Italy’s Noble Red Wines: a Primer
by Terry Robards

            The quality of Italian wines has never been better, and today Italy may well be the world’s leading producer of fine wines, ranking ahead of France, California, Australia and all other top wine regions. Italy’s preeminence reflects major improvements in winemaking techniques, technology and grape-growing.

            Long gone are the days when Italy’s best known wines too often displayed angry, tight, unfriendly personalities that required decades of aging to be resolved into something drinkable. I recall trying to send back a bottle of Chianti many years ago in a Roman bistro, only to be told by the waiter that this was how the wine was supposed to taste.

            To this day, I have retail customers who refuse to buy Chiantis because they recall the difficult wines of decades ago. Their refusals, of course, mean they are missing out on some of the world’s best bottles.

            Pricing is another major attribute of many fine Italian wines. Because of the vast quantities produced, bargains abound—in contrast to Bordeaux, for example, where virtually all classified growths and many others are now priced far beyond the reach of the average consumer.

            Besides Chianti, the most important Italian wines are such other Tuscan reds as Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile de Montepulciano and the Piedmontese reds, Barolo and Barbaresco, as well as Amarone from the Veneto. Following are short discussions of each of these wines. (Reading about them, of course, is no substitute for tasting them.)

            Chianti and Chianti Classico, the latter needing to come from the Classico growing area, are dominated by the sangiovese grape, truly one of Italy’s noble varieties. There may also by minor portions of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and a few other grapes, but Chianti’s style and character are derived from sangiovese.

            There are also the so-called Super Tuscans, with their own blends of grapes, which are sold under brand names like Sassicaia, which is mostly Cabernet and is very pricey. And there are the varietal sangioveses, which are often the best bargains. These are wines from grapes grown outside the Chianti zone and are therefore not entitled to the Chianti name.

            Brunello di Montalcino, considered Tuscany’s longest-aging wine, is made from the sangiovese grosso grape. Whereas once it was best to wait until age 20 or more to drink these big reds, now they are drinkable upon release, although they do not reach their quality peaks until at least age 10 and a few, like Biondi-Santi, still need decades.

I recall a tasting years ago at Il Greppo, the Biondi-Santi estate just outside Montalcino, when wines from vintages of the late 1700s still showed strength and finesse. These are exceptions, of course, and a typical Brunello today is perfectly drinkable at age five or six.

I do not mean to be dismissive of Italian white wines, of which there are many fine examples. Among some consumers, Pinot Grigio has replaced chardonnay as the quintessential quaffing white, and many excellent chardonnays are made in Italy. But in terms of worldwide stature, Italy’s reds will always be preeminent.

            Vino Nobile, from the hilltop village of Montepulciano, and also made from the sangiovese grosso, tends to be less muscular than Brunello but has its own excellent style and personality. It, too, can be drunk at release, although it does not reach its peak until about age 10. Do not confuse this wine with Montepulciano d’Abruzzi, another good red from another region.

            Most producers of Brunello and Vino Nobile also make wines called Rosso di Montalcino or Rosso di Montepulciano, made from grapes grown outside the Montalcino and Montepulciano zones and thus not entitled to those names. These usually represent excellent value. When  the name Riserva is added to the wine name, it means that the wine has received additional aging before release and that vineyard yields have been lower. It also usually means that the wine is from a superior vintage year. Riservas tend to be more structured and concentrated and are always more expensive.

            Debate has raged for decades over whether Brunello and Vino Nobile are superior to the great Piedmont reds, Barolo and Barbaresco, which are made from the nebbiolo grape. My answer is that none are superior—they are just different, and consumers can decide for themselves if they have any preferences.

            Barolos tend to be a little more structured and longer-lasting than Barbarescos, but there are exceptions—for example, the enormous Barbarescos of Angelo Gaja. Like virtually all other Italian reds, these wines are usually drinkable upon release, but they benefit from a decade or more of aging.

            Consumers seeking instant gratification should look for the Barolos and Barbarescos of Villadoria. The 2005s from this winery are already lovely and can be found in the $25 category. Villadoria also makes a nebbiolo under the brand name Bricco Magno, from grapes grown outside the Barolo and Barbaresco zones. The wine is aged for a year in oak barriques and is a bargain at under $15.

            Amarone della Valpolicella is arguably Italy’s most unusual wine because it is made from corvina, rondinella and molinara grapes that have been dried for months before being vinified. During this drying process, they turn almost into raisins as the water evaporates through the skins. The result is extreme flavor concentration and high alcohol, with 15 percent not being unusual.

            Because of the drying process, far more grapes are required to make a bottle, and Amarones tend to be expensive. At a recent tasting of more than two dozen Amarones put on by the Wine Media Guild in New York, some were priced at over $200 per bottle and the least expensive were in the $50 area.

            Another wine from the same part of the Veneto region and made in a similar fashion is Recioto della Valpolicella. In contrast to Amarone, which is dry because all of the natural sugar is allowed to ferment out, Recioto is sweet because it is allowed to retain residual sugar and sometimes it will display the noble rot. Prior to 1991 consumers never knew whether an Amarone would be dry or sweet, but the law was changed that year to require that any wine bearing the Amarone label be dry.

            The Amarone personality is rich and generous, with expansive flavors of black cherries and figs and aromas of road tar, spices and smoke. Like all of Italy’s other noble reds, Amarone is excellent with cheeses, pasta, poultry, game and red meats. Or it can simply be sipped by itself if you are in the mood for rumination and contemplation.

            Italy has dozens of other excellent wine growing regions, of course, and venturesome palates should explore them all. But consumers who familiarize themselves with those described above will have an excellent foundation for enjoying Italian wines.