At the high end, I used to like the Paolo Bea whites, such as the Santa Chiara, but I haven’t seen those wines in years.
The Santa Chiara is on shelves in New York.
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Dorigo’s Picolit. Picolit was once as prestigious as Tokay.
Both, Mike
My former post (50 italian wines) showed interesting whites, sweet and fortified :
_23. Sicile : Moscato di Pantelleria - Donnafugata “Kabir” 2017 37,5 cl
(zibibbo soit moscato d’Alessandria)
DS16,5 - LG16,5 – CDC16,5 – MS16,5/17 - AA16,5/17
Service fruité sous forme de parfums guillerets expressifs rappelant l’Allemagne ou mieux encore les vins délicats de Jorge Ordonez (Malaga). Ils disent une belle brise muscatée : citron, citronnelle, thym, lavande. Bouche en écho, fine/légère, tout en allégresse. On connaît des approches bien plus roboratives du cépage sur cette île.
-
Sicile : Marsala Superiore - Casano “Ambra Secco” NM
(Catarratto, Grillo, Insolia)
DS17 - LG17 – CDC17 – MS16,5 - AA17
Robe aux reflets verts, comme à Madère. Rancio de valeur (abricot sec, marmelade d’oranges, amandes grillées, pralin, …). Bouche suave (mais sans sucre), ni vraiment andalouse ni vraiment lusitanienne. -
Sicile : Moscato di Noto (Syracuse) - Riofavara “Notissimo” 2015 (50 cl)
(Muscat à petits grains) Non muté
DS14,5 - LG14 – CDC14 – MS15 - FM13 - AA14,5
Cépage très apparent pour le coup, identifié par ces parfums de mandarine, de lavande, d’abricot, de citron givré. Le vin est fruité mais pêche par sa mollesse. -
Sicile : Marsala Superiore - Florio “Donna Franca” SemiSecco “Ambra” NM
(100% Grillo)
DS16 - LG16,5 – CDC16 – MS16,5 - FM17 - AA16,5
Ici aussi, le rancio de qualité produit par l’élevage brouille les pistes. Sommes-nous en présence d’un Madère (cette pointe sucrée et ces reflets cuivrés), d’un vin andalou (Jerez ou Montilla-Moriles, avec ou sans voile, sachant qu’il existe des Oloroso dulce) voire d’un Rivesaltes ambré ?_
Gravner, De Bartoli (Vecchio Samperi Ventennale - Marsala made with grillo), Hauner (malvasia delle Lipari), Emidio Pepe (trebbiano), Radikon (ribolla gialla) … make good white wines …
Montevertine, Poliziano and San Giusto a Rentennano produce interesting santo wines in Tuscany.
Some excellent Franciacorta too but it is hard to challegenge the best Champagnes.
Moscato d’Asti very yummy (but nor really great I think) : I bouth some at the domain (Massolino - cheap price).
I love Burlotto’s reds (among the best wines in the world) but his varietal sauvignon is not for me (idem for Gaja’s sauvignon).
In the United States, we get a whole lot of Prosecco, in the $10 to $20 price range, and while it can’t challenge Champagne, it tends to be better than either Cremant de Bourgogne or Cava.
In my experience, Prosecco is probably the consistently most excellent [even when mass-produced] table wine in the world.
Does it still have that bizarre, almost purplish synesthesia of licorice?
About cava, have you tried Recaredo’s excellent production ?
Never tasted a very good prosecco (but i taste very few).
I am a big fan of the Cantina Terlano Pinot Bianco Vorberg. I wine that shows well with a few years of age, but can be held longer. Wonderful with seafood risotto.
That might be something which we don’t have any control over, in terms of how we taste the wines.
Prosecco is a much softer & sloppier approach to sparkling wine. Very low brow.
Cava is more middle brow, and the flavors can become so intense as to be off-putting.
Cremant de Bourgogne has always been like that for me - it’s just a little too “try hard”.
Prosecco isn’t pretentious like that - it doesn’t try to put on airs.
Arneis from Piemonte
Soave
Vermentino from Sardegna
Had a Riesling/Chardonnary blend from Alois Lageder
Even drank a red Lambrusco that was tasty!
Field blend from a producer I don’t remember but it was good.
And on and on.
All were probably $15-$25, I think the Soave was $35
Valentini’s Trebbiano, Benanti’s Pietramarina and Terlan’s Vorberg are all worthy of consideration as one of the best whites made in Italy.
On my last trip, I was also able to try a couple bottles of Emidio Pepe’s Pecorino. Unfortunately, to the best of my knowledge not exported to the states, but that is a wine that I would drink frequently if available. ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
Bingo, Eric…totally forgot about Picolit. As you say, it was once as famous as Tokaji. But when they quit interplanting it w/
Verduzzo, the myth of floral abortion came out and production of Picolit passito plummeted and prices skyrocketed.
What has surprised me is that, with now knowing how to grow the grape, there has not been a resurgence in interest in Picolit passito
and a return to its former fame.
Prices are still very high, but my current fave is the Ronchi di Pietro Picolit. Best Picolit I’ve ever had and not outrageously
priced at $60/500 ml.
When I was tasting w/ IvanRapuzzi at Ronchi di Cialla, I made the off-hand comment that I never tasted a Verduzzo that impressed me.
That prompted him to go out to the cellar and pull an early '00’s Verduzzo dessert wine. Wonderful stuff.
I also like the Vignalta Fior d’Arancio OrangeMuscat Passito from the Colli Eugenia quite a lot.
Tom
Cantina Terlano Vorberg Riserva
As I noted above, I am a big fan too. Ian D’Agata did a 1959-2014 retrospective in Vinous ( JANUARY 31, 2017). There he says that they started adding the word Riserva, because it was hard to sell a white wine in Italy that was more than a few years old without it.
Anything from Miani.
Valentini and Pepe Trebbiano d’Abruzzo.
We’ve enjoyed several different Vernaccia from Montenidoli and a 2013 Monastero Suore Cistercensi Coenobium Lazio that was really nice, each of these in the mid $20 range.
I’m interested that people have listed arneis. A good one can be quite interesting, but there are so many diluted, boring ones. Even the best I don’t see it answering to Laurent’s description. Maybe people read “your top Italian wines” to mean the ones they drink most often.
Lots of great options above.
One additional wine that I have enjoyed quite a bit, particularly in the cooler vintages, is the Quintarelli Secco Ca de Merlo. It’s not as much of a bargain as some of the under the radar options but it puts a smile on my face
Had two Spumante from Piémont last week … Good Barolo and Barbaresco producers … Very ackward and nothing worth considering