For me it is
very difficult to contemplate Italian food without thinking of wine and
specifically Italian wines. Naturally in a country where regional and local
food is so important there are also in most cases wonderful wines being made
that can suit most budgets and tastes.
Italy has been
one of the top 2 wine producers by volume for many years but within that volume
there is both exceptional quality and value to suit all budgets.
I would argue
that with the possible exception of France, Italy provides the biggest choice
in terms of winemaking styles made with indigenous and international grape
varieties. These wines not only match regional and local cuisines but also can
compliment cuisines raging from Chinese, Thai, and Persian to that of the
Indian subcontinent.
I am often
asked to recommend Italian wines and have even helped restaurateurs with their
wine lists. In 2010 I put together a list of over 300 wines from around 100
winemakers for a food and wine shop that I co founded in London. We ran many
wine events featuring the winemakers themselves who we either specifically
invited or happened to be passing through London to visit distributors or
participate in large wine events.
The general
feedback was very positive, many customers were not aware of the variety of
truly excellent wines available ranging in price from £8 to £900 plus per
bottle. The reputation of Italian wines has improved to such an extent over the
last forty years that they now produce some of the very best wines in the
world.
I am often
asked to recommend Italian wines and or winemakers producing wines in Italy.
Below is a list of some of my personal favourite winemakers or estates covering
most of Italy. The vast majority of these wines are available all over the
world and most certainly in the UK, most of Europe and the USA
Abruzzo
Gran Sasso
Apulia
Tormaresca
A Mano
Alberto Longo
Basilicata
Tenuta del Portale
Cantine de Notaio
Elena Fucci
Calabria
Odoardi
Librandi
Statti
Campania
Fattoria Galardi
Mastroberardino
Benito Ferrara
Friuli Venezia Giulia
Livio Felluga
Miani
Le Vigne di Zamò
Princic Dario
Marco Felluga
Emilia-Romagna
Fattoria Zerbina
Podere
La Berta
Lazio
Falesco
Trappolini
Marco Carpineti
Liguria
Lunae
Terrebianche
Azineda Agricola Maria Donata Bianchi
Lombardy
Ca ‘ del Bosco
Nino Negri
Marche
Fulvia Tombolini
Umani Ronchi
Fattoria San Lorenzo
Andrea Felici
Il Pollenza
Molise
Di Majo Lorante
Piedmont
Castello di Nievi
Ceretto
Damilano
Angelo Gaja
Poderi Aldo Conterno
Braida
Bruno Rocca
G.D Vajra
La Spinetta
Vietti
Prunotto
Pecchenino
Paolo Scavino
Michele Chiarlo
Sicily
Donafugata
Cos
Fazio
Sardinia
Agricola Punica
Cantina Mesa
Alberto Loi
AA Panevino
Tenuta Masone Manu
Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol
Tenuta San Leonardo
Tenuta J. Hofstätter
Mezzacorona
Tuscany
Castello di Bolgheri
Casanova di Neri
Cabreo
Cecchi
Biondi Santi
Fontodi
Le Pupille
Le Macchiole
Tua Rita Suvereto
Tenuta San Guido
Tenuta dell ‘ Ornellaia
Tenuta Guado al Tasso ( Antinori)
Tenuta Sette Ponti
Valdicava
Isole e Olena
Argentiera
Umbria
Arnaldo Caprai
Castello della Sala ( Antinori)
Falesco
Paolo Bea
Valle d'Aosta
Les Crêtes
La Cave de Morgex
Veneto
Pieropan
Allegrini
Giuseppe Quintarelli
Inama
Tedeschi
