E4

Robert Noel

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At this year's World Wine Food and Wine Expo, a great number of Italian wines were featured, including some very interesting whites from indigenous Italian grapes and international ones.

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Although we think more about red when we shop for Italian wines, some interesting whites can be found. This week's column features the white side of Italian wine viticulture.

A large number of the best white wines from Italy come from the northern part of Italy, especially from the northeast area, like Veneto, Alto Adige and Friuli.

Here you can find popular wines like Pinot Grigio or Soave wines made from local grape like Garganega and Trebbiano (with a touch of Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio).

The best examples are from the Classico region and can see a little oak treatment.

The most impressive producers are Anselmi and Pieropan. These wines are usually fairly neutral, crisp and refreshing.

This is probably the reason that before the new popularity of Pinot Grigio, Soave was the best selling Italian dry (easy sipping) white wine.

Pinot Grigio wines are delicate, have good acid and present some aromas of nuts, lemons with some floral notes. Lately, the Pinot Grigio grape is the most popular white grape.

Unfortunately, being so popular, some bad examples of this simple and easy wine are being made but some better ones from small producers can now be found and have some nice flavours to them.

These wines tend to be light- to medium-bodied, dry, refreshing with a medium acidity. They present aromas of citrus, flowers, white flesh fruits and melons. Some producers also blend some chardonnay with this grape to give more structure and flavours to the final wine. Pinot Grigio wines are easy to enjoy on their own or with light dishes like mussels, clams and shrimps.

Orvieto is from the southwestern part of Italy.

Umbria Orvieto is made from Trebbiano, Malvasia, Verdello, Grechetto and Drupeggio. The wine produced is a rather ordinary dry white wine.

The best ones are the wines made in the sweeter, off-dry style.

The Abbocato, and Amabile have more flavours and structure and are quite nice aperitif wines. I personally enjoy the off-dry styles with Asian-type foods or as an aperitif during hot summer days. Look for wines from the Classico area; they are usually better.

Lately, other not so well-known white grapes are gaining recognition. These not-so-familiar or obscure grapes are becoming new favourites of wine lovers looking for a new tasting experience.

Italy makes an interesting, quite obscure variety of white wines that may be hard to find. These unique grapes include Cortese di Gavi, Roero Arneis, Verdicchio dei Castelli de Jesi, Arasanico, Cattarato, Vermentino and Lacryma del Cristi del Vesuvio. All these wine styles or the grapes used to make them are not necessarily found outside Italy or their regions so they offer unique experiences.

Just like any other wine producing countries, eventually wineries begin growing internationally popular grapes. Italy is no exception, you can also find some chardonnay or sauvignon blanc, and most of the production is used to boost neutral Italian white wines.

Although some serious and well-known producers like Pio Cesare or Antinori make some fine chardonnays or sauvignon blanc, expect to pay more for them than for your regular Italian white.

If you are tired of the usual popular white grapes, give these unique Italian white grapes a chance. You might find a new favourite white wine.

Have a good weekend.

Weekly wine picks:

8000852000113: Donnafugata Anthilia, Italiy ($20.29)

8003387010015: Tre Monti Vigna Rocca, Italy ($22.79)

8019873001016: Farnese Casale Vecchio, Italy ($23.99)

8009015040508: Cantele Alticelli, Italy ($21.29)

* Robert Noel is Alcool N.B. Liquor's sommelier. His column, World of Wine, appears each Saturday in Life & Times.