A trip to Italy wouldn’t be complete without spending some time sampling some of the many amazing vintages the world’s biggest wine-producing country has to offer. Although you may feel intimidated by stories you’ve heard about wine lists as long as your arm full of unrecognizable grape or place names, there’s no need to worry. With just a little preparation, you can feel as confident ordering wine at a trattoria or an enoteca as you would back home. These simple tips can help.
Don’t drink without eating.
Perhaps the most important thing for visitors to Italy to understand about the country’s wine culture is that Italians rarely drink without eating. While ordering a glass of wine by itself won’t cause any raised eyebrows in some countries, in Italy, wine and food are enjoyed together as a single, complementary experience. So don’t be surprised if your Italian waiter takes your meal order before asking what you’d like to drink, rather than the other way around. Choosing your food first and then your wine helps make sure that they pair well together.
Try local wines.
If you’re ever in doubt about what wine to drink in Italy, your best option is to try local wines from the region you’re visiting. “Drinking local” offers several benefits. First, most regional wines and food have evolved to go well together, so you can be sure that a glass of local wine will complement whatever regional delicacy you’re eating. Another benefit of ordering local wines is that you can signal your sincere interest in the culture of the area, which can help kick off a conversation with your server, the restaurant owner, or your fellow patrons (chatting and learning from locals being yet another pleasure of traveling somewhere new). Finally, focusing on local wines allows you to try something unique that you wouldn’t be able to find elsewhere; many, many wines from smaller Italian producers are far less common even in other regions of Italy, and they are almost impossible to source outside the country.
Move from white to red, lighter to heavier.
If you’re planning to sample multiple varieties of wine along with your dinner, keep in mind that there’s a fairly logical progression to follow. It’s never a bad idea to start your meal with a glass of Prosecco or other sparkling wine, which pairs well with about every appetizer. Next, a light white wine such as Vermentino or Pinot Grigio is an excellent choice for lighter pastas or fish dishes, while a more structured white such as Verdicchio or Chardonnay goes well with spiced white meat dishes. For your main course, which will often be meat-based, you can try a younger, milder red such as Bardolino or Lambrusco (best with pasta with red sauces), or you can choose a fuller-bodied red such as Barolo or Brunello to accompany gamier dishes. For dessert, choose a sweet, after-dinner wine such as Vin Santo. In general, the idea is to move from lighter whites to heavier reds throughout the meal, finishing with specially created dessert wines.
Don’t get too focused on labels.
Italy’s wine classification system sorts wines into a hierarchy based on various criteria, and a great deal of attention is paid to the wines in the top two tiers: DOCG and DOC. However, while you can certainly make it a priority to choose DOCG or DOC wines while you’re in Italy, don’t get too caught up in the labeling game. Just because a wine is a DOCG vintage, the top-tier classification, it doesn’t necessarily mean it will be to your taste; likewise, many well-made, delicious wines in Italy are simply classified as table wines. Let your taste buds, rather than the label, be your main guide in deciding what to drink when you’re in Italy.
Ask for advice.
If you feel truly at sea when your server asks you what you’d like to drink, don’t be afraid to ask for advice. Servers will almost always have some wine knowledge (many will have a great deal), and they’re proud to be able to introduce visitors to wonderful, Italian-made wines. If possible, help them help you by describing what you like in a wine so that they can make recommendations that you’ll enjoy. Rather than simply asking “What do you recommend?” let them know whether you like drier or fruitier wines, or ask for their suggestions about what will go best with the dish you’ve just ordered. The more specific wine vocabulary you can use, the better.
Remember that wine is for everyone.
Wine is often associated with status and snobbery, so many visitors to Italy are pleasantly surprised by how unpretentious the country’s wine culture is. Yes, Italians take their wine seriously, but it’s not just for those who are elegant or rich. Instead, it’s enjoyed everywhere, by everyone, at about any time of day, too. So let this encourage you to let go of your nerves when ordering wine in Italy and simply focus on enjoying what’s in your glass.