We’re just three weeks away from the kick off of Charleston Wine + Food Festival! We can’t wait to share some of our favorite wines with you at the Bottles Wine Retail Shop in Marion Square during the festival. In the meantime, our wine buyer Mike van Beyrer shares some of his top picks from hot emerging wine regions around the world. This week, we’re focusing on our picks from Italy.
SICILY, ITALY
Though Italy’s beautiful southernmost island has been making wine for more than five thousand years, the region has only recently garnered international buzz, due to their shifting away from the mass production of lackluster wine to create exciting indigenous wines expressive of the island’s diverse offerings. Look for bottles labeled DOC Sicilia, which guarantees the wine’s origin and quality.
Now, Sicily has blossomed into one of the world’s most important wine regions, with elegant reds like Nerello Mascalese and fresh whites like Grillo and Catarratto.
Our Pick: Graci, Etna Rosso Nerello Mascalese ($26.99)
This fragrant red offers alluring scents of rose, red berry and cake spice with radiant tastes of ripe black cherry, raspberry, licorice and flinty mineral. Firm, refined tannins and bright acidity provide the framework. 93 point rating from Wine Enthusiast.
ALTO ADIGE, ITALY
From the south of Italy we go all the way up north to a small, dynamic growing region, Alto Adige. This region produces some of the purest white grape varieties such as Pinot Grigio, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Bianco, and Chardonnay. But Sauvignon Blanc, Müller Thurgau, Sylvaner, Kerner, Riesling and Veltliner also have a presence in Alto Adige.
With regard to the red wines, in addition to the two indigenous grape varieties of Schiava (Vernatsch) and Lagrein, all other important classic red grape varieties have taken root in Alto Adige for well over a hundred years: Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc are some.
Our Pick: Tramin, Sauvignon, Alto Adige Italy ($18.99)
This light-bodied, balanced wine exhibits racy aromas of grapefruits, melons and cut grass, in addition to classic notes of gooseberries.
Check back for our favorite picks from France and the United States!