ITALY UNCOVERED

In a first of a two part series frank McGreevey investigates the wealth of wines available in italy.

After years in the doldrums, Italy as a supplier of tasty wines seems to have turned the corner. Italy as a holiday destination is a very attractive proposition.

From Sorrento and the off-shore Capri in the south, to Rome and its historic sites in the middle and then Tuscany on the knee and on to Piemonte in the North West and Veneto in the North East. Include a benevolent climate and all the attractions and Italy is a holidaymaker’s paradise and a virtual vineyard from end to end.

With its sexy leg and high heeled boot Italy must be the best known map outline in the world, so I am attempting to use that outline (from toe to thigh) or South to North for the purpose of illustrating Italy’s lesser known wines and where they originate.

Sicily
Sicily is not one of Italy’s quallity wine regions but is nevertheless a large producer and exporter of tasty reds and whites, to cities like London and New York, where there are large populations of Italian ex-pats. Possibly Sicily’s best known wine product is Marsala (a fortified wine) much loved by chefs as a base for sauces.

In my young days (just a few years ago) Pork Marsala would have featured on every hotel menu in the country.

Puglia (on the heel). This is hot Italy, home of grape varieties Negromara and Primitivo, also known as Zinfandel in California where it is currently all the rage. Primitivo, or Zinfandel, produces a huge full bodied high alchohol red wine but, because of the heat and very ripe fruit, it can produce tasty wines similar to high quality Shiraz from South Australia. Winemark, our local off-licence chain, have these two Puglia grapes in a very tasty blend

Canti- Negroamaro/Zinfandel IGT Alc 12.5% £3.99.

Lazio
Lazio (with Rome as its centre). Back in the 60/70s this region was supplier of bland Frascati to the Trattorie of Rome, but is now on the up again with fresh clean Trebbiano/Malvasia blends.

Abruzzo
This is the region behind the knee of Italy - home of the grape variety Montepulciano, which produces a soft easy drinking red wine. Montepulciano is also a town in Tuscany but there the grape variety would be Sangiovese.

Saint Orsolo Montepulciano d’ Abruzzo DOC is currently on offer at Winemark for £4.59.

Marche. If you like your white wine in fancy bottles this is the region to look out for. Verdicchiodei Castelli di Jesi is the most famous wine of this region. Produced in the attractive green amphora shaped bottle, it is a dry white wine well worth seeking out.

Tuscany
Tuscany, the best known region for holidays and wine - Chianti. Now readily accessable from Ireland by Ryanair- Dublin /Pisa in just a couple of hours. Chianti is probably Italy’s best known (least loved) wine.

Everybody of pre 70s vintage will have had at some stage a Chianti wicker flask bottle as a decoration or doubling as a home made light holder. Present day Chianti is a modern red wine -grape variety Sangiovese.

The heart of the region is Chianti Classico, between the cities of Sienna and Florence. Medium bodied red wines with good tannins are the trademark of the Classico centre.

Winemark- Chianti Classico Castelani 2005 £7.99

See our May issue for part two of this feature.