1st January 2024 | Top Drops | 4 minute read
We love a good red in the winter, and it’s safe to say that Italian red wines are among the best. Italy produces a breath-taking array of styles that suit this time of year, perfect for enjoying with hearty meals or for snuggling up on the sofa. We take you through our favourite types of red wine from this part of the world, and delve into the grape names, regions and wine label terms you’ll see on these iconic bottles.
We couldn’t talk about Italian red wines without featuring Chianti, the ultimate classic Italian red. Chianti is a wine region which falls between Florence and Siena in the heart of Tuscany.
The principle grape used to make Chianti is Sangiovese. It has almost a savoury taste with herbaceous, leathery notes alongside red cherry flavours. It’s high in acidity which is what makes it such a great food wine, especially for meaty Italian dishes where that acidity can cut through the fat of the meat.
There are four classifications of Chianti which are based on ageing time. Chianti wines must be aged for a minimum of six months. If you see Chianti Superiore on a label this means that the wine has been aged for a year, and Riserva wines have had two years. Gran Selezione wines are aged for at least two and a half years and can only come from the Chianti Classico region.
Naturally the more aged wines will take on more complex flavours, they become more savoury and the tannins become softer.
The bright red cherry flavours of the Uggiano Lucere Chianti are perfect for your typical tomato-based dishes. Think a hearty lasagne on a Saturday night.
Amarone is a type of wine made in Valpolicella, located in the north-eastern region of Veneto. It’s made primarily using Corvina grapes with a few other local varieties permitted including Corvinone and Rondinella.
The flavours of an Amarone are complex and bring together strong red fruit, dried raisins, figs, chocolate and coffee. Depending on the length of the ageing process, sweeter spices like cinnamon and vanilla are also thrown into the mix.
Amarone wines are deliciously rich and full-bodied, with a high alcohol content, which is a direct result of the winemaking process. This involves drying out the grapes after harvest to concentrate the sugars in a process known in Italian as ‘appassimento’ – a word you might recognise from wine labels.
The more complicated techniques involved in production mean that along with high-quality wines you can expect the price to be high too. Make no mistake, Amarone wines really are fantastic quality, so if you need a bottle of red for a special meal or occasion then it’s well worth it!
The richness and high alcohol content of Amarone means that it tastes great with all sorts of rich foods, from braised meat stews to powerful chocolate desserts.
This wine has been showered with awards from critics as well as dozens of five star ratings from our customers. When you pay £49.99 a bottle you expect something a bit special and you won’t be disappointed with this one.
In the north-west, Piemonte is home to the other famously high-quality Italian red wine, Barolo. Barolo is a specific appellation which uses only Nebbiolo grapes to make dry red wines.
Nebbiolo is a thin-skinned grape, high in both acidity and tannins that is found almost exclusively in Piemonte. It benefits from ageing and Barolo is required to be aged for at least two years in oak and a year in bottle to comply with appellation laws.
Barolo wines are full-bodied and rich. As you would expect from a quality red, flavours and aromas are deep and complex. They often include mulberry fruit, plum, rose, chocolate, truffles and tar (this may sound weird but it works!)
Barolo pairs beautifully with charcuterie meats and hard cheese so if you’re hosting a wine and cheese evening this is a wine you can’t really beat!
Cascina Adelaide Barolo DOCG Baudana
An elegant, classic Barolo, full of plum and mulberry fruit and notes of spice and tobacco. Decant around 30 minutes before serving to remove any sediment and open it up to its full potential.
Montepulciano is mildly confusing as it’s both a region and grape type. The Montepulciano grape is generally not found in Montepulciano the place, but in the Abruzzo region. It’s specifically Montepulciano d’Abruzzo that we’ll be concerning ourselves with on this occasion.
Montepulciano makes light to medium red wines that are super approachable and easy-going. It’s led by bright red fruits like cherries but there’s herbal freshness there too and subtle aromatics. As with many lighter red wines Montepulciano will benefit from a little chilling, best served at around 12 degrees.
Try a Montepulciano with pizza. The freshness of the wine perfectly complements a tomato base and the lightness works well with the heavy carbs.
The Brio is a classic Abruzzo Montepulciano. It’s packed with cherry flavours and has that signature freshness running through it. We’ve had it for a number of years now and it gets consistently great ratings.
Moving on from specific appellations, Nero d’Avola is a grape native to Sicily which historically has rarely been planted outside the island. In recent years, however, New World countries like Australia and South Africa have been giving it a go resulting in some excellent wines.
A typical Nero d’Avola will have notes of blackberries, plum, black cherry, liquorice and pepper. It’s full-bodied and high in tannins, but not quite as high as Amarone or Barolo. In many ways it’s similar to Shiraz so if you love Shiraz we would highly recommend trying it.
Like many Italian reds, Nero d’Avola is particularly good with food. Any red meat dishes like bolognese or burgers are a real winner here.
Depasso Nero d’Avola Leggermente Appassito
This wine is made using two different parcels of grapes, one of which uses the appassimento method so the grapes are dried before fermentation. This adds complex layers of rich dried-fruit flavours to the fresher Nero d’Avola grapes.
If you’re looking for great value and quality then an Italian-made Barbera is hotly recommended. It’s a grape indigenous to Piemonte and most Barbera is made here but other countries do dabble too.
Barbera is a medium-bodied wine with high acidity and low tannins. Italian Barbera is fruit-forward, yet fresh and usually doesn’t benefit hugely from ageing. You can expect cherry, blackberry and strawberry flavours with subtle hints of herbs.
Barbera is always going to go down well with any Italian tomato-based dish so definitely one for a ragu or classic pizza.
This is a great example of the excellent value you get with Barbera. The Il Cascinone is rich and complex, marrying plum and black cherry with delicious nutty spices.
