12 Italian Wines to Try in 2022
When it comes to wine, no other country in the world can compete with the diverse and exciting wines Italy has to offer. With that in mind, La Dolce Vigna has put together a Checklist of 12 Lesser-Known Italian Wines to Try in 2022 with a brief introduction to each wine below.
Happy Exploring and Cheers to the New Year!
La Dolce Vigna's 12 ITALIAN WINES FOR 2022
RED WINE
1) Frappato IGT
Sicilian native Frappato is the lighter half of the island's only DOCG wine, Cerasuolo di Vittoria. On its own, it shows red fruit, a bit of spice and mellow tannins.
2) Freisa d'Asti DOC
This captivating, light to medium-bodied red wine from the Asti region of Piedmont offers intense flavors of strawberry, raspberry and rose.
3) Colline Lucchesi Rosso DOC
Sangiovese is ubiquitous in Tuscany. Here in the Lucchesi Hills it achieves a steely acidity, which can be balanced by the other red grapes allowed in the blend, including Canaiolo, Merlot and Aleatico; Red cherry-led with light floral touches.
4) Nizza DOCG
Nizza is synonymous with the acid-driven, food-friendly Piemontese red grape Barbera. The wines often impart black cherry, cocoa, and herbal flavors alongside a velvety mouthfeel.
5) Valpolicella Ripasso DOC
Known as a "Baby Amarone", Valpolicella Ripasso is made by allowing freshly fermented Valpolicella wine to re-ferment with pressed grape skins that were air-dried to make Amarone, the most famous red wine from the Veneto. The result is a lush medium to full-bodied wine with berry and herb notes.
6) Sagrantino Montefalco DOCG
Sagrantino, a native grape to Umbria, is the most tannic wine in Italy. Its powerful structure is accompanied by a complex combination of dark berry, earth, and spice flavors.
ROSÉ
7) Etna Rosato DOC
One of the best rosés coming out of Italy right now hails from a volcano: Mount Etna in Sicily. It is made in a range of styles, from a pale pink, strawberry-led fresh wine to a darker, more structured and earthy one.
8) Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo DOC
Often a bright fucshia color, this structured rosato made from Montepulciano grapes in the mountainous region of Abruzzo is one of the more historic rosati in Italy.
WHITE WINE
9) Cirò Bianco DOC
Made from a minimum of 80% Greco Bianco di Cirò (aka Guardavalle), this Calabrian white wine refreshes your palate with flavors of apricot and exotic fruit.
10) Vermentino di Gallura DOCG
Sardinia's only DOCG wine is made from the white grape Vermentino on the island's northeastern side. Pear and grapefruit mingle with white flowers herbs and bitter almond in this fresh wine's flavor profile.
11) Trebbiano Spoletino DOC
This particular Trebbiano is indigenous to Umbria and gives wonderfully complex citrus and herbal flavors with a velvety, full-bodied mouthfeel.
SPARKLING
12) Lambrusco di Sorbara DOC
Fresh, vibrant and floral, Lambrusco di Sorbara gives the palest and most fragrant of the lambrusco wines from Emilia-Romagna.
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