Italian wines

As my map clearly shows, I've been assiduous in exploring Italian wines. I don't feel like I've made a breakthrough, yet, in finding the wines or regions I really like. From what I've been able to sample so far, it seems clear that it is the high-priced wines from Piedmont and Tuscany that are the best, Nebbiolo and Sangiovese. Whatever progress is being made in other regions with other varietals, it hasn't yet resulted in affordable good wines that I've been able to find.

In other words, I still feel most comfortable with French wines, which is no surprise after 11 years in France when I drank them almost exclusively. I instinctively know what to expect from each region; the names and labels are familiar to me. I suspect, too, that the lower-price wines are simply better.

But I will soldier on. This initial impression may represent ignorance rather than anything else. I would like to find more wines from Campania, especially Aglionico, because I quite liked the one I tried. I've signed up for an AIWF tasting of Alto Adige wines next week, which is promising, because the Pinot Grigio from Bolzano that I had this week was quite good. More to come!