2022 Italian Wine

Giuseppe Beppe Caviola is one of the most important consulting oenologists in Italy, and his work at this, his own, personal, estate is exceptionally impressive. Twenty year-old vines and 400 meters elevation support low yields... Read More

As Wine Advocate said in their 93 point review of the 2021: "Here's a wine to stock in your refrigerator for easy access when needed." One taste, and you'll discover the need recurs frequently.

We love a good Rosso Piceno, the blend of cherry-fruited Sangiovese and darker berried Montepulciano grown and drunk along the Adriatic Sea in Italy’s Marche. This is a great one, nicely ripe and smooth, done all in steel,... 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

Organic/Bio Year-in, year-out, one of our very favorite Rosso di Montalcino... 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

Lower ABV Classic dry and savory Lambrusco for rich cheeses, salami and more. Wine & Spirits review captures it nicely: “Subtle scents of herbs and spices signal this wine is about more than just fruit. Notes of smoked meat... 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

A once rare Piemonte grape makes a comeback! Always a more savory than fruity wine with big texture and zesty acids. Wine Enthusiast captures the magic nicely in their 94 point rave, “Spiced pear mixed with candied lemon... 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

This is a fabulous bargain in very high-end Etna red. It's mainly Nerello Mascalese with a smattering of the softer Nerello Cappuccio from sites across the north slopes of the volcano. It’s wonderfully layered and complex,... Read More

Organic/Bio As Wine Advocate said last year, “Giuseppe Russo makes some of the best wines on Etna. Full stop.” And this is Doug’s favorite pretty much every year. From roughly 50 year-old vines at 500 meters,... Read More

Organic/Bio As Wine Advocate said last year, “Giuseppe Russo makes some of the best wines on Etna. Full stop.” This is his more powerful and sleek San Lorenzo bottling, at 330 cases, his biggest single Contrada wine.... Read More

Lower ABV If this reminds you a bit of Willamette Valley Pinot, it could be because the wine is 30% Wadensvil clone, the Swiss clone that is so important in Oregon. From 700 meters elevation in a tiny Italian valley that might... Read More

Organic/Bio There’s a reason that ever since we introduced you to this wine in 2012, it’s been the best-selling Pinot Grigio in the shop every single year. Bolzano’s Kaltern co-op winery’s growers tend... Read More

Lower ABV Soave was the first Italian white to conquer the US market, long before Pinot Grigio was a thing. Today these Veneto delights are less trendy so they can be HUGE values. Like here. This is pretty much the essence of... Read More

From the oldest known planting of Ruche, a wild, almost exotic, wine starting with aromas of violets, rose petal, iris, cardamon, white pepper and dark red fruit. The flavors deliver just-right ripe cherry/dark berry fruit with... Read More

A once rare Piemonte grape makes a comeback! Always a more savory than fruity wine with big texture and zesty acids. Vinous describes this well in their 92 point review, “The 2022 Timorasso is gorgeous. Graphite, pear, chamomile,... Read More

Lower ABV Ciliegiolo is probably a Tuscan native, playing a minor, Sangiovese-softening, role in the traditional Chianti cocktail. In Umbria, though, it shines solo in the hands of Leonardo Bussoletti. Big aromas of crushed red... Read More

Lower ABV A delightfully aromatic wine, with loads of fresh fruit flavors bursting from the glass. It is sweet, but beautifully balanced by the wine's effervescence and acidity. Being frizzante, it has only about half the... Read More

Erbaluce has been an important white wine grape in northern Piemonte, Italy, since at least the 1600s, although where it comes from, nobody knows. Luigi Ferrando crafts one of the very best examples, letting his fruit ripen beautifully... Read More

Lower ABV You may well remember that the original “recipe” for Tuscany’s Chianti Classico included the famed Sangiovese blended with softer red grapes and a splash of white grapes to balance Sangiovese’s... Read More

As Wine Advocate has written: There is genius in these wines from Marisa Cuomo. When you feel so emotionally connected to the beauty of a place, such as the Amalfi Coast, and a wine makes you vividly remember that place even if... Read More

Sometimes you want the flavors and a character of Brunello di Montalcino in a more open, easy, style. And at a drink anytime price point. That’s what you get here in a wine made from the Brunello grape – Sangiovese... Read More

Lagrein is one of Italy’s best red wine grapes, although it hides in the valley’s of the Dolomites, so it’s not as well known. It probably emerged near Trento as a grandchild of Syrah sometime in the 16th century... Read More