A Tasting of Italian Wines

Recently I got together with a group of friends for an Italian-themed night. We chose a selection of Italian wines and created a menu to match. This is something you can easily do with your own friends. It's a great way to learn about new wines and see how they match with their native foods!

2001 Pieropain Soave Classico

Soave is an Italian white best known as a light before-dinner sipper. We had ours with the appetizers - goat cheese, mozarella, and ham pate. It was smooth, with flavors of apple and citrus. The wine was a bit heavier and thicker than we were used to in a soave. but did go well with the ham and cheese.

2001 Figini Gavi

Gavi is an Italian white from the Piedmont area. Gavi is normally served with fish, but also goes well with appetizers and vegetables. We found this one to be light, fresh and fruity, with grapefruit lingering flavors. Quite tasty.

1997 Castel del Monte Il Falcone

Castel del Monte is a wine region in Apulia, Italy, known for its reds. It uses mainly Uva di Troia as the red grape, also using pinot noir, sangiovese, montepulciano and aglianico grapes. We had this with the lasagne, mushroom, broccoli and raddicio main dishes. It had musty tannins and a nice licorice flavor, with a dry finish.

1999 Villa Caffagio Chianti Classico

Chianti is one of the best known Italian wines. It is a red wine created mostly from Sangiovese grapes. We found this one to be fresh and fruity, with spicy flavors.

Give your own Italian wine dinner a try! Plan out a menu, find some great Italian Wines to go with it, and enjoy!

Wine Review Listing