As Italian wines are a growing favourite at iDealwine, we’ve put together this blog post shining a light on the gems waiting for you on our website. You’ll find the crème de la crème from Piedmont, Tuscany, and Sicily, as well as notable vintages and national specialties (rosso, passito, maceration wines).
Landmark regions
Let’s start in the north with the foothills of Piedmont, a wine region home to some of Italy’s best reputed producers. The Nebbiolo variety reigns supreme in these parts, a grape known for its finesse, complexity, and great ageing potential; for this kind of profile, you should look out for wines from appellations like Barolo. Estates from Barolo that we’ve hand-picked for you include Roagna (with rare large formats) and Roberto Voerzio. Not far, and with a different kind of character, are the appellations of Barbaresco (Bruno Rocca), Barbera d’Alba (Luigi Pira), and Langhe (Vietti, Giovanni Battista Burlotto).
Imagine you’re looking out over a landscape of rolling hills sketched with cypress trees and olive groves, under a Tuscan sun that’s so generous to the region’s grapes. Tenuta San Guido (the Super Tuscan responsible for the legendary Sassicaia), Angelo Gaja, and Bibi Graetz are going to cause quite the dilemma if you have to choose between them.
Even further south, we find the island of Sicily with the imposing slopes of mount Etna. Here, we find a strong viticultural spirit linked to ancestral practices and the revival of little-used grapes. Among the vintners dedicated to this local culture are Franck Cornelissen and Arianna Occhipinti.
Made in Italy: special vinifications
If you know French wine quite well and you’re in search of new curiosities, Italy might be your next port of call. Both vine-growing and wine-making methods can differ substantially from what we see elsewhere, with Italian white wines possessing a highly extracted character and an unusual oakiness, for example. Whilst orange wines are something of a trend in France, they are found much more widely in Italy, and you’ll find some of these by Elisabetta Foradori in our selection (one of our instant favourites, by the way!).
Neither red nor rosé, rosso wine deserves all your attention as we segue into the warmer months. These cuvées make for wonderful summer dining accompaniments but can also be enjoyed as an aperitif. We recommend the Rosso di Montalcine Pian delle Vigne from Marchesi Antinori, as well as the rossi from Azienda Agricola Pietro Caciorgna.
Passito wines – a kind of dessert wine – are still keeping a bit of a low profile, which is unfortunate considering their marvelous complexity on both the nose and the palate. They pair beautifully with desserts involving tropical fruit or chocolate. The passito cuvées by Massa Vecchia and San Giusto a Rentennano are particularly good.
Some recently added partner domains
You’ve probably already come across some of the names in our Italian selection, but our network is still growing! Our recent favourite has to be Pian dell’Orino, we love the elegant, infused style from this biodynamic estate. Back to Tuscany, you’ll find surprising white wines from Montenidoli. From Lombardy, we have some lovely wines from the mountainous land of Ar. Pe. Pe…although there aren’t many available! If you’re into natural wines (or have yet to make the jump), Eduardo Torres Accosta is known for his no-intervention produce and its expression of the volcanic Sicilian terroir. Finally, Damijan Podversic, who worked at Gravner for a long time, is an emblematic figure for maceration wines.
