed Recs] Cheap, widely available, good wine in Italy?

Old May 27th, 2017, 08:27 AM
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[Needed Recs] Cheap, widely available, good wine in Italy?

Hi there, I'm in Rome and will be in Positano area, and there's some super cheap wine here (anywhere from 1.5€ to 8€ is quite cheap imo.)

I'm a lover of reds with lots of body, tannins, pepper, etc. Think Cabernet Sauvignon, Cab Franc, Zinfandel, etc. I've been disappointed with the couple random reds I've gotten thus far. They're not very big or bold, don't have as much body, not much complexity, etc. I have a feeling I just don't know what I'm doing.

Can anyone give me recommendations for cheap, widely available, Italian reds (dry to semi-sweet range is fine.) I also like whites like Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Reisling, etc, so recommendations for whites would be good too I suppose.

Thanks!
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Old May 27th, 2017, 08:29 AM
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Barberas (red).
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Old May 27th, 2017, 08:47 AM
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well, given that Italy has so many indiginious grapes I wouldn't tend to pay for most of the wines you have listed. Certainly their Pinot Grigio I generally disgusting. You may also find that your normal wine goes with your normal food, Italian wines are designed to go with their local food. So your usual answers may not work in Italy.

"super cheap" is that less than cheap in which case less than E1.50 a bottle? Just a bit lost at the difference between super cheap, quiet cheap and cheap...

Are you buying in restaurants or supermarkets, again the price difference is massive

Of course Rome is not a great wine producing area which does not help.

I tend to drink the local wine, which is less than E1.5 a bottle (but doesn't come in a bottle) when in Italy, but if I went into a supermarket and bought a wine for a friend I'd maybe look at a Primativo from Puglia or Negroamaro from Puglia or Basilicata.

Postino is a wine producing area, they make some Aglianico (swallow the "g" as in lasagna) which can be nice.

Whites, I dislike most Italian whites (what can you say) but the Vernacie of San Gimignano are drinkable. If you see Soave or EstEstEst avoid at these price levels
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Old May 27th, 2017, 08:47 AM
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Barberas at this price may be tricky
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Old May 27th, 2017, 08:52 AM
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I have never, ever had a bad bottle of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo or Nero D'Avola.

There are nothing compared to a complex Bordeaux or a very light Brunello but what do you want for e4 ?
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Old May 27th, 2017, 09:00 AM
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British, either I am more experienced than you or more unlucky ;-) but they are normally both good wines, the Montepulciano may be more expensive. You can get good Nero in the price range, if I've understood it correctly.

Certainly an Amorone will knock many great Bordeaux into a cocked hat but again not at these prices.
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Old May 27th, 2017, 09:11 AM
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Are you purchasing bottles from a store?

Maybe go to casual cafes and restaurants and just take whatever the house is serving by the carafe or pitcher for reds or whites? Rather than looking to match prior expectations just try what is popularly served in the region instead??
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Old May 27th, 2017, 09:26 AM
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I usually just go to the Conad in the basement of Termini and buy what is on sale.

I hate Nero D'Avola, by the way.

I usually like reds from Antinori winery.

Thin
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Old May 27th, 2017, 09:51 AM
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First of all, don't look for grapes but appellations (wine regions). Look south. Cheap wines will not have the body and heft you are looking for but there is greater value in the south, like aglianico del vulture, ciro, negroamaro, cacc'e mmitte di lucera, sicilians in general... a northern exception that you might like in that pricerange is ripasso from veneto. try to stay over 5 euros. For whites, look for central italians, maybe a pecorino from abruzzo.
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Old May 27th, 2017, 10:19 AM
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Hmmm. Given your description and where you are, suggest looking for Aglianico del vulture first and foremost. Also would look for Montefalco reds from Umbria. You're not willing to spend what Sagrantino costs, but sometimes you can get a generic but good Montefalco Rosso at a low price in a supermarket if you are lucky.

Also, I don't care for Syrah or Shiraz, but do you? Shiraz in Italy tends to be low priced and plainly marked. Have you tried any?

Will second the recommendation for pecorino from abruzzo for white, but also am a big fan of Est! Est! Est! and most bottles are low priced. I also like some whites from Sicily, especially from around Etna, but they can climb up in price.
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Old May 27th, 2017, 10:31 AM
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I have to put in a plug for verdicchio, from my region, Le Marche. There are two verdicchio wine growing regions: Castelli di Jesi and Matelica. Verdicchio di Matelica is usually cheaper, but both come in many price ranges. Verdicchio is supposed to be especially good with fish.
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Old May 27th, 2017, 10:44 AM
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I just find New world reds so artificial and stacked with tannins, spice and chemicals. I really can't cope with Shiraz or Syrah. Reds in France have to be considered very, very carefully and there's usually few bargains.

Back to Italy, Vernaccia di San Gimignano (white) is great for its usual price of around e5. Huge amounts of lemon and flowers, on a really hot evening, chilled to the right temperature it's perfect with seafood. It's grown in a small area near the town.

You can't hate Nero D'Avola, it hasn't enough character to hate. Served at the right temperature and not too cold it's just very drinkable. We can all snob about a e100 Borolo but do any of us drink them regularly?
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Old May 27th, 2017, 12:15 PM
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This is a simple chart of Italian wine classifications:

http://winefolly.com/review/looking-...e-appellation/

I've found small wine shop owners/employees very helpful and not at all put off by a low price point.
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Old May 27th, 2017, 01:11 PM
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Some of the best-reviewed wines in France are white labels for Carrefour and other big discount chains.

Nothing like that in Italy?

Or at least Trader Joes?
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Old May 27th, 2017, 04:52 PM
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hahahaha. funny idea. Trader Joe's in Italy. Fascinating to me how they stay in business in America offering such awful tasting products. Testament, I guess, to how many Americans don't like to cook and will eat anything so long as all they need to to is reheat it.

Carrefour owns supermarkets in some parts of Italy. Maybe they sell house label wine in them. I've never noticed. They might not exist in Rome (never looked) and tend to doubt there is a Carrefour in Positano
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Old May 27th, 2017, 10:45 PM
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Nero D'Avola is pretty reliable. I got a bottle from a shop right on Campo di Fiori last week for less than €6
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Old May 28th, 2017, 06:37 AM
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Thanks all, you're awesome! I'm going to try to target a couple of the wines you mentioned at the nearest Carrefour.

Next to try to figure out what the heck the Prosciutteria put on the platter I ordered. I [stupidly] didn't ask what cheeses and meats I was eating, but it was one of the best things I've ever eaten.

Anyway, thank you all for your help!
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Old May 28th, 2017, 08:09 AM
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Not the tiny Carrefours in the city, the big ones out on the outskirts of cities.
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Old May 28th, 2017, 09:16 AM
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depending on where you are you may find little wine shops on the back streets, often just shuttered up until 6pm, you can get bulk wine but also ask the shopkeeper he may have some interesting stuff
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Old May 28th, 2017, 12:46 PM
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I've heard about the vino sfuso, but I've been unsuccessful finding any unfortunately. I think I have bad timing and also they're just not really listed well online. Hopefully I'll run across one that's open before I leave.
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