Underhill

Italian beer is great.

suze

Why in the world would you want to force your new husband to drink wine if he doesn't like it? Leave the poor man alone. Rally not a good attitude to start a marriage imo. Let him drink cocktails, or beer, or water, or coffee, or nothing. Sheez!!

suze

Then you can order the "house wines" by small carafe or pitcher if you want to have some, but less than a full bottle.

ellenem

House wines at restaurants in Italy are oftern quite good. It is usual to order your choice of red or white wine by the liter or half-liter. Some restaurants offer choices by the glass, and some also offer a quartino (quarter-liter).

BillJ

My wife cannot drink wines due to the sulphites. Though it seemed that the cheap table wines in most trattorias did not bother her.
That said, whenever she ordered the Italian beers, she got an appreciative look from the wait staff. Peroni and Moretti are her favorites. Both of those are generally available in the USA at BevMo or most liquor stores. He can try them out here, then act like a knowledgeable beer drinker when he gets over there. I always have a supply of Moretti on ice here at home.

GSteed

Hey! People that dislike a particular food or beverage may have had a bad experience early in life with a spoiled or very poor item. New inexpensive wines are often not palatable..wines are served that have spoiled. Try a 'fine'champagne. Church wine may be too sweet! Beer is bitter. Make it your gift, the champagne in the ice bucket beside the table should prove irresistible.

Eloise

GSteed, Ordering a bottle of Champagne - and I assume you meant "brut" and not "fine" - would be a very costly experiment in Italy.

Mnannie, There is a dry bubbly wine - someone in this thread has already mentioned it - called Prosecco. Every restaurant or reasonably good cafe has it, and it is no more expensive than a glass of regular wine. Since it is most often ordered as an aperitif, order two glasses before the meal. If your husband likes it, fine. If he doesn't, it's no great loss.

walkinaround

as beer in europe goes, italy has some of the worst. but they have some of the best wines. but it's his holiday too so don't be a nag.

LoveItaly

Hi mnannie, do try the Prosecco but try the Prosecco from Congeliano where the original wine is from as there are a lot of wines now called Prosecco that is not like the original Prosecco. And do order two glasses, if you are lucky your husband won't like it and you can drink both, LOL.

About Italians beers not being good, in that every Italian I know can order beer from many countries I guess they are not "gourmet" beer drinkers as they prefer Italian beer, brands already mentioned here on your thread.

fishee

Just pour white wine into a bottle of Bud Lite or an empty can of Pabst Blue Ribbon and warn him that it tastes different in Italy. Be prepared to throw a fit and threaten divorce if he wants to mention the strange taste to the waiter -- the best strategy might be to tell him that such a question will make both of you appear to be un-cultured idiots. The bottles will take up a little room in your suitcase but it's sooo worth it. The cans you can compress, of course, within a large zip-lock bag. Have fun.

Big_Red

Let's see. Church wine is usually sweeter, so ask the waiter for something dry (sec in Italy).

With a dinner, you might order a glass for each of you. If he stares at it (instead of drinking it) then it is fair game for you.

You know, in Italy I have had a 5 euro bottle that was truly excellent and an 11 euro bottle that was fantastic. With some planning (ie a referral to the right trattoria, osteria, or whateveria) they might have a wine that strikes a cord with hubby. Or maybe 30 minutes at an enotecha.

For your sake, do not try too hard to change the beer drinker.

camelbak

I have always been a beer drinker, and really didn't like red wine at all before going to Italy for the first time (I always got an awful headache).

My BF opened a bottle of Chianti on my first day in Italy and I was converted....and have about 20 corks which I brought home to show for it.

I really don't like the red wine at "home", but real Italian Chianti and Brunello....ahhhhh

BUT, there are lots of different type of beer in Italy (we sampled those too) so let him enjoy his beer, but...

...ask him to have one glass of red wine and then you can have the rest of the bottle for yourself!

Have a wonderful time!!

degas

"Peer pressure will also have an influence on him -- if you go to a restaurant and he sees that 90% of the customers are drinking wine, he might think that he is missing something."

I didn't realize that there were so few beer drinkers in Italy.

kwren

That's more wine for you!

AntInNewYork

I have to say, as one who is in the wine business, it's hard to watch a customer who gets turned off by wine at a restaurant or tasting for no reason other then them not understanding what it is they are drinking. I'm not saying that your husband would cause a scene, I'm just trying to spare you from what could possibly be a potentially embarrassing situation with the waiter (or not-depends on how it's handled).

Bottom line: It's one thing if he's going into it with an open mind, hoping to find something he likes, but it's another thing entirely if this idea is all you. Better off letting him have his brewsky and avoiding a fight.

Carolina

I'm with Ira (and others) on this one. Let the poor man drink beer if he prefers it.
Peer pressure?? Never experienced it myself in Italy, just drink what you want, plenty of people prefer beer, juice, water, coffee etc. to wine.
Carolena

L84SKY

I was never liked beer, until I got to Prague.
Let the country convert him. It could be that he hasn't had really good wine yet. Of course, he may never like to drink wine.

I hope you have many happy years together.

kerouac

Re peer pressure, Carolina, I don't know which restaurants you've been to in Italy, but I have not personally seen "lots" of people drinking juice or coffee with their restaurant meals.

Cato

Here's a thought: Why don't you learn to drink beer?

Do on to others as you would have them do on to you. Didn't somebody famous say that a long time ago?

Clifton

peer pressure vs beer pressure

Agree with the others, if he liked wine he'd join you. If is interested in trying again, he will. Otherwise, there's nothing wrong with beer or beer drinkers. Lots of people like both. Maybe it does all taste like church wine to him. For instance, I can't abide coffee. Love the smell, have never liked the taste. People tell me to try different blends, etc. Doesn't matter - it's still coffee, still tastes like coffee. Despite how many people love it, I don't. I am a tea drinker. And it really doesn't matter one way or the other.