Tagged with 'italy'

The Etruscans, Tuscany’s original inhabitants before those tacky Romans took over, were making delicious wines back around the time when my Scottish ancestors had discovered the Spoon. The following recommendations, therefore, come not from a native Italian but from someone in love with Tuscan wines who has been collecting them for two decades. It’s a jump ball though, because there’s no general consensus amongst Italians anyway, whenever you see them arguing animatedly with their hands flying, they’re debating when to open a Brunello. Yes, every single time.

As always, these are personal preferences that are incredibly prone to exceptions: if you can think of a contradictory example, you get zero points Gryffindor because there are lots. These guidelines have served me well, hopefully you find the same. All wines listed are red.

Chianti: if you see a red wine labeled “Chianti” with no further words, order a pizza and pop the cork. Drink it confidently and maybe even let the pizza have some.

Chianti Classico: Tuscany’s OG wine region can tend to produce more structured Sangiovese, but unless you see more words like “Riserva” or “Gran Selezione”, it’s probably good to go, although some of the better producers’ offerings can age nicely for 8 years or so.

Chianti Classico Riserva: Entirely producer-dependant. The stricter regs for a Riserva do, in theory, lead to a more structured, ageable wine, but I’ve found that a majority of Riservas are ready to drink upon release, even if they can age further. Certain very traditional producers will make Riservas that need a few years, but these are pretty rare and usually pricey. In fact the “Riserva” designation for Chianti became so nebulous and unhelpful that they invented a new designation:

Chianti Classico Gran Selezione: Here are the Time Capsules. With rare exceptions, every Gran Selezione I’ve tried has been coiled like a scary snake upon release, and needs at least 5 years further to reach any balance. I don’t want to scare you away, though, Gran Selezione is some of Tuscany’s best cellaring value on our market.

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano: And here’s the other amazing cellaring value for Tuscan reds. Using a local clone of Sangiovese called Prugnolo Gentile, Vino Nobile tends to be fairly tannic in its youth, needing at least 5-8 years to soften. Once it does, though, you’ll experience high levels of Deliciosity.

Brunello di Montalcino: Like Barolo, the simple/safe rule with Brunello is to look at the vintage and add ten years, because the ones that needed time should be opening (with some exceptions of course), and the wines that were ready to drink will still be delicious. In truth, however, there are other metrics at work. It’s producer-dependant, for sure, but even more influence is imposed on a Brunello by geography. Find a Brunello wine map on Google images, one that shows where the wineries are. The appellation of Montalcino is kinda circle/square shaped, centred around the town of Montepulciano in the middle. Try to imagine that you’re looking down on a pyramid, with the town at the top, it’ll give you a sense of the altitude differences between different houses. Now divide that map into 3 horizontal bands: North, Middle and South:

The South band has lower altitudes, retains heat and tends to make riper, earlier drinking Brunello.

The Middle band has the highest altitudes and the most dramatic temperature shifts. These wines should likely be cellared at least 10 years.

The North band is a salad. Many of these Brunellos need time in bottle, but some don’t, it depends on who made it. This 3-band method isn’t perfect, but it has largely held true over the years.

Bolgheri: These coastal red wines made with Bordeaux grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc are, without exception, capable of aging beautifully, and many of them need to. If you’re not sure, practice the 10-year-rule to be safe.

Maremma: The south coast of Tuscany makes too many kinds of wines to warrant any consistent guide, except maybe this: if your Maremma costs more than $80, I’d consider giving it a nap, at least 2 years. Under $80? Go for it. Save me some.

Toscana I.G.T.: These non-traditional Tuscan wines – known in our part of the world as “Super Tuscans” – are almost impossible to categorize because the Toscana IGT designation is a catch-all term for Tuscan wines that don’t qualify for traditional titles like Chianti, Brunello, etc. They are defined not by what they are, but what they are not. So they could be anything, any grape, any style, and can be sold at any price – there are a few very expensive examples – making it impossible to judge the right opening time. I’d say above $100 and you’ll probably want to wait, but it’s entirely producer dependant.

The wines of northern Italy can often pull off the hard trick of being seductive and elusive at the same time. The best way to ascertain when to drink them remains asking the person who sold you the bottle (author pauses to point both his thumbs at himself in a “this guy” motion). But maybe you were gifted a bottle, or purchased a wine from the winery after a few too many “samples”? And now you’re staring at it, waiting for it to tell you when to open it (it needs more “samples” to start talking)? We can help.

What follows is a subjective, non-scientific guide to northern Italian drinking windows. I have been collecting and drinking these wines for decades, and these parameters have served me well. If I’m wrong, I am deliciously so, and I take nothing back.

Amarone Della Valpolicella: The iconic drying process that happens in the making of Amarone concentrates flavours, body and intensity, and it would certainly concentrate tannins if the grapes they used had any. Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella and Molinara – the grapes that must comprise the majority of Amarones, aren’t very tannic to begin with so the resulting wine won’t elbow you in the teeth. What does get supercharged is the fruit weight, so even if we somehow ended up with lots of tannins, they would be eclipsed by the round body.

This means that almost all Amarones are good to go upon release. They will drink loudly and powerfully – that’s their M.O. – but there will be balance. Can Amarone age? Absolutely, by sheer concentration it can. But before you invest time in aging them, ask yourself these 2 questions:

1. How long are you willing to wait? Unlike other Italian reds, Amarone takes a loooooong time to show any significant development. Tertiary notes don’t generally surface until at least 15 years from harvest date. Once they do, you’ll be confronted with the next question:

2. Do you like aged Amarone? There’s seldom any out there to buy, but the two dozen or so I’ve tried were….neat? Like, academically delicious more than practically so. It’s cool how many Amarones develop a sweet soy note as they get older but it comes at the expense of fruit and, as noted, fruit is the star of the show, it’s an altogether different wine once removed. If your answer is “yes, by Merlin’s Beard I adore old Amarone” then by all means age them, but for the rest of us, I say drink it upon purchase or hold up to 10 years. Yes, even the Riservas.

Ripasso Della Valpolicella: The wines that live in the nebulous cloud between a straight Valpolicella and an Amarone can be made several different ways: maybe they’ll dry the grapes halfway, not long enough to be called Amarone, or maybe they’ll use the crushed Amarone skins to re-ferment a Valpolicella, but the wines will have one constant: with rare exceptions they drink right away.

Valpolicella: If it doesn’t say Superiore then drink it. If it says Superiore… you know what? Life is short and joy fleeting. Drink that one too.

Soave: these white wines of the Veneto, made from the noble Garganega grape, are almost always born in the zone. A precious few producers in the Soave Classico appellation will make ageable wines, but the near totality of them can drink early – even if they have the capability to age.

Lugana: These top-level Trebbiano-based whites from Lake Garda are almost always accessible, even the Riservas.

Pinot Grigio: You know the answer to this, or at least your hands do: look, you’ve already opened it.

Friuli Whites: Be they Friulano, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay or other grapes, the white wines from Friuli-Venezia Giulia, criminally overlooked in our market – are gloriously drinkable now. Some of the more sublimely layered offerings can go 15 years but can still be opened with no penalty at any time.

Friuli Reds: Ribollo Gialla, Schioppettino, Refosco, nearly every one of these charming reds is good to go, at least the ones I’ve found in our market.

Barolo: OK. Deep breath. Let’s divide the room into two groups:

• Team A: “I want to get granular and understand the styles and terroirs of Barolo”. Awesome. Skip to the next large paragraph.

• Team B: “I came to drink good wine, not to talk about dirt. Be gone, Nerds!!”. Totally fair. In that case, remember this: Look at the vintage on the Barolo bottle and add ten years. Your window starts there, if it was traditional-style it should be just opening, if it was modern it’ll still be fresh and delicious. You’re all done, kindly skip to Barbaresco.

So, Team A nerds, the first rule is to know your producers. “Modern” houses use quick controlled pressing/ferments and age their Nebbiolo in French Barriques (225L) to micro-oxygenate the wines towards softer structure, stronger fruit and earlier drinking, although they certainly can age decades – you have the choice. “Traditional” producers allow for long macerations and fermentations before aging the Nebbiolo in large vessels called “Botti” (5000L). This makes wines with unintegrated acids and tannins – ageing is required unless you like to drink kicks to the head. Which is better? That’s a personal decision. Do Barolo bottles say “Modern” or “Traditional”? Lol no they would never do that so again, ask your merchant. There is, however, another way to make an educated guess if merchant is missing:

The soil composition of Barolo can be delineated right down the middle of the appellation: Tortonian soils in the western half can lead to softer, more perfumed wines. Helvetian soils in the east can produce much more tannic Nebbiolo with deeper fruits. Do the bottles say “Tortonian” or Helvetian”? Lol no they would never do that, but they’ll often name the commune it’s from. The Barolo appellation is split into several small communes, and the major ones might be familiar:

La Morra or Barolo communes are on the west side, so often softer, drinking 8 years past harvest date.
Serralunga d’Alba, Monforte d’Alba and Castiglione Falletto lie eastern, thus born angry. 10-15 years past harvest date.
Is it that simple? Lol no they would never do that – you can have a Modern producer make an approachable Monforte d’Alba, or a Traditional La Morra that sucker punches you and steals your car. Triangulating the producer with the commune is the best way to figure out a target date, however, and that Team B 10 year rule is correct more than it isn’t. If it’s a Barolo Riserva however, all bets are off. Bury that thing before it goes after your cat.

Barbaresco: Barolo’s cousin from up the road can for our purposes be described as “Barolo, only slightly less so”. Barolo speeds, Barbaresco goes the speed limit, and that’s often a good thing. 8 years past harvest date is a safe bet, although the Modern/Traditional piece still applies, and Riservas are still Time Capsules. The younger, accessible Barbarescos can be sheer happiness.

Gattinara:These sub-Alpine Nebbiolo wines are generally released with functional claws but they sing beautifully after cellaring. At least 8 years unless you’re pairing them with batteries.

Valtellina: the Nebbiolo (local name Chiavennasca) from I-Can’t-Believe-It’s-Not-Switzerland is a thing of beauty, but entirely producer-dependant when it comes to drinking windows. I’ve had generously balanced young Valtellina, but some really do need time. The semi-dried Sforzato di Valtellina wines can amplify the tannins, I find they need 10 years past harvest date to settle into themselves.

Roero Rosso: Nebbiolo’s petting zoo. These round red wines are almost always ready, even the Riservas.

Roero Arneis (White): There is an argument to be made for aging these delightfully astringent white wines, but it’s a one-sided argument for whoever makes it because my mouth is full of Arneis.

Gavi: the Cortese-based white wines from Piedmont are almost always ready.

Barbera: Whether from Asti or Alba, most Barbera are round enough to drink young, even if they do boast significant tannins. Some Riservas need time but that’s producer-dependant. The main exception for Barbera is:

Nizza: If you’re Barbera, this is Boardwalk and Park Place rolled into one. Wines from the world’s Barbera Capital have a 50/50 chance of drinking early, but even if they need time it’ll be like 8 years past harvest date.

Dolcetto: If the tables were turned, this wine would drink you in a heartbeat. Dig in.