Early this past March, Italy became the European epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic and the first to impose a nationwide lockdown. And northern Italy, including the Veneto and Piemonte, was the hardest hit. This is the fourth and last of my series of columns on Italian wine regions; I pay tribute to these regions (and the nearby Alto Adige) as the country slowly opens up.
First up, the Veneto is home to cultural touchstones like Venice, Padua and Verona. And to important wine growing regions, particularly for the purposes of this column the province of Verona. These days, the Veneto’s most popular wine is the bubbly Prosecco but Soave (white) and Valpolicella (red) in the area around Verona, after years of mass production, have reemerged in recent years as fine, affordable wines.
Two of the best producers in the region are Azienda Agricola Inama and Tenuta Sant’Antonio. Inama is particularly notable for impressive Soave from the Classico zone, the original area of production. The indigenous garganega is the primary white grape, typically yielding crisp wines suggesting citrus, honeydew, and a touch of appealing bitterness. I found the 2019 “Vin Soave” ($16), the entry-level Soave Classico aged in stainless steel to be a fantastic value. A single vineyard wine, the 2017 “Vignetti di Carbonare” ($28) is richer and more complex.
Tenuta Sant’Antonio is operated by the Castagnedi family, which has tended vineyards in the Valpolicella area for over one hundred years and now produces organically farmed, estate-grown wines including Soave but are best known for Valpolicella and Amarone. The native corvina is the most important grape in these blends. Entry level Valpolicella, like the 2018 Nanfrè ($15), which saw no oak, typically are fresh and light, offering tart red cherry and hints of cinnamon.
At the tip of the Valpolicella pyramid is Amarone della Valpolicella. Amarone is typically the flagship of a producer. It is a special type of Valpolicella made using the ancient “appassimento” process, which involves drying the grapes to concentrate the juice.
The 2015 Sant’Antonio “Selezione Antonio Castegnedi” ($47), with three months of appassimento, is a fine representative amply displaying the power and deep dark fruits, hints of baking spice, mocha, smoke and tobacco typical of this raisiny, complex wine. Another really good example comes from Familia Pasqua (2015, $50). It is a plump, fleshy accessible wine, with generous notes of blackberry and dried plum, spice, tar and leather.
An in between style, Valpolicella Ripasso achieves richer flavors by macerating fresh Valpolicella with grape materials remaining after Amarone fermentation. The result is a wine like the 2017 Sant’Antonio Monti Garbi ($22) with its intense black fruits and admirable complexity.
In the northeast corner of Italy, in the shadow of the Dolomites, Italy’s Alto Adige is largely known for producing crisp, aromatic white wines from a range of indigenous varietals. Red wines from the region’s native grapes, such as lagrein and teroldego, are growing in recognition as well.
Alois Lageder, a family owned winery with six generations of winemaking near Bolzano, has emerged as arguably the most influential producer in the region. Respecting traditional winemaking methods, while working to advance biodynamic farming, if you like crisp white wines, you must try these.
For fine entry level values, get the 2018 Pinot Grigio ($16) – brisk citrus, melon, and quinine with a tight structure and spicy finish and the 2018 Pinot Bianco ($15) – delightfully aromatic, lime and lemongrass with a rounded palate. These wines are amazing values.
Lageder also produces impressive special selections. These next two wine exemplify Lageder’s reputation as an innovator. A very successful experiment, the 2017 Pinot Grigio “Porer” ($26) blends freshly pressed juice with juice fermented on the skins and some on skins and stems, an unusual process for white wines. The blended wine was aged both in stainless steel and large oak casks. While I found the aroma subdued, the palate is ebullient with zesty melon, citrus and stone fruits and a lush texture. The 2018 Manzoni Bianco “Forra” ($31) is made from a rare variety, a cross between riesling and pinot bianco. It offers lots of citrus, apple and apricot, with brisk acidity and a sumptuous texture.
West of Milano, Piemonte rests in view of the western Alps but is also influenced by proximity to the Mediterranean. While Tuscany is arguably Italy’s best-known province, Piemonte is equally prized for its food and wine. Here, nebbiolo reigns as does sangiovese in Tuscany. Similarly, its best wines carry other, usually place names like Barolo and Barbareso. Typically, these wines offer red berry fruit notes with tight, grippy tannins and are some of the most expensive from Italy.
I recently tasted two good examples at more affordable prices. Founded in 1878 in the Roero subregion in the southern Piemonte near the town of Cuneo, Enrico Serafino is a premier producer of sparkling wines but also Piemonte’s other signature wines. The 2015 Barolo “Monclivio” ($40), from grapes grown on the neighboring Langhe hillsides, shows fruity red berry, with hints of sweetness, eucalyptus, oak and the woods before firm tannins close.
Another good introduction is the 2015 Barolo ($45) from winemaker and owner Luca Bosio, located in the heart of the Langhe. It is a bit darker fruited and quite earthy. And a nice comparison with a different expression of nebbiolo is Bosio’s 2015 Barbaresco ($37) with its intriguing tart red fruits and saline qualities.
And for an even more affordable taste try a “Langhe Nebbiolo” like the 2017 Enrico Serafino “Picotener” ($25), which vinifies a rare sub-variety of nebbiolo to make a spicy wine of softer texture and light tannin.
For all the prestige of nebbiolo, barbera is often said to make the wine the locals drink most. Typically, the grape produces a hearty but accessible red wine with juicy cherry, herbs and a touch of licorice. Bosio’s 2018 Barbera d’Asti ($13) combines a refreshing mouthful with firm tannin.
Finally, Piemonte also sources several fine white wines, notably from moscato, arneis and cortese. I had a nice example of the indigenous cortese grape grown in the area around the town of Gavi. Enrico Serafino’s 2018 Gavi di Gavi “Grifo del Quartaro” ($17) opens with nice peach and grapefruit notes and drinks brisk and tangy.