Tuesday, March 04, 2014

My top 100 Italian Wines


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
Cantina Frentana
Emidio Pepe

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