Handpicked Italian Red Wines for Beginners
For anyone who wants to start with the Italian boot, you’ll find that Italy is the incredible land with wine growing diversity. Wine Tours Italy, Florence Wine Tours & Tuscany Wine Tours offers great experiences, where you will taste delicious Chianti red wines, Brunello wines and Amarone wines. Chianti Wine Tours from Florence offer you wine deals, wine gifts, wine accessories at great prices. Chianti wine prices are at their best. Montalcino Wine Tours can take you to small family wineries off the beaten track.
Italy Food Tours Packages focus on Food Lovers, who love both white wine and red wines. Best red wines can also be bought online including Barolo wines. Italian sparkling wine, chardonnay wine and sweet red wine is on the up. Culinary Tours & Culinary Vacations including Food Tours Rome are amongst Best Food Tours!
The Mediterranean Sea surrounding the country and its influence on the weather of Italy makes it the place for which any grape grower dreams. Tuscany wine tours or wine tasting in any other part of Italy, you’ll always discover the best. It’s not just for the Italians but the marvellous blends of flavors of Italian wines is also Praised by the people of Portugal, Spain, France, Greece, Moldova, South Africa, Australia, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and lots of other countries as well.
While picking the best Italian red wines for the beginners, here are the common characteristics of wine which you are going to find.
- Boldness in the flavor intensity
- Presents the familiar aromas and fruit flavors
- And the best part, they are not very expensive
Here’s a starter guide for the beginners who look for starting with the best versions of Italy’s red wines.
Montepulciano
Montepulciano has the reputation of being the second most planted grape in Italy (first is Chianti’s Sangiovese). The wine is renowned for its silky and smooth textures with the dense layers of flavor of black fruit. This is a completely dry red wine that comes with a medium to full-bodied profile. The best part about the wine is that it goes amazing with the palate full of your favorite of hand grilled dishes. The perfect food that goes with Montepulciano includes Italy’s best salami and other regional pasta. This wine is a quality notch and it recommended to all those who are looking for a wine with promising complexity and overall balance. Wine gift baskets, wine racks, red wine glasses, wine cooler, white wine glasses, wine decanters can be bought!
Primitivo
Primitivo aka Zinfandel comes in the list of the most famous lush and plush red wine divas of Italy. The wine comes with the flavors of fruit with a tint of sultry spice with the plus point of elevated alcohol which makes it a great pick for solo bottling. Primitivo is your instant approach if you are searching for a wine with modest tannins and low acidity with some bold and smooth textures. A glass of Primitivo is what you need when you want to enjoy your fine dining with cured meat or grilled veggies. Even if you are a burger lover, Primitivo is the right option of red wine to take along. And comes the best part, this Italian wine is available round the globe, mostly in Australia and USA. They have a great wine list!
Nero d’Avola
When discovering the best of Italian wines, you just can’t skip considering the largest Mediterranean islands, Sicily. Sicily is the rockstar in red grapes and brings out Nero d’Avola, the wine which keeps gaining praises because of its fruity flavor. A glass of this wine provides you the flavors of plenty of bright red cherries, peppery spice, and tart blackberry. The wine is a package of fruity flavors, with the moderate alcohol levels and zippy acidity. When you have your palate set with the meat lover’s pizza, juicy bison burger or the delicious lasagne, the glass of Nelo d’Avola with mellow out the savory. Talking about the best part of this wine, it is quite easy to drink and easier on your wallet too. They need to be in wine storage for some time to reach best potential.
Negroamaro
On the heel of the proverbial boot of Italy is the Puglia and this is where Negroamaro is grown. The hotter climate of Puglia is the supporting factor in the growth of these grapes. The wine is known to be the tannin beat and can be different in textures, depending on the vintage. It can be rich, smooth, sassy or rustic, so consider any option which you going, to begin with, Negroamaro. Also if you wish to tone down the high levels of tannins and increase the sweetness of the red fruits, you can blend it with Primitivo. This is a great wine when you are planning your zesty barbeque dinner. Sweet chicken and pulled pork are the dishes which you can enjoy best with a glass of Negroamaro along.
Dolcetto
This dry wine is usually preferred by those who want to enjoy the wine glass full of fruit-driven notes. The cherry and blueberry flavors are what make this wine so popular among the people of Italy. Being an easy sipper, Dolcetto forms to be the great option of red wine for the beginners. The less zippy acidity and the soft fruit character make it an easy-to-go option for those who are unfamiliar with the red wine yet. Also, Dolcetto is not so picky when it comes to pairing it with the delicacies. The wine is quite flexible with antipasto plates and a variety of cuisines, out of which cured Italian meats comes on top. The people outside Italy, like in Spain and France also prefer having this amazing wine with their favourite meals. If you can find them on a wine sale you can get a great wine deal.
Barbera
The mouth-drying tannins and the red fruit flavors make Barbera, Piedmont’s famous everyday wine. With the sight of the wine, you’ll find the ruby red color pigments which are so dense that you can start estimating for bold flavors but on wine tasting, you’ll discover its palate profile to be light that blends well with the zing of acidity levels which is quite food-friendly. The earthy herbal tones of Barbera can be dominating to your nose, making you ready to rumble on the palate with this wine loaded with the light flavors of blackberry and ripe cherries. Considering the soaring acids, laid-back tannins and the silky texture of Barbera, you can pair the glass of this wine amazingly with classic Napolitano pizza, sausage risotto, and beef stew. The good news here is that you’ll not have to pay much to snag this tasty bottle. They are usually part of a mixed case for wine of the month.
Whether it is about calling for a celebration night or just to spend a good dining time with your friends and family, the best red wines of Italy can be the best companion to food on the table. The guide presented the best picks for all those who are stepping into the dazzling and renowned arena of Italian red wines. Just know what taste profile you are going to prefer as a beginner and go for any of the mentioned red wines. If you want your first time with red wine to be great, consider taking the glass along with the food that goes well with it. The food and wine matched well will take the flavors of both the dish and wine sky high.