5 Italian Wines that Know How to Party

Summer is just around the corner, and if you’re like me you’ll be looking for an excuse (any will do) for a get-together with friends and family.  Grilling steaks with the neighbors for the 4th of July?  Having a clam bake or a fish fry for Labor Day?  No matter what summer festivities you have planned, here are 5 workhorse Italian wines that are sure to please you and your guests.

My wine selections here are based on simple criteria:

1. They’re reasonably priced. You shouldn’t have to pay more than $15-25/bottle for a decent Italian wine.  Paying more means you’re likely paying for cache or marketing hype. Save your money and go with these reasonably priced bottles.
2. They’re widely available. You should be able to find reliably good wines at your local wine shop, or order them online for quick delivery.  These wines fit the bill.
3. They please all palates. It’s probably a safe bet that your friends and extended family aren’t very familiar with Italian wines, so I’m skipping the obscure and unusual wines and going with popular and food-friendly wines that are ready to drink today.

Reds that rock the house.

OK, I know that red wine fans will moan when I say this, but park your penchant for massive, tannic red wines till the Autumn season, because Summer is all about light and medium bodied reds, whites and pinks.  The last thing you’ll want on a hundred degree day is a heavy, powerful red with 15% alcohol.  Trust me on this one.

Here are two medium-bodied Italian reds that pair well with summer food fare — grilled and roasted meats, in particular.  Your party guests will love them, and they just might be good candidates for your everyday “house red.”  I keep a half dozen bottles of each of these around and pull them out for spontaneous dinners with guests.

Felsina Chianti Classico Riserva 2007

Felsina arguably makes the most popular, food-friendly Chianti Classico ever crafted.  You’ll find this very quaffable red on the menus of Italian restaurants in America everywhere.  Save yourself time searching for the perfect party red and reach for Felsina’s Riserva 2007 – you can’t go wrong.

On the nose you’ll find ripe red fruits like raspberries and bing cherries, light fennel and a hint of smokiness from the aging barrels.  The palate goes wild with more raspberry, crabapple, a touch of cranberry, and aromas of violets.  The acidity is balanced with the fruit and tannin, and the finish is smooth and long.

You’ll notice that this wine evolves beautifully in the glass over time, becoming more elegant with expanding aromas of leather and more fennel.

Felsina’s 2007 riserva is truly a classic in the Chianti style. It’s sure to be a talking point as your guests savor this wine.

Bisceglia “Gudarrà”
Aglianico del Vulture 2006

The Aglianico (“all-YAH-nee-co”) wines of the deep south are some of my favorite value reds in all of Italy.  This gem comes from Basilicata, the province located in the instep of the Italian boot where the land and the people are rugged, but the wines have a degree of power and finesse.

At the base of the extinct volcano Monte Vulture (“VOOL-too-ray”), farmers have been planting the black-as-night Aglianico grape since it was brought to the area by Greek settlers thousands of years ago. The searing hot sun of Basilicata summers makes for complex, fruit forward tastes, and the dark, volcanic red soil in the area leaves a distinctive mineral impression on the wines.

Not all that many bottles of Aglianico del Vulture DOCG make it out of Italy for sale here in the States.  Luckily for us, Bisceglia (“bee-SHAYL-yah”) is exporting  more of their production these days, and at remarkably affordable prices.

If you’re a fan of big reds, you’re going to love this wine.  Bring a glass of Gudarrà up to your nose and you’ll sense dark plum and blackberry fruits, dried savory herbs, and earth – lots of it.   Sip this jet-black wine and be prepared for the explosion: jammy dark fruits and leather, tobacco and wild fennel, lots of dark earth and a hint of violets.  Fantastic.  There’s a reason they call Aglianico del Vulture the “Barolo of the South.”

Biceglia’s Gudarrà Aglianico del Vulture 2006 is a huge value for what you get in the glass, and you can’t go wrong pulling this one out for your next barbeque.  Give it a try.

Whites born for summer.

Young white wines were meant for summer (and so are pink wines, but that’s another post).  I have two knock-out whites to recommend to you for your lighter summer meals.  You’ll want to keep drinking these into the Fall months, but they’re best enjoyed with summer food fare.

Russiz Superiore Pinot Grigio 2009

I must admit, most Italian Pinot Grigio wines are too light bodied and haven’t impressed me – until now.  This one knocked my socks off.

Russiz Superiore is a big producer in the Collio Goriziano DOC zone (Collio for short), way up in the northeast corner of Italy in the province of Friuli-Venezia Giulia.  They make a gaggle of mono-varietal wines that are quite good, but my favorite is their Collio Pinot Grigio 2009.

Take a sniff of this wine and young red apples, bosc pears and carnation flowers immediately hit you.  I’m content just to enjoy the nose on this wine, but it invites you in for much more.  On the palate you’ll find all that fruit, plus honeydew melon and a tartness of lime that give it a crisp flavor that pairs wonderfully with summer food fare.

One thing you’ll note with this wine, and most Friuli wines, is the significant minerality.  The growing region was submerged in the Mediterranean in ancient times, and the soil today has layers of limestone, sandstone and clay that pleasantly come through on the palate.

Pinot Grigio is super-easy for pairing with food.  If you’re frying or grilling shrimp, fish, or chicken, this vino is the bomb.  I use Russiz Pinot Grigio as a perfect pairing for pre-dinner antipasto – roasted red peppers, bresaola, mild and creamy cheeses, marinated artichokes.  Pair it with gnocchi con pesto or any pasta dish with clams or mussels, it’s a great alternative to Ligurian white wines (which also love to party).

If you’re a Pinot Grigio fan, and I know many of you are, you’ll adore this wine.

Vietti Roero Arneis 2009

OK fellow wine lovers, if you’ve every tasted a Roero Arneis wine before, raise your hand.  Hmmm.  Anybody?  Bueller? Not too many have tasted this obscure native Italian grape varietal, but that’s about to change.  You’ve gotta give this pretty white a try.

If you like my more elegant Russiz Pinot Grigio recommendation above, think of Vietti Roero Arneis as its more fresh, extroverted friend – the perfect guest everyone likes to have around at a party.  Crisp green apples, grapefruit, and pears come through on the palate of this off-dry (not sweet) white, and the nose has sexy (yes, sexy) hints of mint and jasmine.  If you’re a fan of Pinot Grigio or like Sauvignon Blanc, you’ll fall in love with Vietti’s Roero Arneis.

Roero Arneis likes to be consumed young, so it’s perfect for summer food fair so long as you’re drinking the latest vintage.  Pair this lovely with anything you’d pair with Sauvignon Blanc – Grilled and roasted chicken and game birds, sautéed scallops, anything with goat cheese, and summer vegetable dishes like insalata caprese, grilled peppers, roasted asparagus.  This even goes with many Tex-Mex dishes.

Enlighten and impress your guests by adding Vietti Roero Arneis 2009 to your shopping list.  I’m pretty sure you’ll become a lifelong fan of this wine.

Oh, and don’t forget dessert!

I love my next recommendation, and so will you.  Trust me, just buy it.  I don’t import it, but it’s probably the most amazing sweet wine in all of Italy (some of my producers will cringe when they read this).

Donnafugata Ben Ryé 2007, 2008

Off the southern coast of Sicily, smack dab in the middle of the Mediterranean and a stones throw away from rebellious Tunisia lies the tiny, sirocco-swept island of Pantelleria.  This island is heavenly to visit on holiday in July and August, but there’s a drying wind that constantly blows late in the fall, desiccating the Zibibbo grape (think Moscato) grown here into nearly raisins.  It gets so windy here that the wine producers grow the grapes in low, circular bundles to protect the grappoli (bunches) from being knocked off the vine.  This is extreme wine making at its most passionate, and Pantelleria has a long history of making mind-blowing sweet wines.

Donnafugata makes about 10,000 bottles of this rare and extraordinary wine, which they named Ben Ryé, from the Arabic “Son of the Wind”.  The nose has a whole lot going on, with sweet spices, brown sugar and stone fruits wafting up from the glass.  On the palate it’s a kaleidoscope of flavors – apricot, grilled peaches, vanilla, baking spices,  and remarkably balanced acidity that makes for a not-too-sweet experience.  I drink this as a dessert in itself, but you can pair it with panna cotta, crème brulee, or just dip little almond biscotti in it.  If you’re into bleu cheeses, pair them with Ben Ryé.

Both the 2007 and 2008 vintages are fantastic, so pick up whichever one you can find. If this wine doesn’t blow you away, I’ll turn in my Sommelier certification.

Care to share your favorites?

I’ve listed 5 dependable, delicious Italian wines, but no doubt you’ve run across some that you really like.  Care to share them with the rest of the class?  Take a minute and post your favorites in the Comments section below.

Hey!  We’re now on Facebook! Come visit us and if you like what you’re reading there (and here), then Like us and tell your friends!

Ciao!
Michael