No Good White Wine in Italy?
Feb 20th, 2006, 11:40 AM
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No Good White Wine in Italy?
Listening to CBC (Canada) Olympic coverage there were quoting an Italian about white and red wine - the Italian said in Italy never drink white wine unless there is no red wine!
Is there any good white wine in Italy? I'm not a wine afficiando but i've had several Italian whites i liked - but do Italians even drink white wine?
Is there any good white wine in Italy? I'm not a wine afficiando but i've had several Italian whites i liked - but do Italians even drink white wine?
Feb 20th, 2006, 11:52 AM
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What nonsense! The Italian was probably a representative of the wine industry of Piedmont, which produces only red wines, among them Barolo, which is a very good - and generally very expensive - red.
Until fairly recently, Romans drank white wine with everythng, including red meat. Why? Because they preferred to drink local wine and the closest wine-growing region - the Colli Albani and Castelli Romani - produces much better whites than reds.
It's true that there is no Italian white that has the prestige of a Barolo or a Brunello di Montalcino, but that doesn't mean that there is no white wine in Italy or that Italians never drink white wine.
Until fairly recently, Romans drank white wine with everythng, including red meat. Why? Because they preferred to drink local wine and the closest wine-growing region - the Colli Albani and Castelli Romani - produces much better whites than reds.
It's true that there is no Italian white that has the prestige of a Barolo or a Brunello di Montalcino, but that doesn't mean that there is no white wine in Italy or that Italians never drink white wine.
Feb 20th, 2006, 12:01 PM
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No white wine drunk in Italy? What rubbish! Pinot Grigio, Vernaccia and Prosecco to name a few that are found all over Italy and elsewhere. Each of these are best in their regions but readily available.
May 2nd, 2006, 03:38 AM
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Just found this thread....
While Piedmont might be more famous for its red wines (Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera, Dolcetto, Brachetto d'Acqui DOCG, various blends of Monferrato Rosso, etc.), it certainly has many fabulous white wines as well.
Graham at Noceto Michelotti produces a Chardonnay Superiore to rival the best ...and he is right here in the Monferrato....
Endless Gavi DOCG choices, made from the Piemontese Cortese grapes...varies from dry to deep and fruity....
Moscato secco....sweet moscato which has had the sugar converted to alcohol in a longer fermentation processs...rivals the best german Gewürztraminer....
Roero Arneis...from the Langhe region... full bodied fresh white....
Lovely choices, don't you think? Come to Piemonte as see... we serve our guests a moscato secco with appetizers and they cannot believe how fruity and spicy it is.
A note. Piemonte's full range of reds is not necessarily expensive. Barolo is a DOCG wine from Nebbiolo grapes grown and produced in a very limited geographic region. There are a wide range of high quality reds in every price catagory in Piemonte....from a couple of Euros a bottle for a very drinkable table red wine to several hundred for a prestigious one.
We are SPOILED FOR CHOICE IN PIEMONTE!!
Diana
While Piedmont might be more famous for its red wines (Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera, Dolcetto, Brachetto d'Acqui DOCG, various blends of Monferrato Rosso, etc.), it certainly has many fabulous white wines as well.
Graham at Noceto Michelotti produces a Chardonnay Superiore to rival the best ...and he is right here in the Monferrato....
Endless Gavi DOCG choices, made from the Piemontese Cortese grapes...varies from dry to deep and fruity....
Moscato secco....sweet moscato which has had the sugar converted to alcohol in a longer fermentation processs...rivals the best german Gewürztraminer....
Roero Arneis...from the Langhe region... full bodied fresh white....
Lovely choices, don't you think? Come to Piemonte as see... we serve our guests a moscato secco with appetizers and they cannot believe how fruity and spicy it is.
A note. Piemonte's full range of reds is not necessarily expensive. Barolo is a DOCG wine from Nebbiolo grapes grown and produced in a very limited geographic region. There are a wide range of high quality reds in every price catagory in Piemonte....from a couple of Euros a bottle for a very drinkable table red wine to several hundred for a prestigious one.
We are SPOILED FOR CHOICE IN PIEMONTE!!
Diana
May 2nd, 2006, 03:45 AM
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There are loads of white wines in Italy including lots of good ones. We regularly visit southern Italy where we live on fabulous seafood and white wine. The Gambero Rosso Italian Wines Guide (annual) is a good guide to the best wines.
May 2nd, 2006, 04:16 AM
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Bellacqui...I love Gewürztraminer..where would Moscato secco be prodominantly found? I would like to try it. I will be in Tuscany and Umbria in two weeks where mostly red wines rule but I like to have a apertif...or two. I fell in love with the wine made from the Zibbibo grape while in Sicily. I have not found a supplier here in Canada that sells it but it was yummy. San Gimignano is one of our stops and I understand they have some good white wines.
May 2nd, 2006, 06:43 AM
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Oh, the joy of prosecco! Drink lots of it and praise Italy. I don't drink much bubbly at home but I go straight for the prosecco in the grocery store when I get to Italy.
At home I like pinot grigio when I'm in the mood for white wine. There isn't a bad pinot grigio, they only get better the more you pay.
At home I like pinot grigio when I'm in the mood for white wine. There isn't a bad pinot grigio, they only get better the more you pay.
May 2nd, 2006, 06:51 AM
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I love wine. All good quality, properly aged. Lots of good white wine in Italy, Moscato, Orvieto Classico, Vernaccia di SG, Santa Margherita Pino Grigio, Greco (a very old Roman varietal).
It is possible to like both red and white wines.
Salute
It is possible to like both red and white wines.
Salute
May 2nd, 2006, 07:01 AM
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Blanket statements are dangerous if not just plain silly. I thought the title question was silly, then I read another statement equally off base:
"Until fairly recently, Romans drank white wine with everythng, including red meat.
I guess if this were to be interpreted as "there were always a few people in Rome who drank white instead of red" then it would make some sense. But I hope no one would seriously take the statement to indicate until recently that white wine was all or even the most commonly drunk wine in Rome!
"Until fairly recently, Romans drank white wine with everythng, including red meat.
I guess if this were to be interpreted as "there were always a few people in Rome who drank white instead of red" then it would make some sense. But I hope no one would seriously take the statement to indicate until recently that white wine was all or even the most commonly drunk wine in Rome!
May 2nd, 2006, 07:27 AM
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Neopolitan, In the 70s, were you dining frequently with Romans in local trattorie?
I don't think so, because if you had been, you would have seen that the majority of diners were, indeed, drinking white wine.
I don't think so, because if you had been, you would have seen that the majority of diners were, indeed, drinking white wine.
May 2nd, 2006, 10:53 AM
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I ate in many trattorie in Rome in the 1970's as well as in the homes of Romans and the great majority drank red wine not white.
Italy has a wealth of wonderful wine, red or white.
PalQ, I hadn't seen this thread of yours before today. I think the comment you heard on TV is rather like when Italians get into conversations regarding where in Italy the south of Italy begins, or which area of Italy speaks the best Italian. Those conversations always make for interesting and amusing talks..well most of the time anyway.
Italy has a wealth of wonderful wine, red or white.
PalQ, I hadn't seen this thread of yours before today. I think the comment you heard on TV is rather like when Italians get into conversations regarding where in Italy the south of Italy begins, or which area of Italy speaks the best Italian. Those conversations always make for interesting and amusing talks..well most of the time anyway.
May 2nd, 2006, 12:52 PM
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There is some excellent white wine in Italy from the Alto Adige; the slopes of the Adige Valley are home to very well-thought of producers such as Hofstatter and others. Great reds (Lagrein) are produced in the valleys of the same region.
I like Tocai Friulano a lot, too...from the northeast of the country. This is not realted to tokai from Hungary, by the way.
And as noted above, there are some good whites from Campania; the greco grape (as in Greco di Tufo) is the precursor of the grechetto used in Orvieto whites, and also of verdicchio.
I like Tocai Friulano a lot, too...from the northeast of the country. This is not realted to tokai from Hungary, by the way.
And as noted above, there are some good whites from Campania; the greco grape (as in Greco di Tufo) is the precursor of the grechetto used in Orvieto whites, and also of verdicchio.
