Italy, along with Spain, Argentina, and Portugal is one of the few regions where you can still find great wine without spending a fortune.  With an agricultural tradition of small and mid sized farmers with a rich wine culture that goes back as far as 4000 BCE in parts of Sicily and Southern Italy you will find great wines designed to be had with most meals, whether it be a large feast or a bit of bread and charcuterie.  While the DOC/DOCG classification system set up in the early 1960s helped create a swath of premium wines, Italy has always had a wide range of everyday table wines that fit all sorts of dishes whether they be be meat, fish, or vegetable.

 

Schreckbichl Colterenzio St. Magdalener

Region: Alto Adige

95% Schiava with 5% Lagrein fermented on the skins in stainless steel and then transferred to concrete for 4 months.  Pale ruby in the glass with a perfumed nose giving notes of violet, red cherry, cedar, bay leaf, and time.  On the palate the wine is light bodied, floral, and elegant, with raspberry mingling with the red cherry flavor.

Winemaker: Martin Lemayr

Price: $18.99 per bottle / $205.09 per case

Suggested Food Pairing: Chicken tinga, mild cheeses, charcuterie, pizza



La Sala Chianti Classico

Region: Chianti

95% Sangiovese with 5% Merlot aged 15 months with half the grapes coming up in French oak and the other half in stainless steel.  The wine is then aged another 6 month in bottle. Medium ruby in the glass with typical Sangiovese notes of red cherry, peony, and spices.  Bright and juicy on the palate with soft tannins.

Winemaker: Ovid Mugniani

Price: $24.99 per bottle / $269.89 per case

Suggested Food Pairing: Roast pork or lamb, French onion soup

 

Le Fraghe Bardolino Rosso

Region: Veneto

Blend of Corvina and Rondinella.  Vinified separately, undergoing a 7-8 day maceration and then into stainless steel tanks for some months. Pale ruby in the glass with notes of black pepper, rose, raspberry, red cherry, and stewed strawberry on the nose and palate.  Medium bodied with vibrant acidity and velvety tannins.

Winemaker: Mathilde Poggi

Price: $18.99 per bottle / $205.09 per case

Suggested Food Pairing: Carpaccio, pork rillette, lighter meat dishes



Du Cropio Serra Sanguigna Calabrese Rosso

Region: Calabrese

70% Gaglioppo, 15% Malvasia Nera and 15% Greco Nero fermented in stainless steel, aged for 18 months in large barrels and then aged 18 months in bottle unfined and unfiltered.  Deep garnet in the glass with a pungent and savory nose with notes of olive brine, garrigue, peppercorn, and dark fruit.  Full bodied and round with bright acidity, the palate is a cascade of dark fruits like blackberry, black plum, baked blueberry, and black cherry on the long finish

Winemaker: Giuseppe Ippolito

Price: $24.99 per bottle / $269.89 per case

Suggested Food Pairing: Lamb shanks, Koubideh Kebab, Steak

 

Orso Friuli Rosso

Region: Friuli-Venezia Giulia

50/50 blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot aged in large oak casks and stainless steel.  Medium purple with notes of bell pepper, blueberry, baking cocoa, forest floor, black plum, and mint.  Medium bodied and balanced with soft tannins and fresh dark fruit and a pleasing minerality on the finish 

Winemaker: Giampaolo Venica

Price: $18.99 per bottle / $205.09 per case

Suggested Food Pairing: Cheddar cheese, roasted root vegetables, beef roast



Portelli Cerasuolo di Vittoria

Region: Sicily

70% Nero d'Avola, 30% Frappato vinified in stainless steel.  Medium ruby veering towards purple in the glass with a heady nose of fennel, dried cherries, boysenberry, and plum.  Medium bodied with velvety tannins and bright acidity

Winemaker: Salvatore and Alessandro Portelli

Price: $24.99 per bottle / $269.89 per case

Suggested Food Pairing: Grilled sausage, pizza, dark chocolate

 

Santa Barbara "La Vaglie" Verdicchio dei Jesi

Region: Marche

100% Verdicchio fermented in satinless steel and aged 8 months in stainless steel.  Pale straw in the glass with notes of white peach, elderflower, passion fruit, lemon, almond, and thyme on the nose.  Medium bodied with with notes of unripe tropical fruit on the palate and bright acidity

Winemaker: Stefano Antonucci and Pierluigi Lorenzetti 

Price: $22.89 per bottle / 248.29 per case

Suggested Food Pairing: Chicken in a creamy sauce, grilled pork, lobster, grilled tuna, truffle pasta



Nals Margreid "Hill" Pinot Grigio

Region: Alto Adige

100% Pinot Grigio fermented in stainless steel for 3 weeks and aged 5 months on the lees.  Pale yellow in the glass with notes of grapefruit, apricot, and lemon on the nose.  Mineral and light on the palate, with good acidity.

Winemaker: Harald Schraffl

Price: $21.99 per bottle / $237.49 per case

Suggested Food Pairing: Sardines, sushi, lighter poultry dishes

 

Bortolusso Malvasia

Region: Friuli-Venezia-Giulia

100% Malvasia aged in stainless steel. Pale light straw in the glass with a savory and complex nose showing dill, white pepper, lemon peel.  On the palate it shows bright acidity and a light texture  with notes of green pineapple, papaya, and grapefruit.   

Winemaker: Sergio Bortolusso

Price: $16.99 per bottle / 183.49 per case

Suggested Food Pairing: Grilled prawns, seafood risotto, ceviche



Aia dei Colombi Fiano

Region: Campania

100% Fiano aged in for 5 months in stainless steel and one month in bottle. Pale straw in the glass with honey, asian pear, and honey dew on the nose.  A fuller bodied white with good acidity and finish. 

Winemaker: Marcello and Maria Pascale

Price: $16.99 per bottle / $183.49 per case

Suggested Food Pairing: Dim sum, thai curry, chile verde 

 

Elvio Tintero Moscato d'Asti

Region: Piedmont

100% Moscato Bianco done in the Charmat method of sparkling wine making in which a still wine and liqueur de tirage (a mix of sugar and yeast added to most sparkling wines) is added to an autoclave and kept under pressure during the secondary fermentation which forces the CO2 into the wine. Bright, sweet without being cloying, and bursting with white grape and elderflower on the nose and palate

Winemaker: Marco Tintero

Price: $14.99 per bottle / 161.89 per case

Suggested Food Pairing: papaya salad, sorbet, sliced fruit



Scala Ciro Bianco

Region: Calabria

100% Greco Bianco fermented in stainless steel and then left in tank for 4 months.  Pale gold with a heady nose of white peach, watermelon with mint, nectarine, and lime.  Round with crisp acidity on the palate and flavors of honeyed apple and stone fruit.

Winemaker: Benedetto Lorusso

Price: $22.99 per bottle / 248.29 per case

Suggested Food Pairing: Aguachile, garlic shrimp







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