Feature

In the last century, Italian wine was most often thought of as cheap and cheerful. These were everyday wines to drink often and to drink lots of: it’s the Italian way. These peasant-style wines, whose bottles may even come covered in straw, were little for wine lovers to get excited about. However, attitudes have changed in the past 25 years and thanks to new laws further regulating Italian wineries, the standard of winemakers in the country is reaching new levels of excellence.

Today, Italy is seen as one of the most prolific and versatile wine regions in the world with over 100 official grape varieties. Italian wines are food friendly and affordable, with many of the wines available in specialty wine shops.

Italian red varietals offer a nice alternative to cabernets and merlots. Sangiovese is the dominant grape of Chianti Classico that comes from the hills of Tuscany in Northern Italy. In the hands of a talented wine maker, this red grape can produce an elegant wine.

The sangiovese grape produces a wine with a bright ruby-red colour. It has a spicy aroma of wild berries, offering black cherry and raspberry flavours. It is a refreshing drink that can be complex and ages well for up to ten years.

To assure you are buying the finest quality Chianti Classico, look for the gallo nero or black cockerel on the neck label. This image is the trademark of the Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico, the premier makers of Chianti wines in the central region of the Chianti area.

Look no further than the cuisine of Italy to find the perfect match for Chianti Classico. Any tomato-based pasta sauce, pizza and roast lamb combine beautifully with this full bodied red.

If pasta and pizza are on your menu this week, try a sangiovese blended with a little cabernet and merlot to create a lush, mouth-filling wine with just the right acidity to balance tomato sauces. Il Mandorlo Chianti Classico has a particularly good vintage year of 2000.

The great Barolo, made from the Nebbiolo grape grown in Piedmont, is known as the ’wine of kings and king of wines in Italy’. Barolos typically has aromas of tar and roses, but can take on an unusual orange tinge with age.

The softer Barolos, like San Orsola Terre del Barolo (around £10-15 per bottle), are a good match for venison, duck and goose. It also goes well with smoked dishes and charcuterie (salami, proscuitto and such). The big and bold Barolos are perfect with all game, lamb, grilled steak and hearty stews. Try Marziano & Enrico Abbona San Pietro Barolo at around £25-30 per bottle.

Compared to Chianti Classico, Barolos are rare and pricey. These reds are prize cellar bottles, with five to 15 years of patience required before the wines mature to a divine richness. When subjected to ageing of at least five years, the wine can be labelled a riserva. Cordero di Montezemolo Barolo is one of the greats with the 1999 vintage being one of the best vintages of the last decade. This costs around £40 a bottle.

Picture caption: The Chianti region of Italy is now home to some of the world’s best loved wines.