It’s no secret that I love wine as much as I love food, and I’m so grateful to live in a country that produces some of the world’s finest and most prestigious. From Lombardia Calabria to a couple of regions in between, here are five wines I sipped alongside my March meals.
Giuseppe Calabrese Vadduna Longa Vino Bianco 2022
I’ll never pass up a Calabrese (or Ligurian!) wine, and this full-bodied Guarnaccia paired perfectly with my early spring Pastamadre lunch. Its vibrant, deep golden hue was thanks to a six-month maceration and the wine itself was imbued with a bright sapidity, lots of agrumi, a touch of honey, and white flowers like acacia and jasmine. Fresh, complex, and all-around enjoyable. Alas, it’s sold out everywhere, but Call Me Wine’s going to alert me when it’s back in stock. website
Podere Cipolla Rosè dei Venti Lambrusco 2022
Lambrusco, a sparkler from Emilia-Romagna, is an ever-intriguing realm that never fails to intrigue, like this cherry-pink iteration that I can’t wait to sip again. The melodic jumble couples red fruit like raspberries, cherries, and strawberries with florals and that lovely ancestral pizazz rounded out with a touch of herbacousness. Yum. website
Cantine Angelinetta Le Caladrine IGT Bianco Terre Lariane
When you’re lunching at Feel in Como, what better complement to the food than a wine that exemplifies the very same territory? This white from a small producer in the lake’s northern reaches mixes Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, and Verdese (a variety indigenous to the lake). Super fresh with bright fruits like peach and melon, notes of white flowers, and some minerality–there’s a nuanced, though delicate, intensity on the palate, and I just loved it. (Another one that’s sold out everywhere!) website
Castello Stefanago 36 Ancestral Rosè
And another Lombard treat! This winery in the Oltrepò Pavese makes excellent Rieslings, among other varieties, and this 36-month-aged (24 of which are on the less) sparkler made from Pinot Noir was such a treat. Naturally, it packed the pronounced yeasty notes typical of the winemaking method along with ripe, boisterous red fruits and some minerality. So much fun! website
Terrazza Senghie Lumassina 2022
Of course, I couldn’t mention Liguria above without including a wine from the region, could I? Lumassina, an indigenous grape, is undergoing somewhat of a revival, and I’m kind of obsessed with it these days. This medium-bodied, sunshine gold juice flaunted notes of orange blossoms (one of my favorite flavors/scents of all time!), honey, dandelions, pear, lemon, and even a hint of chestnuts. Perfectly balanced and all-around pleasant! website
