Italian whites

Year after year, thanks to the many tastings we do for our wine guide, we become even more aware of how good many Italian whites are. This to contract those who claim that Italy can only produce goods reds.

We are now winding up our tastings, the editorial work and proofreading for the 2023 edition of our Essential Guide to Italian Wine, the ninth since 2015. And one thing is becoming quite clear: Italy is not just a country of great reds. Despite the effects of climate change, despite the drought, despite everything, we are discovering more and more white wines that are truly formidable, and not just those from the northeast, where they have more or less always been good, but elsewhere as well.

We have found some formidable Verdicchio; excellent Pecorino and Trebbiano between Marche and Abruzzo; several Vernaccia di San Gimignano and some interesting Vermentino and Pigato from Liguria. Not only that, but also in Sicily, from vineyards situated between 600 and 1,000m above sea level, there are many Etna Bianco and even some Catarratto that are truly surprising.  Then there are the Greco, Fiano and Falanghina from Campania, Vermentino from Sardinia and even, though rarer, from the Tuscan coast. There are also the unpredictable white Piedmont wines like Arneis, Gavi, Derthona Timorasso and Erbaluce. Last but not least are the wines made from non-native varietals like Chardonnay and Sauvignon that aren’t bad at all, along with the rare Riesling, especially in Alto Adige but also sometimes in Trentino and Piedmont. 

The methods used in the vineyard and the winery have undoubtedly improved but, in my view, certain varietals that tend to ripe late and others from vineyards situated at high altitudes, are producing surprising results due to global warming. This may be a silver lining in the dark cloud of an enormous problem but in a certain way it does back up what I have been saying. The fact is, contrary to what many international wine critics may say, which is that Italy is not a place for great whites, for some years now the opposite is true. Let us hope those critics come around and face the facts.

In the meantime, perhaps under a beach umbrella, try to make a list of the Italian whites you prefer, just for the fun of it.