Pinot Grigio, that is. I have been on a white wine kick and now that I will be in Rome shortly I need some good advice on white wines. What are some good recommendations? I would love to try something different. Winos?

wine spectator site and start your research.

I know that there is a Orvieto white that simply is delicious...I just cannot remember what grape it is... but it is woooonderful.

Although not really a white wine drinker, I have heard of Frascati wine. There is a hill town not too far from Rome by the same name. I'll be in Rome in October. Tell me how it is.

In Rome, the obvious answers would be Frascati and white Colli Albani wines.

Unfortunately, Italy exports more Frascati and Colli Albani than could possibly be produced within such a small area, so Wine Spectator research might be a very good idea.

Very many Romans, however, drink the house wines and almost inevitably, no matter what they are having, the white rather than the red. The quality varies, of course, but some house wines can be very pleasant and eminently quaffable, in the sense that they are light and can be consumed quite freely.

Great title.

I truly wish I could remember the name of the incredible Italian white I had in St Kitts last month. I know that it started with a C and it was produced in the Veneto region. If I saw the name, I would probably recognize it.

Good luck!

That's the funniest title I've read since, "Virgin with a Baby" about a woman taking her child on a Virgin flight.

Another fave was, "I'm heaving on a jet plane," about motion sickness.

I thought it would catch the eye!

Thanks so far for the recs. Once I started drinking white wine I started noticing the complexities that I didn't know white wine had.

celticdreams, think, think!

SU, you're definitely a shoo-in for the catchiest title of the year!

Suzie C, do you mean Orvieto Classico? It's lovely in its better incarnations.

Hi SU,

Pinot Grigio is from the Veneto region near Venice.

Orvieto and Frascati, both light whites,
would be more of the style of Rome.

The very best IT whites (Sauvignon Blanc, Tokay/Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc are from Friulia (the NE) and some Chards from Sicily are amazing.
M

SeaUrchin, I just went through my memory bank, I know we had it at Island Spice, and I just searched everywhere to see if they had a menu online or something, but no luck. I'll keep trying.

Hi SeaUrchin, a special wine (sort of like champagne) that you might enjoy in Rome is Berlucchi. My Roman born & bred SIL loves it! He and my daughter are hording two bottles here in N CA for special events.

Another nice, light and refreshing wine from Veneto is Prossecco. And the wine from Orvieto is fabulous too.

Do have a wonderful time in Rome! I know you will.

SeaUrchin, if I were you, I'd spend some time researching the archives of newsletters at http://www.italianwinemerchant.com/default.htm, a much better source of focused info than Wine Spectator. If that's too daunting, email them and ask for recommendations. I'm confident you will charm your way into some very special information.

Also, I highly recommend the following book:

Vino Italiano: The Wines of Italy
By David Lynch & Joe Bastianich

Joe Bastianich is Lydia's son and David Lynch appeared on Martha Stewart's show, shortly after the book came out. This book created quite a buzz in NYC and still does.

Enjoy!

Thanks all.
NYFS, that is a great site, thanks.

I am looking forward to putting my new knowledge to some serious use.

I don't know if you are going to see the grape varietal on the label in Italy. Italian whites come mainly from Trentino-Alto Adige and Veneto, parts of which were in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which expired in 1918. Bolzano/Bozen is still bi-lingual.

Personally I take Pinot Grigio as a mouth flush so you wouldn't want my opinion on white wines. I suggest that you get Hugh Johnson's Pocket Encyclopedia of Wine for an intro to just about every wine on the planet. It is a very handy book.

hopscotch, I do want your opinions on white wine.

I can take it, give me what you've got.

SeaUrchin - One of my favourite whites is from Novacella Monastery in Alto Adige. I expect you can find it in Rome.

Buon Viaggio!

Steve

"Personally I take Pinot Grigio as a mouth flush...".

I am in agreement with hopscotch.

Although, with somewhat lower acidity and lemony palate, yet a cleaner approach with more complexity in the nose and structure are the version of Pinot Gris from Alsace. I think that these are so much better than their Italian counterparts.