I’m new here and would like to thank you for the community. I have always enjoyed wine, but not purposefully, until recently. My family came to the US from Italy (Bari & Naples). My family were home wine makers and that tradition continues. Unfortunately, for much of my life finances prevented me from buying more costly wines. That is no longer the case, so I have begun cellaring recently. Any advice will be greatly appreciated! France confuses me still, but I am getting a decent handle on Italian wine. I have a predilection for Italian Reds. Barolo, Barbaresco, Brunello Di Montalcino, Nero D’Avola, and Amarone are among my favorites. I also enjoy Barbera D’Asti, Chianti Riserva, and Etna Rosso. For white wines, I like Fiano, Pinot Grigio, and Sauvignon Blanc.
Having been at this for 30 years now, mybiggest piece of advice would be to try to find as many opportunities to taste different wines as you can. Find local wine stores that do tastings, local wine lovers who might get together, restaurants that have wine dinners. Try new wines when you are out eating at restaurants. Most of my favorite wines have come from tasting experiences that led to purchases. My biggest buying mistakes have been relying on others, particularly wine critics, for my decisions.
Welcome, TS.
Home winemaking sounds like a fun hobby and I’m sure helps in your appreciation of the amount of labor and the art/skill.
Where in the US are you located? Knowledge of this may impact recommendations such as regional wines, wine stores, tasting opportunities.
Also, what are you curious about that people here might help with? How to store wine, what types will age well, what sources are there for finding the Italian wines you know you like, what different wines might fit your taste?
There is much knowledge in the community and with some more information, I’m sure you’ll get more information.
Franklin
I am in the central Ohio area. There is an incredible wine shop in an Italian market in Columbus where I by the vast majority of my wine. They have, by far, the best wine selection in the Columbus, Ohio area, and the set-up is perfect for finding exactly what you’re looking for. They also have tastings (flights) and I have been given several “samples” of some I was curious about. I can’t say enough positive things about the place! I’m not sure exactly what type of guidance I’m looking for, other than deciding which wines to cellar. I’ll tell you a bit then, if you like, you can tell me what I don’t know about what I don’t know. Mine is a common story, I’m sure. I have been drinking wine all my life, mostly either homemade or the common store shelf varieties; Cabernet (Not a fan), Merlot, Pinot Noir, Chianti, Chardonnay (I hate Chardonnay!), dry Reisling, Pinot Grigio. In the past two or three years, I really began exploring wines you don’t usually find on a grocery store shelf or even most restaurant wine lists. I always kept five or six bottles in the kitchen and if I wanted a certain wine for dinner, I would just pick one up. I find I really prefer Italian wines to French, but I truly believe it’s partly because the Italian classifications make sense to me. French does not. Now that I have learned the Italian grapes, wines, and regions I pretty much know what I’m going to get with them. My tastes are all over the spectrum depending on mood, location, food, or event. I’ve always loved deep, tannic reds (Barolo, Barbaresco, Chianti Classico, Brunello Di Montalcino, and Amarone are favorites). It has been a great adventure, though, and I’ve discovered other wines I really enjoy like Etna Rosso, Aglianico (Taurasi), Nero D’Avola, Barbera D’Asti, Etna Bianco, Vermentino, Vino Verde, and Fiano. Exploring these wines has been a revelation.
I started researching which wines can age well, and which should be consumed when purchased. I began a wine cellar for those that do well with age. What I’ve been doing is trying a wine, and if I like it, buying a bottle or two for the cellar. I don’t want to simply load up on a ton of Barolos and Barbarescos , knowing my palate may change some by the time they are ready and knowing I prefer different wines for different moods and occasions. I suppose I have been focused on cellaring wide, not deep. I would hate to buy two cases of Damilano Barolo, then discover I don’t love them as much ten years from now. I don’t know how wise this is, so any advice would be appreciated! I am still trying new to me wines all the time and expect that to continue for many years, but I do want some outstanding wines for the future.
Welcome! Thanks for your detailed perspectives. Given your white wine preferences it doesn’t surprise me that you dislike chard. might I suggest some dry Riesling as a place to experiment? Feinherb or GG or trocken might be something to try, accepting that “Feinherb” means … kinda whatever the producer wants it to be???
I’m a little surprised at your reaction to Cab Sauv given your desire for fairly tannic wines. Maybe you need to try some better ones. A lot of CA Mid range cabs can be gloopy; these in no way characterize CA cabs, still less Bordeaux. There is an ocean of top notch Bordeaux out there available for a song. Posts from @Robert.A.Jr and @Julian_Marshall and many others will give you cabs that cost basically 0$ and are just fantastic.
Thank you for the recommendations. I do enjoy dry Rieslings. I am hoping to pick up a Gewürztraminer this week to try as well. I have never heard of Feinherb! Admittedly, my previous experience with Cabs up to this point had been limited to the mass produced grocery store variety.
My issue with French wine, as opposed to Italian, is that you don’t always know what you’re getting! For instance, if I pick up a bottle of Bordeaux, am I getting a Cab or a Merlot or a blend??? Unless the grapes are listed on the bottle, you just don’t know! With most Italian wines, I know what I’m getting. I can’t seem to make sense of French wine labelling. You seem to pretty much have to know every Chateau to know what to expect! It’s hopeless!
FWIW, you’ll never get a Cab and very, very rarely a Merlot. They are virtually always blends; the only thing that usually changes is if the blend leans more towards Cab or Merlot - or if it’s 50/50. Basically if the wine comes from the left bank, it’s more likely to be a Cab-driven blend, and if it comes from the right bank, it is almost always a Merlot-driven blend.
Not that hard.
And yes, with most Italians you know. But you also know with most French labels. You just picked Bordeaux and they are one of the few that don’t disclose the variety in the label and it can be a blend of different varieties. However, Italy is full of such places as well. For example you don’t know about the if the wine is a varietal wine or a blend when buying, let’s say, Valpolicella, or Bolgheri, or any IGT Toscana wine, or DOC Piemonte.
These are quite simple things; no need to make them sound like it’s impossible to understand these wines. This whole forum is a great example of the opposite.
Very true… And, @TSchiraldi , I’d like to add that not knowing what grapes are inside the bottles can also be part of the fun. Try all those you can find and see how you like them - and then if you particularly do - or don’t- try and research the blend. Most producers have it on their website if it’s not on the bottle.
I understand this way of doing might look a bit like French snubbery, but to be honest, some people will tell you they’re big fans of Côtes du Rhône, without even knowing what the blend actually is (reds will mostly be GSM -Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre) and the whites may vary quite a bit but often have Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Roussanne, Viognier and/or Marsanne.
For Burgundy - reds will exclusively be Pinot Noir and Whites will be Chardonnay.
I’d argue knowing what grapes are used is secondary to knowing whether you enjoy a particular wine. Surprise is nice too!
For example you may try to avoid Viognier and one day discover you had a blast with a Condrieu AOC.
I’m sorry for my ignorance, but this makes no sense to me. I know what qualities Nebbiolo grapes will impart to a wine, whether it is a Barolo, a Barbaresco, or a Langhe. I know what Sangiovese imparts to a wine. I know what Montepulciano imparts to a wine. Perhaps I’m more practical than adventurous, but I don’t want to play a mystery game while spending money on wine. I’ll admit, doing it your way may very well help me discover a fantastic wine I love, but how many will I have to go through that I don’t like (and end up down the sink) before that happens? I would hate thinking I was opening a Malbec only to discover it is a Cabernet Sauvignon. The Italian system just makes more sense to me. I don’t have the time or patience to learn each chateau or even on which side of a river each lies. French geography is not my forte. I am still discovering what wine I like and which I want to avoid. I like typicity, as it helps me learn what I like.
Well, that’s not ignorance, that’s just your opinion, which is very valid.
Although, to be fair, I’ve had terrible wines from all the best grapes too 
I personally do love to be surprised and I quite like the poetry and the slight aura of ‘mystique’ behind a single name, rather than just the grape variety.
To each their own, and it’s great like that!
Oh, I have found producers whose wines I love, but they make wines I am familiar with. Damilano is one such producer. Not all Barlolos are created equal! There are several others (Produttori del Barbaresco, Bertani, Tenuta San Giorgio) , but the point is I knew what type of wines they made BEFORE trying one of their bottles. I guess I just like knowing what I’m opening as I usually pair certain wines with certain types of food, though not always. I love a Verdicchio or Gewurztraminer on its own, especially on the patio in the Summer!
Thank you for the reply!