By The Glass
JAY KAM
Offbeat Italian wines
offer adventure,
quality, valueWhen people think of Italy, famous cities such as Rome and Venice come to mind. Food lovers will immediately think of Piedmont and Tuscany because of their identifiable cuisines and wines such as barbera and chianti.
The lesser-known, less traveled areas of Italy, however, are producing some of the most exciting value wines around. Puglia, Calabria and Veneto are making some very interesting wines.
It is difficult for people to learn about these regions because few American tourists visit them and also because the grapes used to make the wines are often obscure.
I'm in the wine business, yet until recently, I had never heard of gaglioppo, which goes into a fine wine from Calabria. How many have heard of negroamaro from Puglia or trebbiano from Veneto? How many people know where Calabria or Puglia are? I'm guessing not many.
You don't need a photographic memory to enjoy these wines. That's where a friendly and knowledgeable wine store comes in. The staff should provide you with information and recommend wines. What you need is an open mind and an adventurous palate. With those, you'll find some real gems that don't take a big chunk out of your wallet.
1998 Taurino Salice Salentino ñ Puglia ($10-$12): Puglia was primarily a bulk wine producer, but now some progressive people are striving for quality. Normally, primitivo (a k a zinfandel) is the grape associated with Puglia, but this wine is made primarily from negroamaro. It has a soft mouthfeel and some of the characteristics of an amarone and zinfandel blend: raisin fruit and full to medium body. Try it with roast pork, or even kalua pig.
1997 Librandi Duca San Felice Rosso ñ Calabria ($14-$16): Calabria, the toe of Italy, is not really known for wine, but this one is killer. It is made from 100 percent gaglioppo, a little-known grape that is known to have "noble tannins." These tannins provide enough body and balance that the winemaker doesn't need to use any oak at all, yet the wine is not harsh. You wouldn't normally notice the lack of oak, unless you were looking for it. The texture is soft and excellent, with a slight dried-fruit character, a bit of spiciness. An elegant wine that is natural with meat pastas. Before you know it, this bottle will empty.
Zenato Lugana di San Benedetto ñ Veneto ($13-$15): 100 percent trebbiano di lugana from the Lago di Garda district in Veneto. The best way to describe this is a souped-up or bigger version of a pinot grigio. Fuller and richer, yet still displaying attributes of a very pretty and delicate wine: fresh summer fruit flavors, balanced acidity and slight almond finish. The wine is not aged in oak but still has a sense of body. Some smoked or grilled fish will go wonderfully with this very good alternative white wine.
Jay Kam is president of Vintage Wine Cellar.
This column is a weekly lesson in wine
pairing written by a rotating panel of wine professionals.
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