One of the best things about working with sommelier Shelley Lindgren on the SPQR cookbook is being exposed to Italian wines that I’d never come across otherwise.
Italy’s depth of grape diversity is astonishing. While no one can agree on how many different grapes the country cultivates, estimates run in the thousands. The grapes themselves vary extensively, from juicy and approachable to spicy and aromatic to bitter and brooding, and they yield wines that are just as diverse. The famous grapes, like Sangiovese and Nebbiolo, seem to get all the attention, but that’s only the beginning. The rest, well, that’s where it gets interesting. Also? These wines cost much less than Brunello or Barolo.
Here, five new reds to sample:
Tazzelenghe
First, a warning: this grape’s name translates to tongue cutter. The late-ripening, tannic grape from Friuli Venezia-Giulia is difficult to manage in the vineyard, and it can be just as abrasive on the palate. Recent history granted this variety an anonymous status as a blending grape. Girolamo Dorigo is trying to change this image, making a wine capable of aging for five years or longer. Pignolo, another grape variety in Friuli (bottle also pictured right) is undergoing an image adjustment as well.
Cesanese
S The grape grows in Lazio, the region around Rome. Like Tazzelenghe, it had been used for blending until fairly recently. Yet while ol’ tongue cutter still has to prove itself, Cesanese has arrived. According to the Italian government, that is. Cesanese del Piglio has Italian wine’s prestigious DOCG designation. The grape produces a medium-bodied wine imbued with cherries, clove, and black pepper, but what sets it apart is its rare ability to complement irascible spring vegetables, like artichokes. Shelley recommends Damiano Ciolli’s “Silene.”
Vernaccia Rosso di Pergola
This grape has a million names, like Vernaccia Rosso, Pergola Rosso, and Vernaccia di Pergola to name a few. (But not Vernaccia Nera — that’s a different grape, different story.) It might be a clone of Aleatico, a grape used in a rare sweet wine from Puglia. Vernaccia Rosso grows around Fano, a coastal city in the region of the Marches. Like Lacrima, another little-known grape from the Marches, Vernacchia Rosso is unexpectedly floral. It tastes sweet, even when it is certifiably dry. Try Vernaccia Rosso from Claudio Morelli or Terracruda.
Croatina
For whatever reason, in the Lombardy wine region of Oltrepò Pavese (pictured above) and the Emilia wine region of Colli Piacentini, where Croatina grows, vintners call this grape Bonarda. Confusingly, Bonarda is a different grape in Piedmont. Nevermind. When blended with Barbera, Croatina makes a balanced, bright red wine meant to be consumed young. Shelley often pours Romeo, a Colli Piacentini wine from producer Castello di Luzzano.
Pelaverga
Talk about unlikely: amid Barolo territory, some growers use valuable vineyard land to grow this obscure light red grape. Shelley pours Castello di Verduno “Basadone” by the glass at SPQR, and its lightness and mildly spiced strawberry flavor makes it a nice start to a meal. Plus, it’s a great way to prove to wine friends that not everything that grows in Barolo is Nebbiolo. Not that there is anything wrong with Nebbiolo….
