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Hello all.
I'm new to the site and very new to this particular board. However, I work as a wine salesman and I've been dedicating myself to Italian wine lately.
First of all, I think kicky is embarking on a really fun journey. Italian wine is interesting, varied, and rewarding.
I utilize
ItalianMade.com as a resource for learning about Italian wines. It doesn't offer any brand names, just styles and classifications. This site includes a map, which is uber-helpful. It also has a listing of all the DOCG, DOC, and IGT wines of Italy.
I'd summarize the highlights, but ossobucco has already done that, so I'll just quote:
Quote:Good reds, from Piemonte, are Barolo, Dolcetto, Nebbiolo, with Barolo being the serious contender. [add barbaresco and barbera]
Good reds from Tuscany are Brunellos from Montalcino area, and Vino nobile di Montipulciano, plus many historic Chianti mixes from the vineyards of Antinori and others, plus new super tuscans, primo mixes of, I think, sangiovese and cabernet. [add rosso di montalcino and rosso di montepulciano]
There are some reasonably priced delicious chiantis, I'll try to remember some and be back later.
I'd add valpolicella, especially the ripasso/a style. The word superiore is also an indicator that you have found a better than average bottle. Amarone is a unique Italian wine made from partially dried fruit. It's worth a try, as is Aglianico--which is grown in the South (Pulia and Campania).
That's a good start. Osso also recommended producers such as Gaja and Antinori. (Piedmont and Tuscany respectively).
Okay, now for a quick soapbox moment about sweet wines.
There is nothing at all wrong with drinking a sweet wine. Do you eat dessert? Is there something about "sweet-ness" that makes a thing undesireable?
Icewine, Moscato, Sauternes, and many fine Rieslings are examples of sweet wines of great quality. Many Italian wines are made in the Recioto style, including some red wines. The sweet French wine called Y'quem can be cellared for 50 years or more. It scores perfect ratings with greater regularity than any Premier Cru Bordeaux red.
The general public believes that they like bone-dry wines, but evidence shows that they select wines that are sweeter. There is a stigma regarding sweet wines, and it should not hinder you from drinking what you like.
Oh, by the way... the Moscato di Asti that kicky bought is one of only 30 DOCG appellations in Italy. In other words, that sweet wine carries a higher classification than literally hundreds of other (drier) wines.
It's okay not to like sweet wine, just so long as it's not because you feel socially bullied into discrediting all sweet wines.
