The Italian Table - Italy - page 1851

The Vino Lowdown
A sit-down meal without vino (wine) in Italy is as unpalatable as pasta without sauce. Not
ordering wine at a restaurant can cause consternation - are you pregnant or a recovering al-
coholic? Was it something the waiter said? Italian wines are considered among the most
versatile and 'food friendly' in the world, specifically cultivated over the centuries to elev-
ate regional cuisine.
Here, wine is a consideration as essential as your choice of dinner date. Indeed, while the
country's perfectly quaffable pilsner beers and occasional red ale pair well with roast
meats, pizza and other quick eats, vino is considered appropriate for a proper meal - and
since many wines cost less than a pint in Italy, this is not a question of price, but a matter of
flavour.
Some Italian wines will be as familiar to you as old flames, including pizza-and-a-movie
chianti or reliable summertime fling pinot grigio. But you'll also find some captivating
Italian varietals and blends for which there is no translation (eg Brunello, Vermentino,
Sciacchetrá), and intriguing Italian wines that have little in common with European and
Australian cousins by the same name (eg merlot, pinot nero aka pinot noir, chardonnay).
Many visitors default to carafes of house reds or whites, which in Italy usually means
young, fruit-forward reds to complement tomato sauces and chilled dry whites as seafood
palate-cleansers. But with a little daring, you can pursue a wider range of options by the
glass or half-bottle.
» Sparkling wines Franciacorta (Lombardy), prosecco (Veneto), Asti (aka Asti Spumante; Piedmont), Lam-
brusco (Emilia-Romagna)
» Light, citrusy whites with grassy or floral notes Vermentino (Sardinia), Orvieto (Umbria), Soave (Ven-
eto), Tocai (Friuli)
» Dry whites with aromatic herbal or mineral aspect Cinque Terre (Liguria), Gavi (Piedmont), Falanghina
(Campania), Est! Est!! Est!!! (Lazio)
» Versatile, food-friendly reds with pleasant acidity Barbera d'Alba (Piedmont), Montepulciano
d'Abruzzo (Abruzzo), Valpolicella (Veneto), Chianti Classico (Tuscany), Bardolino (Lombardy)
» Well-rounded reds, balancing fruit with earthy notes Brunello di Montalcino (Tuscany), Refosco dal
Pedulunco Rosso (Friuli), Dolcetto (Piedmont), Morellino di Scansano (Tuscany)
» Big, structured reds with velvety tannins Amarone (Veneto), Barolo (Piedmont), Sagrantino di Monte-
falco secco (Umbria), Sassicaia and other 'super-Tuscan' blends (Tuscany)