November Wine Club: Oh Italia
Italy is a gem in the wine world. I’ll never forget one New Year’s Eve in New York City in the early 2000s when a bartender at ‘ino (a panini shop and wine bar, now closed) decided to fill me in on the panoply of Italian wines. He told me about Aglianico, Nero d’Avola, and other grape varieties, and he described the way in which volcanoes work to change soils and how delish the wine was that was produced. At that point, I’d mostly heard about French and Californian wine, and wine was definitely not my go-to beverage. This got me hooked.
And now that I know much more about wine, I know what I don’t know about Italian wine, which is still a lot. I’ve picked up Ian D’Agata’s Native Wine Grapes of Italy, which is a trusty, authoritative guide written in an academic style. If you’re short on time but long on podcast opportunities, you might try this interview of Ian from sommelier Levi Dalton. And finally, Wine Folly has an Italy guide, which is really great.
So far in the club, we’ve brought you stories about France, Portugal, and Spain and told you how producers are adapting and making the most of the tools they have (science!) to make the best with what they’re given. You know we had to do Italy, too.
On the climate front, Italy has extreme weather to contend with, including hail, wind, and rain. But with a little over 800 miles from top to bottom; hills and mountains; and a long-standing wine tradition to help show the way, there are multiple opportunities for the different regions to adapt.
For our Italy tour, we’re bringing you wines from north to south: A refreshing white blend from Alto Adige (also known as Südtirol); a super festive Valpolicella Ripasso from the Veneto in Italy’s northeast; and a delightful Frappato from Sicily. We had the pleasure of tasting lots of wine this month, and we’re so excited about the ones we’re bringing your way!
Are you enjoying the wines or have feedback to share? Shoot me a note or message me on Instagram at @getgoodwine! I’d love to chat. And for past months’ write-ups, just click here.
The Wines
Our white this month hails from Alto Adige—also called Südtirol—which is an area in the northernmost part of Italy where steep slopes are the norm. Alto Adige’s climate benefits from moderating winds from nearby Lake Garda as well as mountains to the north that protect the grapes from the rain and cold. This wine—the Tramin Stoan—is a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco, Sauvignon Blanc, and Gewürztraminer grapes. I really love whites during what some may consider their “off season,” because their complexity and weight can actually feel just right in the fall or winter. Cheers!
— Tramin Stoan 2022
Our second wine hails from the south, from way down in Sicily. It’s from the grape Frappato, which is a light-bodied, juicy wine reminiscent of Beaujolais and fab with turkey at the table. This example of Frappato is brilliantly juicy and fun to drink.
In terms of adapting to climate, Sicily is susceptible to extreme heat and wildfires, including pretty problematic ones in 2023. Grape growers and winemakers are focused on solving the problem of climate change for their business by lowering their carbon footprint and reducing brush that can fuel fires. We can help by supporting them—especially the small producers.
— Nicosia Sabbie di Sutta Frappato 2022
Finally, we’ve got a festive Valpolicella made in the Ripasso method, which means that the wine undergoes a secondary fermentation on the skins of the Amarone grape. The result is a complex, spicy red that makes you look toward Thanksgiving and then onward to December.
I’ve been to this part of Italy, in the northeast in an area called The Veneto. It was ten years ago, and if memory serves, we only visited one winery, but I still remember learning all about the variety of Valpolicella on offer. I still love it today. Cheers, and Happy Thanksgiving!