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By The Glass Lyle Fujioka |
Savor a taste of
white wines from ItalyItaly's fabulous red wines are known throughout the world. Barolo, chianti and brunello are wines that stir the souls and passions of wine lovers everywhere. The vino bianco (white wine) category, while not as widely recognized, is certainly deserving of equal praise and adulation. In addition to familiar white varietals such as chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and riesling, Italy also produces a wide variety of wines made from grapes grown nowhere else. But from a country with more than 800 different grape varieties and 10,000 wines, what do you expect?
Take, for example, Francesco Gravner's Ribolla Gialla from the Northern Italian region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Gravner produces cult wines to end all cult wines, using methods truly radical by today's standards. While most winemakers are going high-tech, Gravner is taking a giant step into the past by going as far as using amphora -- terra cotta vessels -- to produce future vintages. This 100 percent natural white wine is organically farmed with no chemical additives and processed without modern equipment or controls. Gravner allows the ribolla juice to macerate on the skins for 12 days before draining it into enormous oak barrels, where it ages for three years. This may be the only white wine that is tannic -- that's right, tannic -- and it will age gracefully. Gravner's ribolla should be served at a cool temperature, as you would a fine red wine. It IS that big!
Further south in the Avellino region of Italy you'll find the home of Feudi di San Gregorio, where famed oenologist Ricardo Cotarella has crafted two incredible white wines made from greco di tufo and fiano di avellino. Greco di tufo is an ancient Greek varietal grown on equally ancient vines that resemble large tree trunks. Fiano di avellino is named for a variety that the Latins called vitis apiana because the grapes' sweetness was irresistible to bees (api). Full-bodied and complex, both these whites would be an ideal choice for a veteran chardonnay drinker seeking new flavor experiences.
Cortese, another ancient varietal, is the source for Gavi, the crisp and clean white wine from Northern Italy. Imagine a lighter version of pinot grigio and you've captured the essence of Gavi. Palladino makes a great one just terrific for the sultry days of summer around the corner.
So start your exploration of vino bianco and discover just how great Italian whites can be!
Palladino Gavi Del Comune Di Gavi 2001 ($12.95): This wine is filled with melon, pear and citrus flavors supported by pleasing minerality and well-integrated acidity. Sublime and wonderful!
Feudi di San Gregorio Greco di Tufo 2001 ($17.55): Flavors and aromas of peach, pineapple and almond are simply beautiful in this rich, full-bodied wine with a long finish.
Feudi di San Gregorio Fiano di Avellino 2001 ($17.95): Elements of honey, melon, apple and straw are fused with pleasing minerality, light acidity and a creamy finish.
Gravner Ribolla 1998 ($72): Deep, crisp citrus flavors are reinforced by honey, grilled hazelnuts and apricot in this rich, full-bodied wine with an ultra-long finish. The price and extreme profile of this wine dictate that it is not for the faint of heart. You have been warned!
Lyle Fujioka owns Fujioka's Wine Merchants.
This column is a weekly lesson in wine
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