Italian Wine For Dummies E-Book

Mary Ewing-Mulligan

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 391

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2011

Beschreibung

"A must-have book for anyone who is serious about Italian wines."
—Lidia Bastianich, host of PBS?s Lidia's Italian Table

"I have yet to encounter more knowledgeable guides to...Italian wine."
—Piero Antinori, President, Antinori Wines

"Bravo to Ed and Mary! This book shows their love for Italy, the Italian producers, and the great marriage of local foods with local wines. Here is a great book that presents the information without intimidation."
—Piero Selvaggio, VALENTINO Restaurant

Right now, Italy is the most exciting wine country on earth. The quality of Italian wines has never been higher and the range of wines has never been broader. Even better, the types of Italian wines available outside of Italy have never been greater. But with all these new Italian wines and wine zones not to mention all the obscure grape varieties, complicate blends, strange names and restrictive wine laws. Italian wines are also about he most challenging of all to master. The time has come for comprehensive, up-to-date guides to Italian wines.

Authored by certified wine educators and authors Ed McCarthy and Mary Ewing-Mulligan, Italian Wine For Dummies introduces you to the delectable world of fine Italian wine. It shows you how to:

• Translate wine labels
• Identify great wine bargains
• Develop your own wine tastes
• Match Italian wines with foods

Here's everything you need to know to enjoy the best Tuscans, Sicilians, Abruzzese and other delicious Italian wines. This lighthearted and informative guide explores:

• The styles of wine made in Italy and the major grape varieties used to make them
• How the Italian name their wines, the complicated laws governing how names are given and the meanings of common label terminology
• Italy's important wine regions including a region-by-region survey of the best vineyards and their products
• A guide to pronouncing Italian wine terms and names and how to order Italian wines in restaurants

For Italians, wine (vino) is food (alimentari) and food is love (amore). And you can never have enough love in your life. So, order a copy of Italian Wine For Dummies, today and get ready to share the love!

Leseprobe

Italian Wine For Dummies®

by Mary Ewing-Mulligan MW and Ed McCarthy

Italian Wine For Dummies®

Published byWiley Publishing, Inc.111 River St.Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2001 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Library of Congress Control Number: 2001092896

ISBN: 978-0-7645-5355-4

Manufactured in the United States of America

13 12 11 10

1O/ST/QV/QS/IN

About the Authors

Mary Ewing-Mulligan and Ed McCarthy are two wine lovers whose stars crossed at an Italian wine tasting in New York City’s Chinatown in 1981, leading to personal and professional partership. Besides co-authoring seven wine books, they’ve taught hundreds of wine classes together, visited nearly every wine region of the world, run five marathons, and raised ten cats. Together, they’ve amassed more than half a century of professional wine experience.

Mary grew up in Pennsylvania and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. Immediately after college, she took a position at the Italian Trade Commission, where she dicovered her love of wine and of Italy, and began sharing that passion with other Americans. She is now president of Inter-national Wine Center, a New York City wine school where she teaches classes mainly for wine professionals; she’s also wine columnist for the NY Daily News. Mary’s proudest credential is being America’s first female Master of Wine (MW), one of only 18 MW’s in America and 233 worldwide.

Ed, a New Yorker, graduated from City University of NY with a Master’s degree in psychology. He taught high school English as his day job, all the while working part time in wine shops to satisfy his passion for wine. He began writing about wine in 1985, and in 1995 co-authored, with Mary, the best-selling Wine For Dummies; in 1999, he went solo as author of Champagne For Dummies, a topic in which he’s particularly keen. He and Mary share a wine column in Nation’s Restaurant News, and he also writes for Wine Enthusiast Magazine and Underground Wine Journal. Ed and Mary are both Certified Wine Educators (CWE).

Mary and Ed admit to leading thoroughly unbalanced lives in which their only non-wine pursuits are jogging and picnicking in the Alps—when they find the time. At home, they wind down to the tunes of Bob Dylan and Neil Young, in the company of their feline roommates, Léoville, Pinot, Brunello, Dolcetto, Clicquot, and Black & Whitey.

Dedication

We dedicate this book to the memory of Sheldon Wasserman, whose passion for Italian wine, conveyed through his writings and his always-opinionated voice, led so many Americans to discover Italy’s wines and believe in them.

Acknowledgments

Italian wines were Mary’s first love and Ed’s second (after French) when we became a team. Every journey we’ve taken to Italy since then has only deepened our feelings about Italian wines, Italian food, the wonderful people, and Italy itself. And so our first acknowledgment is to the people of Italy: Thank you for making us feel so welcome and so special. We truly love you—especially our dear Italian friends in Piedmont. We always look forward to our next trip “home.”

We thank the creative genius, CEO John Kilcullen—who’s been known to enjoy a good glass or two of Italian wine—for making the For Dummies books the phenomenal success that they are. We sincerely thank Publisher Jennifer R. Feldman for giving us the “green light” on Italian Wine For Dummies.And thanks to Senior Editor Linda Ingroia—we know that you’ve been looking forward to this book as much as anyone! Really special thanks to our project editor Mary Goodwin for putting up with us for two books in a row. You’re truly a saint. Both Linda and Mary managed to perform a minor miracle by getting us to finish this book on time!

Could we have had a better technical reviewer for this book than the Professor, Dr. Ed Beltrami? We couldn’t have trusted anyone to catch our errors more than the scholarly Dottore. Thanks to Steve Ettlinger, our agent, who brought us to Hungry Minds, Inc., in the first place, and who knows enough not to bother us with phone calls when we’re busy writing.

We’re grateful for the support of our colleagues at Interna-tional Wine Center, Linda Lawry and May Matta-Alliah, who sustained our absence while we wrote this book. Finally, to Elise McCarthy, E.J. McCarthy, and his wife Bernadette, and to Cindy McCarthy Tomarchio and her husband David—thanks for your continual encouragement and support.

Publisher’s Acknowledgments

We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our Online Registration Form located at www.wiley.com/register.

Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:

Acquisitions, Editorial, and Media Development

Project Editor: Mary Goodwin

Senior Acquisitions Editor: Linda Ingroia

Assistant Acquisitions Editor: Erin Connell

Technical Editor: Dr. Ed Beltrami

Editorial Manager: Pam Mourouzis

Editorial Assistant: Jennifer Young

Cover Photos: © Bill Bettencourt/Food Pix

Composition

Project Coordinator: Maridee Ennis

Layout and Graphics: Amy Adrian, Kelly Hardesty, Joyce Haughey, Jacque Schneider, Julie Trippetti

Proofreaders: Andy Hollandbeck, Susan Moritz, Marianne Santy, Aptara

Indexer: Aptara

Publishing and Editorial for Consumer Dummies

Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher, Consumer Dummies

Joyce Pepple, Acquisitions Director, Consumer Dummies

Kristin A. Cocks, Product Development Director, Consumer Dummies

Michael Spring, Vice President and Publisher, Travel

Kelly Regan, Editorial Director, Travel

Publishing for Technology Dummies

Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher, Dummies Technology/General User

Composition Services

Gerry Fahey, Vice President of Production Services

Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services

Contents

Title

Introduction

About This Book

Icons Used in This Book

Part I : The Big Picture of Italian Wine

Chapter 1: Born to Make Wine

Wine to Boot

Italian Wine Styles Today

Chapter 2: Grapes from Near and Far

Italy’s Curious Varieties

The Major Grapes

Chapter 3: The Language of the Label

The Name Game

Common Wine Label Words

Part II : The Wine Regions of Northern Italy

Chapter 4: The Wines of Piedmont

The Majesty of Piedmont

Wines of the Alba Area

The Wines of Southeastern Piedmont

Northern Piedmont

Other Piedmont Wines

Chapter 5: Other Northwest Regions

Alpine Valle d’Aosta

Liguria: The Riviera

Chapter 6: North-Central Italy

Lombardy Has It All

Emilia-Romagna: One Region, Really Two

Chapter 7: Northeastern Italy

Trentino-Alto Adige: One Region, Two Cultures

Veneto: Verona to Venice

Friuli-Venezia Giulia: The Great White Way

Part III : The Wine Regions of Central Italy

Chapter 8: The Wines of Tuscany

The Big Picture of Tuscany

The Land of Chianti

Monumental Montalcino

The “Noble Wine” of Montepulciano

Carmignano

Super-Tuscan Wines—The Winds of Change

Tuscany’s “Hot” Coast

Other Tuscan Wines

Chapter 9: The Wines of Central Italy

Umbria: The Inland Region

Marches, on the Adriatic

Mountainous Abruzzo

Forgotten Molise

Latium: Rome’s Region

Part IV : The Wine Regions of Southern Italy

Chapter 10: The Wines of Southern Italy

Campania: Revival Begins

Apulia: Italy’s Wine Barrel

Mountainous Basilicata

Rugged Calabria

Chapter 11: Sicily and Sardinia

Sicilia Leaves the Past

Sardinia Stands Alone

Part V : The Part of Tens

Chapter 12: Ten Commonly-Asked Questions about Italian Wines

Why Are Italian Wines So Much Better with Food?

What Are Super-Tuscan Wines?

Why Does the Italian Government Tell Producers How to Make Their Wines?

What’s the Difference Between DOC and Non-DOC Wines?

What’s the Best All-Purpose Italian Red Wine?

Isn’t Southern Italy Too Hot for Making Wine?

Which Are Better: “Traditional” or “Modern” Italian Wines?

What Are Barriques, and Why Are They Controversial?

Why Do Italian Wines Have Such Strange Names?

Why Are Italian Wines Less Prestigious Than French Wines?

Chapter 13: Ten Common Italian Wine Myths Exposed

Chianti Is an Inexpensive, Commercial Wine

Italian Wines Should Be Enjoyed with Italian Food

Pinot Grigio Is One of Italy’s Best Wines

Italy’s Best Wines Are All Red

Marsala Is Cooking Wine

White Italian Wines All Taste Alike

Non-DOC Wines Are Better Than DOC Wines

Spumante Is Sweet

Soave and Valpolicella Are Low-Quality Wines

Montepulciano d’Abruzzo and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Are Made from the Same Grape

Part VI : Appendixes

Appendix A: Pronunciation Guide to Italian Wine Names and Terms

Appendix B: Italian Wine Vintage Chart: 1980 to 1999

Introduction

A t this moment in time, Italy is the most exciting wine country on earth. The quality of the wines has never been higher, and the range of wines has never been broader. Nor have more types of Italian wines ever been available outside of Italy.

The quality of Italy’s wines has been growing steadily for about two decades. Now, finally, the message has leaked beyond the small cult of wine lovers who have loyally followed Italian wines, and into the mainstream of America’s wine consciousness. You can now find Italian wines in three-star French restaurants. California wineries are trying their hand with Italian grape varieties and Italianate wine styles. New York City even boasts two all-Italian wine shops.

Although Italy’s wines are more desirable and more available than ever, they’re no more comprehensible. In fact, the proliferation of new wines and new wine zones has made Italian wine an even more confusing topic than it’s always been. (All the obscure grape varieties, complicated wine blends, strange wine names, and restrictive wine laws—observed or circumvented—make Italian wines just about the most challenging of all to master.) Yet comprehensive, up-to-date reference books on Italian wines simply weren’t available in English. Italian Wine For Dummies changes all that.

About This Book

When we planned this book, we had two goals in mind. First, we wanted to share our passion for Italy’s wines (and the land and people who make them). We adore Italian wine. We’ve visited Italy’s wine regions at every opportunity for more than 20 years; each visit has deepened our fascination with the array of wines Italy makes—and the country’s rich potential. We’d love to turn you on to the excitement.

Our second goal was to provide straightforward, clear, comprehensive information that wine drinkers could turn to again and again as they delve ever deeper into the amazing universe of Italian wines. Our earlier books, such as Wine For Dummies, published by Hungry Minds, Inc., couldn’t possibly do justice to the vast topic of Italian wines. Every time that our students or our readers asked us where they could find out more about Italian wines, we became frustrated that we had nowhere to send them. We decided that we had to fill the void.

We chose a regional approach for discussing Italian wines because in a country as diverse as Italy, very few general statements about wine hold true before individual realities of regional cultures, climates, and grape varieties rear their heads. In describing Italy’s wine regions, we place special emphasis on wines that are widely available in markets such as the U.S., and wines of superior quality. But we also mention wines that are more difficult to find, and even wines that you won’t find anywhere except Italy. We cover all these wines in the interest of thoroughness, to give you the complete picture of each region’s wines. When you flip through the pages of this book, and your eyes fall on the names of wines you’ve never heard of, we hope you’ll consider that a positive aspect of the book rather than unnecessary detail.

To gain the most comprehensive understanding of Italian wines, read Italian Wine For Dummies from the beginning—that is, don’t skip the first three chapters. (And be sure to check out the useful information on the Cheat Sheet.) If you already know something about Italy’s wines, you can go directly into the regional chapters.

Our discussions about individual regions begin with general information about the region, then proceed to cover the region’s most important wines—either the highest quality wines, or the wines that are most widely available. Information about less important wines comes toward the end of each regional section. If you’re interested mainly in Italy’s major wines, you can skip the details about the minor wines. We’ve divided this book into five parts, which we describe here.

Part I: The Big Picture of Italian Wine

In this part, we make whatever generalizations are safe to make about Italy’s wines as a group. Chapter 1 discusses the intricately-contoured lay of the land in Italy. It also provides a broad overview of the styles of wine made in Italy, and puts us out on a limb describing the prototypical white and red Italian wine (as if!). In Chapter 2, the litany of strange names begins: Italy’s major grape varieties; although we devote a whole chapter to this topic, new names join the litany throughout the book. Chapter 3 explains one of the most complicated aspects of Italian wines: the laws under which they exist, and how they’re named. It also defines the most common label terminology.

Part II: The Wine Regions of Northern Italy

This part describes the wines from Italy’s very important northern regions: Piedmont (Chapter 4), Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna (Chapter 6), and Trentino-Alto-Adige, Veneto, and Friuli-Venezia-Giulia (Chapter 7). Chapter 5 covers the relatively minor regions of Aosta Valley and Liguria. We’d venture a guess that half the Italian wines you see in shops come from the regions covered in this part.

Part III: The Wine Regions of Central Italy

Of that other half of Italian wines you’re likely to see in wine shops, a huge percentage come from Tuscany, the very major region that occupies Chapter 8. That’s where you meet Chianti, for example, and discover why some Tuscan wines are called “Super.” Chapter 9 covers the whole remainder of Central Italy—the wines of Umbria, Latium, Marche, Abruzzo, and Molise. Some of Italy’s best values live here.

Part IV: The Wine Regions of Southern Italy

Italy’s southern regions are hot—figuratively as well as literally. Puglia, Campania, Basilicata, and Calabria—all discussed in Chapter 10—are making their best wines in 4,000 years (not that we’ve technically been able to verify that). What’s more, some of these wines are amazing values, especially if your favorite wine words are “red” and “powerful.” Italy’s two huge islands, Sicily and Sardegna, are equally “happening” these days; they share Chapter 11.

Part V: The Part of Tens

If there are 50 ways to leave your lover, there are definitely ten major misunderstandings about Italian wines, and ten burning questions you always wanted to ask. Chapter 12 tackles the ten questions, such as whether Super-Tuscans are better than DOC wines. Chapter 13 explodes the myths: Italian wine doesn’t only go with Italian food, for example.

Part VI: Appendixes

If only everyone spoke Italian, Italy’s wines would be so much easier to talk about and order in restaurants. Until then, Appendix A to the rescue: Here we give you an alphabetized pronunciation guide to Italian wine terms and wine names. Appendix B is a Vintage Chart to guide you in your wine choices.

Icons Used in This Book

We’re not trying to turn you into a winemaker or an Italian politician, but some technical issues are important to understanding Italy’s wines—depending on how deeply you want to understand them, of course. Where you see this icon, feel free to skip the information that follows.

Advice and information that makes you a wiser Italian wine drinker is marked by this bull’s-eye so that you won’t miss it.

When you see this sign, you know that you’re in the territory of a common misunderstanding about Italy’s wine. We alert you to help prevent confusion.

Some issues in wine are so fundamental that they bear repeating. Just so you don’t think we repeated ourselves without realizing it, we mark the repetitions with this symbol.

Wine snobs practice all sorts of affectations that can make other wine drinkers feel inferior. When we discuss wines or issues that are fodder for snobs, we alert you with this icon, so that you won’t fall prey.

To our tastes, the wines we mark with this icon are bargains because we like them, we believe them to be of good quality, and their price is low compared to other wines of similar type, style, or quality.

Unfortunately, some Italian wines have very limited distribution, and you won’t find them just anywhere. We mark such wines with this icon, and hope that your search proves fruitful.

Part I

The Big Picture of Italian Wine

In this part . . .

I f ever a country was born to make wine, it’s Italy. The land is covered with hillsides, just begging for grapevines. And what grapevines they are! Ancient varieties, native varieties, French and Spanish varieties, internationally-popular varieties, and unpronounceable (to foreigners) varieties—together making every type of wine under the sun. It’s no wonder that Italy—along with France—has been the world leader in wine production since ancient times.

Italy has so many wines that you could spend a (happy) lifetime mastering Italian wine. These first few chapters set you on that journey, explaining Italy’s natural wine resources, its grape varieties, and its wine laws so that you can glimpse the big picture of where you’re headed.

Chapter 1

Born to Make Wine

In This Chapter

A leader of the pack

Forty centuries of winemaking experience

Italy’s wine diversity formula

The trend toward quality

W hen most people think of Italy, they think of food. (History, art, or fast cars might be other associations—but food would have to be right up there, near the top of the list.)

As central as food is to Italy’s personality, so is wine. For most Italians, wine is food, no less essential to every meal than bread or family. Wine, in fact, is family, and community, because nearly every Italian either knows someone who makes wine or makes wine himself.