The Fault Dear Italy is not in our Terroir but in Ourselves.

Italian whites are a category I’ve never particularly cared for.  Don’t get me wrong, I can happily sip them at a party if need be, but for me they have generally lacked the complexity and minerality that I look for in white wine.  I never really understood why that was the case.  And before everyone goes nuts there are of course some Italian whites that I have liked for a while like Marisa Cuomo, Quintodecimo, Walter Massa and Miani (to name a few)

There are certainly regions with relatively warm climates that make world class white wines.  I’ve

been banging the drum on the incredible quality wines in the Northern Rhone, for example.  At their peak, Northern Rhône white wines have the density and fruit concentration that one would expect from a wine made in a warmer area but they also have great minerality and depth.  They are world class wines at a fraction of the price of great Burgundy. 

I’ve really been digging to find Italian whites that fit my desired profile.  I’ll be honest. Some of this is because I need something to drink with seafood when I’m in Italy. But I also like selling whites from every region where I sell reds. 

The more I speak to Italians the more I think that the reason that Italian white wines are simple and fruity is that this is the way that the Italians like them.  One of the great things about Italians is that they are very good at enjoying simple pleasures.  Not everything has to have a Tolstoyan level of complexity for them to appreciate and enjoy  it.   And of course there is a good deal of truth the the old saw that complex foods should be drunk with simple wines.  And Italian fish and pasta dishes can be so good that you don’t want to over complicate things.  H

There is also this concept in Italy of a wine that is good as an aperitivo.  It is meant to be drunk before the meal with nuts or something.  And to be fair, Italian whites do a pretty good job in that role.

When you figure out how to politely ask Italian winemakers why they make six serious world class red wines and three boring fruity whites, they shrug their shoulders and say that’s what the Italians like.  And it seems that even the best whites are almost a cult thing among serious aficionados and industry people in Italy.

But things  are changing a bit it seems.  Timorasso seems to be getting more popular and that grape I think has potential to make very interesting mineral white wines (again thank you Walter Massa).  I had a very good Nas Cetta recently.  And an incredible pair of Grecco di Tuffos. 

There is nothing that I’ve had in Italy that is as good as the elite wines in France and Germany.  But there are some very interesting whites that are starting to crop up that are delicious and interesting in their own right.   And now that there is at least a bit of a  market for serious italian white wines, Italian producers are starting to make more of them.  There is a lot of different  terroir in Italy and with time and effort there could well be some very interesting results.  And who knows?  If I wake up on the right side of the day one morning maybe I’ll even sell one.