While it has been documented that Italy has upwards of 800 distinct grape varietals, only about 360 have been catalogued and ‘authorized’ for planting and wine production. Regardless of the 500 or so that have been left out, this amounts to quite a bit of variety. While the daunting task of memorization and flavor profiling could ultimately prove intoxicating, it should be noted that the best of Italy’s wines are produced from around 60 varietals. I have selected a few of the more underrepresented, or maybe just unknown varietals to highlight...
Primosic ~ Vitovska, Friuli ‘06 Heralding from the area around the Provence of Trieste, Vitovska (a name of Slovenian origin) yields a fine, delicate, fresh white wine with a nose of pears and sage. It is lighter bodied with good acidity and mild alcohol.
Favaro ~ Erbaluce, Piemonte ’06 One of the oldest grapes in Italy, Erbaluce in lesser hands can produce acidic fairly uninteresting white wine, but this one was a welcome change from the first taste. Fairly plush, with floral notes accented with grapefruit and citrus. Good minerality and balanced acidity.
Falesco ~ ‘Ferentano’ Roscetto, Lazio ‘05 I fell for this white immediately. Roscetto is a ’rescued from extinction’ grape that in the hands of the Cotarella brothers produces a wine with a rich array of tropical fruit aromas ranging from banana to pineapple, with hints of fresh herbs and vanilla. This wine is lush and full-bodied, with an intriguing and lingering finish.
