Hi All,
Looking to branch out and slowly start an Italian wine collection.
Any recommendations on where to begin? Not looking to break the bank and I tend to enjoy the heavier wines.
Thanks in advance,
Bill
What do you drink currently? Italy is like 20+ wine producing regions each with its own identity, would help to maybe know what you like besides just describing as “heavy.”
I am not an expert, but I might start with
Produttori Barbaresco
Vajra Barolo Ravera or Bricco delle Viole
Pepe Montepulciano d’Abruzzo
Mastroberdardino Taurasi
Occhipinti
Then, maybe, an Amarone, a Brunello, something from Mt. Etna
The usual suspects - Barolo and Brunello.
Recently, I have had a couple good Bolgheri wines that have peaked my interest…
Not looking to break the bank and this is where you want to start?
Bill - Brian’s questions are good. It would be easier to help give guidance if you tell us a bit more about what you like in other kinds of wines.
Even without that, here’s a kind of regional smorgasbord you might try, from north to south, to get a sense of where you should explore in more depth. I’ve suggested things that are widely available and reasonably priced.
Produttori di Barbaresco - Barbaresco, 2013 - nebbiolo grapes, should be $28-$35. (The winery’s 2011 single vineyard bottlings would be another great choice, at ~$60.) Nebbiolo wines tend to be tannic and acidic, but in good years like 2013, there’s a lot of fruit to balance that.
Brunello di Montalcino from Lisini, Il Poggione, Mastrojanni (more traditional) or Siro Pacenti (more modern) - sangiovese grosso grapes. Probably $50-$70. Brunello’s tend to be big and powerful.
Avignonesi or Dei - Vino Nobile di Montepulciano - sangiovese grapes. Vino Nobile, though it’s produced near Montalcino, tends to be rounder and less tannic than Brunello. ~$25
Mastroberardino - Taurasi [the appellation] “Radici” - aglianico grapes - $35-$45. Aglianico produces very dense, fairly tannic reds with a lot of power.
Tenute Terre Nere - Etna Rosso - nerello mascalese grapes. Either the regular bottling (~$25) or one of their single vineyards (~$25), preferably a 2015. Grown high up on Mt. Etna, these wines have a very special character. More like the Barbaresco than the others here, though it’s from the other end of the country.
Argiolas - Cannonau - “Costera” - $13-$15 - cannonau (aka grenache) grapes grown in Sardinia. Rounder, drinkable-now wine that’s a great value.
what i think of as the quintessential heavy wines from Italy is definitely Amarone and Ripasso wines (for drier wines). If you like heavier wines, a good segway into Italy is to search our more modern producers in some classic regions like brunello, barbaresco, and barolo first (there is a pretty large thread on this). Also, Taurasi makes some pretty good sized wines as well as Cannonau.
some really great values have been mentioned here already. I’d echo Etna Rosso, Produttori (the 2016 Langhe Nebbiolo is the current release and its already pretty fantastic with enough air), and I would add Piccolomini as a solid value brunello producer.
- to Taurasi (though they can be hard to appreciate young), but for bigger brawnier wines go for Sagrantino (Bea, Caprai, Antonelli), Montepulciano (++Emidio Pepe, though $$), or of course Amarone (also $$). Brunello can be world class, but huge variation in style though my favorites right now are Il Marroneto and Fuligni (not the biggest examples). Bolgheri and Tuscany in general has a lot of point chasers but it also has lots of really great examples from French grapes (Galatrona, Gemoli, Macchiole, Antinori). I love the other suggestions here like Produttori, and Etna Rosso, but I would never describe them as heavier wines. I also think the assumption that Barolo is (or should be) a heavy wine is a huge mistake but YMMV.
Good luck, Italy is the most chaotic, maddening, inconsistent country for wine, but it is my favorite by a mile.
In general, I think Ripasso, Amarone, Nero d’Avola, Aglianico del Vulture, Taurasi, and modern-styled Barolo/Barbaresco are all good choices. While I personally love Etna Rosso, I don’t see them as being in your wheelhouse, Bill. I love the Occhipinti Nero, but there may be other Nero’s that fit your tastes better. I can’t think of other specific recommendations with reasonable availability.
Pepe doesn’t really satisfy the don’t-break-the-bank criterion, either.
Here we all are speculating on what Bill means by “heavier” wines. It would sure help to hear from you, Bill!
If you want heavy, but you don’t want to break the bank, then you might look first to Spain.
Italy doesn’t do “heavy” very well, and when Italy does do heavy, it tends to cost a fortune.
Traditionally, the best way to start “heavy” in Italy [and then hopefully branch out to the more eccentric stuff] was with the “Super Tuscans”, but boy they’ve gotten mighty expensive lately.
A Super Tuscan is a wine from Tuscany with a substantial portion of the Italian grape Sangiovese, but also with a big mix of French grapes, such as Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot.
You could start with a winery like Tua Rita, and try their 50% Sangiovese Super Tuscan, called “Giusto di Notri”:
[u]https://www.thewinebowgroup.com/our-brands/tua-rita/[/u]
[u]https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/tua+rita+giusto/2015[/u]
And then maybe you could move from there to a 100% Sangiovese, in something like a Chianti Classico Riserva.
But moving from French Bordeaux varieties, such as Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot, over to some of the weirder & more bizarre Italian varieties, can require a lot of time & patience & coaxing of your palate.
Lee is spot on. I enjoy Cerasuolo more than Nero, but if you enjoy “heavy” as a style marker, many Nero d’Avolas from Sicily will fit your bill at a fair price. Gulfi’s Rossoblejo is about $17 and a good example.
I also thought of Ripasso and Amarone, but don’t drink those wines so can’t recommend specifics. I don’t agree with Nathan that Italy doesn’t "do heavy well. "I certainly don’t think it’s the best of what Italy offers but that is really down to my taste. Italy is a warm country that produces a ton of wine, you should find plenty to like I’d imagine.
Many Brunello producers make Sangiovese in a style that I find too heavy. They can run towards more expensive, but you might also consider looking for Rosso di Montalcino from the same producers. And, as mentioned, there are many Super Tuscans that are made in a bigger style with inclusion of or entirely international varieties. And again, while many of these have flagship wines in the “break the bank” category, most also produce entry level wines that approximate the style.
Lastly, I’ve had some Calabrian reds that are rustic as all hell but good food wines with chewy tannin and a definite sense of sun and warmth, very much dense wines.
Thank you for all of the info so far.
A couple of you have asked what I am drinking right now and what I consider “heavy”.
Currently, mainly all Cali Cabs, Bordeaux blends, Zins, and Petite Sirah…Not a big fan of Pinots (but there are always exceptions!).
I am a little burned out and after having a few Bolgheri wines, I am looking to branch out - explore.
You like the Bolgheris you had? If so, you might seek out other Tuscan wines, which tend to have a bigger frame than a lot of wines from other regions. You might want to check out the cabernet and merlot-based Tuscans, though they aren’t really uniquely Italian; many taste like many New World Bordeaux blends.
With your additional input, perhaps you could start off with a subset of the list I proposed above:
Brunello di Montalcino
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano
Taurasi or other wines from aglianico
Cannonau
But if you really do want to branch out, you should definitely try some Barolo or Barbaresco. They have a texture and taste profile that’s utterly different from Bordeaux blends, zins and petite sirah (and a deceptively lighter color), but they are big wines. Maybe a Vajra - Albe - Barolo from 2013, which can be had for ~$30.
If you’re looking to get into Barolo and Brunello, but trying to do so on a budget, maybe try some base bottlings of langhe nebbiolo from good Barolo producers (personally I love Vietti Perbacco) and some Rosso di Montalcino from Brunello producers which is usually ready to drink earlier and doesn’t break the bank.
If Bolgheri has piqued your interest, remember that many of those are Merlot/Cabernet based with some Sangiovese.
But this isn’t logical:
slowly start an Italian wine collection
It makes no sense to start collecting ANYTHING if you haven’t at least tried the wines. That’s like people on this board who load up on some Napa stuff and yet they’ve never even tried any of it. It’s silly and expensive.
I would go to some of the less expensive regions and taste from there. So if you like Brunello, look around the Chianti region and then look at Montepulciano d’Abruzzo and Morellino di Scansano. Both are in Tuscany and you can find relatively inexpensive versions that are pretty good and even age-worthy.
In the south there are lots of bargain wines but as mentioned, each little vicinity is unique. From Campania and Basilicata you can try Aglianico, an ancient grape that some say was known by the Romans. Feudi di San Gregorio makes a very inexpensive introductory version that’s around $15 and they can go up from there. Big, dark and tannic, it’s like an old-school Cab from Howell Mountain. Not usually jammy, but still with fruit.
If you want to get more ideas, take a look at this site. He occasionally posts here. He covers a lot of regions and most of the wines are worth a look.
But whatever you do, taste before collecting!
Envoyer is selling 2016 for $65.
But that wine is sui generis. I wouldn’t recommend it as representative.