Italian Wine

Essentially “baby Barbaresco” here from 20 year-old vines in Bricco di Neive cru and pulled from Barbaresco casks to deliver a fresher, earlier-drinking, Nebbiolo. As Vinous says in the 91 point review, it’s... Read More

Located right next door to the Asti wine region, the vermouth is 100% Piemonte, from the base wine being the local Cortese grape (same grape as Gavi DOC) to the local Piedmontese botanicals. Giulio Cocchi knew what he was doing... Read More

Lower ABV If you don’t know Arneis, then this is the perfect introduction to the white grape of Barolo and the sandier vineyards of the Roero hills next door. And if you do know Arneis and are used to paying $20-$25 for... Read More

“Ripasso” means a fully dry Valpolicella wine is poured over the pressing from Amarone where the remaining sugar there triggers a second fermentation that enriches and darkens the wine. Here it added intensity to the... Read More

Lower ABV The kind of excellent value in all-purpose, clean, fresh, and delicious Pinot Grigio that's getting harder and harder to find. Importer Lia Tolaini-Banville sources fruit from across the Veneto and ferments it cool... Read More

Always built to show well on the early side, the 2020 Barolo Lecinquevigne benefits from Damilano's plump and nicely fruit-filled house style. As Wine Spectator says in their 94 point review, Stitched with pure cherry and... Read More

Pecorino was the dominant white grape in the Marche for hundreds of years before it dwindled post-phylloxera in favor of more productive vines. Thought to be extinct, a few plants were rediscovered in the 1980s and today it's... Read More

Marachelle = practical joke and this is all about that kind of silly fun. It's 60% Durella - the native grape of this part of the Veneto - plus Chardonnay with second fermentation in bottle but then no disgorgement. Drinks... Read More

Organic/Bio Lower ABV No way you try this blind and guess it sells for <$20. Because it shouldn’t and only does because importer Lia Banville-Tolaini owns the vineyard and winery and uses it to craft this “door... Read More

Organic/Bio Lower ABV Another great vintage here! It’s 100% Sangiovese grown in the heart of Chianti Classico and farmed organically and made carefully by the team at the award-winning Toliani estate. The fruit is picked... Read More

In a great vintage when the top wines are going to need years to show their very best, winegrower Olga Peluso focused on both capturing the essence of the beautiful growing season and letting us enjoy it now. Big, rich, black... Read More

Organic/Bio Eduardo Torres Acosta learned to make wine with his grandfather in Tenerife before shifting his attention to another volcanic island and coming to Sicily in 2012 to work a harvest with Arianna Occhipinti. He’s... Read More

More pretty than powerful in 2018, and better for it! Give it an hour or two of air tonight for the perfume to really come up and do hold some for 10 years or so and let it really unfurl.

Federico Graziani comes at Etna wine from the perspective of a taster. At age 15 he took his first wine tasting course and in 1998, at age 23, he was crowned Italy’s top sommelier. He came to Etna in 2008 and now has 6HA... Read More

Lower ABV Here’s a secret: no one needs to make good Vernaccia di San Gimignano. The millions of tourists who come to see the 12th century walled city’s towers slurp down anything with “San Gimignano” on... Read More

So much care and effort go into Fontanavecchia's everyday Aglianico that it's hard to believe it sells for such a song! Aglianico is Campania's most important red grape, and it can be used to make dark, powerful, leathery... Read More

Lower ABV Coda di Volpe held a prime place in the Roman vineyard and, after empire, picked up its current name because the long, gangly, grape bunches reminded growers of the tail of a fox. Libero Rillo at Fontanavecchia is helping... Read More

This is Libero Rillo's “fresh” Falanghina, going from vine to stainless steel to bottle with no oak and just a touch of time on the lees (spent yeast cells) to amplify the texture without diminishing the wine’s... Read More

This delicious frizzante wine is a rare version of red Malvasia, made with a touch of sweetness and a light, frothy, sparkle. As The Washington Post’s Dave McIntyre said about the 2011, “This delightful little frizzante... Read More

As Vinous says, Francesco Rinaldi is one of the few producers of classically built wines that still remains somewhat under the radar.” His 2019 Cannubi is stunning, rich and deep with plenty of freshening structure. Galloni... Read More

Freisa is cousin to Barolo’s Nebbiolo grape, but it’s the more casual, cool, fun-loving member of the family! The grape name comes from Latin for “strawberry” and you’ll certainly taste a big basked... Read More

Organic/Bio Lower ABV Welcome to white Pinot Noir! This sparkling wine specialists presses some of their Pinot Noir while cool, giving white juice that ferments dry in steel. The pretty aromas and flavors of white cherries, white... Read More

One of the finest Barbera in all of Italy whether enjoyed now or with a decade-plus in cellar. As Wine Advocate describes it in the 94 point review, Offering a level of aromatic clarity and elegance that is not always easy for... Read More

Organic/Bio 22 hectares nestled in the core of the Chianti Classico region, Gagliole’s Rubiolo shows the best of what the region has to offer. Pietraforte rock being the base of the soil gives the wine smoothness and delicious,... Read More

As you’d guess from the label, this is super-traditional Barbera picked ripe and juicy and aged just a brief time in large oak for a touch of structure. Big aromas and flavors of crunch red and juicy black fruits gain complexity... Read More