Double Dozen – Now That’s Italian

For wine importers and wine drinkers, now is the age of exploring the huge variety of Italian wines on the market, red and white, from the Alps to Sicily, inexpensive to quite pricey. It’s similar to what happened in the last quarter of the previous century when wine lovers and the wine trade were looking beyond Burgundy and Bordeaux, the Loire, and the Rhone for what until then had been overlooked French wines.

In this Double Dozen, more than half come from the Italian Peninsula and represent quite a few different grape varieties.

Pull up a glass and enjoy!

2023 Colomé Valle Calchaqui Estate Torrontés ($14) – Lively, spicy, floral flavors of ripe apples and tropical fruits, some minerality, good weight and presence.

2022 François Lurton “Fumés Blanches” Vine de France Sauvignon Blanc ($18). Lovely green flavors of kiwi and citrus, very smooth, long on the palate with good finishing acidity.

2022 Domäne Wachau Grüner Veltliner Federspiel ($19). Lively wine with flavors of grapefruit, a little lime and hints of vanilla with a mild spiciness.

2022 Schlossmühlenhof “Boden-Funk” Rheinhessen Müller-Thurgau ($19). Hazy yellow-green in color with enjoyable crisp green flavors of apple and lime.

2021 Strub Rheinhessen Silvaner Trocken ($20). Interesting blend of spicy peach and juicy nectarine flavors with a hint of cheese whey in the under-taste and a few dusty tannins.

2022 Pieropan Soave Classico ($25). Very lively with good minerality, flavors of green apples, pear and lime and a hint of savory whey with lively acidity in the finish,

2022 Jermann Friuli Pinot Grigio ($35). Nicely done with a lot metallic minerality and an apple essence almost remindful of Calvados.

2022 Tornatore Etna Bianco ($35). A 100% Carricante varietal, it has fetching spicy aromas and flavors of cinnamon oil and pungent mint along with lots of stone fruit –very distinctive.

2022 Rombauer Carneros Chardonnay ($44). Trademark Napa Valley Chard – golden flavors of vanilla and mellow, yellow apples with a nice finish.

NV Markus Molitor German Riesling Brut Sekt ($19). A refreshing sparkler with flavors of the greener side of Riesling with some creaminess and a little bit of pepper in the finish.

NV Avaline Cava Sparkling Rosé Extra Brut ($35). Enjoyable bubbly with creamy strawberry flavors, though it tends to fade quickly on the palate.

2022 Prost Pfalz Pinot Noir ($18). Light in flavors and texture with lovely, slightly tart cherry flavors – a good quaffing wine.

2020 Allegrini “Palazzo della Torre” Veronese Rosso ($20). A good red pasta wine – almost juicy red fruits with balancing raspy tannins and acidity.

2021 Argiano “Non Confunditor” Toscana Rosso ($20). Pleasant mix of red and black fruits, some notes of pencil lead and good, puckery tannins.

2019 Ritual Casablanca Valley Pinot Noir ($21). Light, refreshing Pinot with cherry flavors, lightly spicy and savory with a crisp finish.

2021 Inama Camenère “Più” Veneto Rosso ($22). Lots of bright red fruits with a good savory undertone, well-rounded with good weight and structure.

2021 Colomé Valle Calchaqui Estate Malbec ($27) – A lively wine with good presence – dark cherry fruit overlaid with walnut flavors and dusty tannins.

2020 Surrau Isola dei Nuraghi Red Blend ($27). A very creamy red with notes of blueberries and red raspberry, but with balancing tannins and acidity and a pleasant touch of bitters.

2019 Capezzana “Villa di Capazzana” Carmignano ($32). Good, spicy red and black fruits with a few savory accents – a little sharp and peppery in the finish.

2018 Firriato “Cavanera Rove della Coturnie” Etna Rosso ($37). A lighter wine with earthy flavors of cherries and other red fruits.

2020 Selvapianna “Vigneto Bucerchiala” Chianti Rufina Riserva ($38). Very satisfying – dark but fresh cherry flavors with balancing tannins and a crisp structure.

2016 Firriato “Ribeca” Sicilia Perricone ($39). A rare example of the Perricone grape as a varietal – and an aged one, It is light in body and impression although it has delightful, spicy aromas and flavors of oak, cassis and blackberry.

2021 Colomé  “Auténtico” Valle Calchaqui Malbec ($42) – Some pungent gaminess with a great flavor texture like a cake with blackberry batter followed by oak and mellow tannins.

2019 Binomio Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Riserva ($52). Crisp, tart, mainly red fruits, more of a food wine than a sipping wine with good structure and a long finish.

Prices listed are generally SRP or from wine-searcher.com. As more wineries are now shipping direct-to-consumer, check the winery website if you can’t find a bottle in your retail store.