Expert-approved: The best and boldest Italian wines for winter
Italy is an endless well of great wines. There are so many fine options overflowing from the Mediterranean nation finding the right one, even in the dead of winter, is no issue. Provided, of course, you know people who know Italian wine.
We reached out to the team at Barolo Grill, a standout Denver restaurant. Owner Kyle Fletter is so enamored by the Italian food culture that he takes his staff there every year. The menu showcases an amazing spectrum of offerings, from lesser-knowns to icons.
Erin Lindstone is the restaurant’s wine director. She was kind enough to regale us with some great options for winter. These bold wines can stand up to both the weather and bigger dishes. “There are so many incredible Italian wines that are primed for the heartier winter season’s fare,” she said.
White wine
“If you’re wanting richer, more textured winter whites, Timorasso and Verdicchio are two great varieties to consider,” Lindstone told us. “Timorasso is native to Piedmont, and is having a well-deserved renaissance at the moment. Like many Italian varieties, it nearly disappeared due to its challenging nature in the vineyard, but was rightly rescued from near extinction by a few heroic producers.”
She credits Walter Massa for bringing the varietal back from obscurity. “Many refer to Timorasso as ‘a red wine with a white coat,’ because it has so much complexity, structure, and potential for aging,” she said. “Timorasso is like a Swiss army knife for wine pairing. It is extremely versatile and would hold up to so many different dishes, whether they’re vegetarian, seafood, or meat focused. It’s great with a white bean, kale, and squash combination. Any richer seafood dish would pair perfectly: seared scallops, lobster, a seafood bisque, a rich seared halibut.”
She said it’s a wine that’s also fantastic with saltimbocca or a rich pork and duck cassoulet (or even friend chicken). “The natural weight of the wine can echo the weight of these winter dishes, while the persistent acidity will cut through the rich flavors.”
Which bottles? Lindstone offers Walter Massa’s Derthona Timarosso as an iconic option, among others. “I love Mandirola 1913’s ‘Derthona’ Timorasso in particular,” she explained. “They actually provided cuttings to Walter Massa when he started re-propagating the vines. This wine offers sweet citrus, ripe apricot and plum, and toasted almond on the nose, with natural weight and richness perfectly balanced by a backbone of acidity.”
Verdicchio is another one she proudly endorses for winter. Namely, the Verdicchio Reserva frmo Castelli di Jesi. “It comes from the Marche, on the Adriatic coast, near the calf of Italy’s boot,” Lindstone said. “Being grown so close to the sea, Verdicchio from Jesi always has a delicious saline character at its core, but when it’s a riserva bottling, it gains more richness on the palate as well. The last time we visited the Marche on one of our annual staff trips to Italy, the incredible age ability of these whites was a huge lightbulb moment for us. They start to develop delicious mushroom and truffle notes, as well as a gently toasted almond character.”
Lindstone also suggests Casalfarneto’s ‘Crisio’ Castelli di Jesi Verdicchio Riserva Classico as a prime option.
Red wine
“While it isn’t the most full bodied of the bunch, Nebbiolo’s elevated acidity and tannins provide the perfect counterpoint of structure to pair with rich, hearty, braised winter dishes,” Lindstone continued. “It also offers an incredibly complex bouquet that is perfect for a fireside, meditative wine experience. A typical nose of Nebbiolo gives warm winter spices, dried flowers, leather, tobacco, dried herbs — the list goes on. Nebbiolo with age especially can give delicious truffle notes, so if you’re splurging and shaving black or white truffles on your pasta, on your eggs, it’s an ideal pairing.”
She’s hard pressed not to mention greats like Barolo and Barbaresco as outstanding examples of the grape. “Gattinara is a great region to explore if you’re looking for something with some age at a value-driven price,” she added. “Travaglini and Antoniolo are two benchmark producers of Gattinara that I highly recommend trying.”
Then, there’s Sagrantino, a wine Lindstone said was made for winter. “It’s full bodied, with intense stewed black cherry and black plum, wild brush, and fresh earth on the nose, and powerful tannins on the palate. It’s great with any fatty meaty dish, braised short ribs with creamy polenta, for example. It’s also great with a rich mushroom risotto.”
Hailing from the Meontefalco area of Umbria in central Italy, Sagrantino is one of the most tannic grapes in all of wine, according to Lindstone. “Until relatively recently (1970s), it was mostly made into a passito dessert wine,” she said. “Today, though, the dry reds are the norm. I recommend seeking one with a few years of age, so the tannins have had a chance to integrate into the wine. One of my favorites is the 2017 Lorenzo Mattoni Montefalco Sagrantino. Lorenzo’s father Lodovico was one who pioneered making Sagrantino in a dry style, and now Lorenzo is forging his own path with his own boutique winery.”
What else? Go with Aglianico. “Many refer to it as the ‘Barolo of the South,’ because it has great structure and ability to age, but otherwise, it is quite different,” she explained. “It’s a thick-skinned varietal native to Campania and Basilicata in southern Italy, and reflects the warmer climate for sure, making an incredibly dark and brooding style of red wine. It often gives notes of cassis, leather, spice, smoked meat, violet, and a delicious mineral edge that is a reflection of the volcanic soil where it’s often planted, whether it’s in Aglianico del Vulture in Basilicata or Taurasi in Campania.”
Lindstone offers Elena Fucci’s ‘Titolo’ Aglianico del Vulture and I Favati’s ‘Terzotratto’ Taurasi as exemplary examples of the wine.
Now, get to feasting and pairing. And keep in mind some of The Manual’s related features, covering everything from lesser-known Italian white wines to the Alto Adige region, easily one of our favorites on the wine map.
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