Italian white wines should not be overlooked

David Falchek, The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa.
·2 min read

Jun. 15—If you think "red wine" when you hear about wine from Italy, your thinking is incomplete.

Some excellent white wines, or at least those with a high price-to-quality ratio, are from Italy.

Sure, Italy is home to Super Tuscans and Barolos, some of the most coveted red wines in the world, but there is an entire world — a more diverse world — of white wine from the Dolomites to Sicily.

These white wines have been overlooked until a few decades ago, when cash-starved producers finally invested in temperature-controlled fermentation tanks and realized they could make very good white wines.

Italy has many indigenous red and white grape varieties. The white grape arneis was nearly extinct in the '60s and '70s, but a few dedicated producers in the Piedmonte kept it going.

Elvio Tintero Langhe Arneis 2021 is a light bodied wine with character of unripe pineapple and lemon citrus with a mineral finish. PLCB $14. HHH 1/2

Go far enough to the north, and Italians don't look like Italians. Some of them have blonde hair and speak a German dialect as a first language. It's also cool enough that winemakers there always made exceptional white wines, but those wines are influenced by France and Germany. They are making riesling and Gewurztraminer and have been for generations. Pinot blanc is one that shows up here as "pinot bianco."

Zorzettig 2020 Friuli Pinot Bianco shows a floral and fruity character that leans toward the ripe and tropical with a touch of sweetness. PLCB $11. HHHH 1/2

Another once boring wine that now often shines is the region Soave, pronounced similar to Rico Suave.

Flavs 2020 Soave Classico shows orange rind and spicy smells with character citrus on a medium-bodied wine with bright acidy. PLCB $10. HHHH

We can't forget wines like grillo from Sicily and those from Orvieto and Pecorino. Also, wines made from grapes such as trebbiano and vermentino also represent a sample of Italy's white wine diversity.

GRADE: Exceptional HHHHH, Above average HHHH, Good HHH, Below average HH, Poor H

DAVID FALCHEK, executive director of the American Wine Society, reviews wines each week.

GRADE: Exceptional HHHHH, above average HHHH, Good HHH, Below average HH, Poor H

DAVID FALCHEK, executive director of the american Wine Society, reviews wines each week.