($36, Romano Brands):  Greco di Tufo is one of Italy’s great white wines.  This one has slightly nutty nuances and the hint of lava-like mineral notes you’d expect from its location near Mount Vesuvius.  Bright and enlivening acidity tingles the palate. … Read more

($13, Montcalm Wine Importers):  Illuminati does it again with their Riparosso.  They habitually produce a wine that delivers far more than the price suggests.  It’s a bright and lively mid-weight wine that combines fruit and savory notes.  A lovely firmness and a hint of bitterness in the finish, not to mention the price, makes it perfect for a simple mid-week pasta and meat sauce, or pizza.… Read more

($15, Romano Brands):  Pecorino is, of course, a cheese.  But it turns out to also be a grape and a wine.  An attractive bite is what the cheese and the wine have in common. Cerulli Spinozzi, one of the top producers in Abruzzo, a region due east of Rome on the Adriatic, has consistently made a winsome Pecorino. … Read more

($18, Romano Brands):  A sea of mediocre — at best — Pinot Grigio on retailers’ shelves creates an enormous hurdle for the consumer.  The grape and wine have become a brand by itself.  You see it at events or at bars when people order “a glass of Pinot Grigio” without reference to the producer. … Read more

($32, Romano Brands):  Vermentino is a grape that needs to see the sea, according to winemakers.  The leading areas are Sardinia, the coast of Tuscany, and Liguria. This mid-weight one from Sardinia has a substantial mineral component buttressed by vibrant and lengthy acidity that amplifies its charms. … Read more

($18, Romano Brands):  A sea of mediocre — at best — Pinot Grigio on retailers’ shelves creates an enormous hurdle for the consumer.  The grape and wine have become a brand by itself.  You see it at events or at bars when people order “a glass of Pinot Grigio” without reference to the producer. … Read more

($52, Winebow):  I know, 50 bucks for a Vermentino?  But this is no regular Vermentino.  It’s a captivating, stop-you-in-your-tracks kind of wine.  Grattamacco, founded in 1977, was the second winery, after Sassicaia, in what’s now the Bolgheri DOC.  They planted Vermentino in addition to Cabernet, Merlot and Sangiovese and now claim to have the oldest Vermentino vines in Bolgheri, which probably accounts, at least in part, for the wine’s splendor. … Read more

($32, Romano Brands):  Vermentino is a grape that needs to see the sea, according to winemakers.  The leading areas are Sardinia, the coast of Tuscany, and Liguria. This mid-weight one from Sardinia has a substantial mineral component buttressed by vibrant and lengthy acidity that amplifies its charms. … Read more

($36, Romano Brands):  Greco di Tufo is one of Italy’s great white wines.  This one has slightly nutty nuances and the hint of lava-like mineral notes you’d expect from its location near Mount Vesuvius.  Bright and enlivening acidity tingles the palate. … Read more

($13, Montcalm Wine Importers):  Illuminati does it again with their Riparosso.  They habitually produce a wine that delivers far more than the price suggests.  It’s a bright and lively mid-weight wine that combines fruit and savory notes.  A lovely firmness and a hint of bitterness in the finish, not to mention the price, makes it perfect for a simple mid-week pasta and meat sauce, or pizza.… Read more

($22, Winebow):  It’s hard to go wrong with any of the wines from Castellare di Castellina, one of the very best Chianti Classico producers.  This wine, their normale or annata, is their base Chianti Classico and what high base it represents.  … Read more

($20, Bluest Sky Group Imports):  Maremma Toscana, a large and relatively new DOC, is located in southwestern Tuscany, roughly halfway between Rome and Florence, extending from the coast to hilly inland areas.  The Vermentino grape is king here for white wines. … Read more

($24, Montcalm Wine Importers):  Though perhaps not as well-known as Chianti Classico, Chianti Rufina, another of the eight subzones of the great Chianti region, is home to wonderful wines, such as this one.  The focus of Grignano’s 2016 Rufina is on a combination of earthy and fruity notes. … Read more

($22, Winebow):  It’s hard to go wrong with any of the wines from Castellare di Castellina, one of the very best Chianti Classico producers.  This wine, their normale or annata, is their base Chianti Classico and what high base it represents.  … Read more

($95):  Vietti, clearly one of Piedmont’s and Italy’s top producers and known for their stunning array of Barolo, makes only one Barbaresco, currently, according to their website.  Labeled, “Masseria,” it comes from two vineyards in Neive and Treiso.  The 2015, from a riper vintage, is gorgeous and particularly engaging at this point in its life. … Read more

($30, Montcalm Wine Importers):  Lunae Bosoni, the largest producer in Liguria, shows that big can be outstanding.  Niccoló V, their flagship red, is named for a Pope who was born nearby the winery.  A blend of Sangiovese, Merlot, and Pollera Nera, which their website says is grown nowhere else in Italy. … Read more

($20):  The cutesy label and name (two roosters) represent the two brothers, Bernardo and Umberto Valle, who have crafted this engaging mid-weight red.  Morellino di Scansano, which carries DOCG designation, Italy’s highest ranking, is an area in the Maremma in southwestern Tuscany, the primary grape of which is Sangiovese. … Read more

($20, Winebow):  The Vermentino grape produces the best wine when, as the saying goes, its vines “can see the sea,” which is why it is an important grape on the island of Sardinia.   Argiolas, a family-run winery dating to 1938, selects its oldest vines for Is Argiolas.  … Read more

($20):  This is a quintessential Pecorino, displaying verve, salinity and pleasant hint of lemon or a grapefruit rind bitterness in the finish.  This lively and energetic wine is great for balancing the pepperoncini that finds its way into the linguine and clam sauce.… Read more

($22):  Consumers tend to forget that Italy makes a host of sparkling wines in addition to Prosecco.  And though I have nothing against Prosecco, many of Italy’s other bubblies, such as this one, provide a lot more interest.  This one is positively riveting. … Read more

($21):  Consumers can be excused if they are confused regarding the name of this grape.  Formerly it was called Tocai Friulano, but the Hungarians objected that this dry white wine might be confused with their legendary sweet wine, Tokay (Tokaji), so they won a regulatory ruling that forced the Italians to change the name. … Read more

($12):  Though Prosecco has become — for some — the generic word for any wine with bubbles, this one actually is one from the mandated area in the northeastern Italy.  Extra Dry, in this case, and, as with all sparkling wines, actually means a hint of sweetness. … Read more

($20):  The quality of this wine and the enjoyment from it should come as no surprise.  The 2016 vintage in Chianti Classico was fabulous, producing ripe but racy wines.  Badia a Coltibuono is consistently among the top producers.  The surprise here is finding a wine of this caliber for an average price of $20, though I’ve seen it for much less. … Read more

($11):  Pecorino, the grape and the wine made from it, is a name to remember.  Its home is in the middle of the east coast of Italy in the regions of Le Marche and Abruzzo.  As with all wine, there is a range of style of Pecorino from zippy and cutting to softer and creamier. … Read more

($21):  Pecorino, both the wine and the cheese, typically have an attractive bite to them.  This one, an organic wine from the organically-focused producer whose name is, literally, “the organic hill,” has a creamy texture that mutes the bite.  It is still there, but overall the wine’s less energetic, but more suave, showing that Pecorino can have a broader profile.… Read more

($86):  Though not the current release, Mastrojanni’s 2011 single vineyard, Loreto, is still available on the retail market and those who want to know why Brunello is such a revered wine should try it.  The only problem with the 2011 vintage in Brunello is that it followed 2010, a great one. … Read more

($25, Vineyard Brands):  A historic estate founded in the mid-18th century by Giovan Battista Burlotto, Comm. G. B. Burlotto remains one of Piedmont’s top and most reliable producers.  (The Comm. stands for il Commandatore.)  The grape is Pelaverga Piccolo (a.k.a. Pelaverga di Verduno) because it is almost exclusive to the commune of Verduno, according to Ian D’Agata (Native Wine Grapes of Italy, University of California Press, 2014).… Read more

($38, Louis Dressner Selections):  Manzoni Bianco is one of Italy’s botanical “crosses,” in this case a cross of Riesling and Chardonnay, made by Luigi Manzoni in the 1920s and 30s, according to Ian D’Agata (Native Wine Grapes of Italy, University of California Press, 2014). … Read more

($23, Divino International Wine and Spirit):  The name of the wine, “51,151”, refers to a cycling record that Francesco Moser set in Mexico City in 1984, according to their website.  This 100 percent Chardonnay base bubbly is, indeed, racy (pun intended), but the elegance imparted by that grape shows, making for a lovely balance. … Read more

($20):  Cantine Leonardo da Vinci, a large Tuscan-based cooperative, makes this delightful sparkling wine from the Pignoletto grape, not one that is widely known outside of central Italy.  Its inherently high acidity makes it a good choice for bubbly because growers can let it ripen, allowing its exuberant floral and fruity character to shine, without it becoming sappy or flabby. … Read more

($25, Montcalm Wine Importers):  Lunae Bosoni, the largest winery in Liguria, shows that big can be beautiful.  They make an exquisitely consistent line-up of Vermentino.  Scents of wild herbs and spice leap from the glass of this one, their so-called entry level wine. … Read more

($60, Montcalm Wine Importers):  This, Bosoni’s “number one,” is a limited production of 2,600 bottles from a single 20-hl barrel, where the wine rested on the lees for 14 months.  The lees aging adds richness and roundness, which results in a different expression of Vermentino. … Read more

($45, Montcalm Wine Importers):  Though this Vermentino comes from three vineyards in the more highly regarded Cavagino area of the DOC, I suspect that the major difference in the wine’s character compared to Lunae Bosoni’s other Vermentinos is in the winemaking, because they have been experimenting with barrique fermentation. … Read more

($40, Montcalm Wine Importers):  I know my editor, and others, are wondering how I could possibly could give 95 points to a Vermentino.  Taste it and you’ll see.  As much as I like Lunae Bosoni’s “Grey Label” Vermentino, this, their so-called “Black Label,” is just better. … Read more

($15, HB Wine Merchants):  Pinot Grigio spans the spectrum from innocuous or insipid to charming and noteworthy.  Peter Zemmer’s is definitely in the latter group.  An immediately captivating floral sensation predicts enjoyment.  It has remarkable depth and persistence for a category that is all too often fleeting and bland. … Read more

($41):  Gran Selezione is a new category of Chianti Classico that is supposed to represent the pinnacle of a producer’s bottling.  Whether it does is a matter of debate because some producers’ top wine from Chianti Classico region is not a Gran Selezione. … Read more

($30):  Capezzana is certainly among the top producers, if not the top one, in Carmignano, the DOCG that requires inclusion of Cabernet (either Sauvignon or Franc) in the blend with Sangiovese.  Think of it as the original Super Tuscan.  Capezzana is incredibly consistent, year after year, producing a beautifully balanced Carmignano that marries fruit and earth perfectly. … Read more

($60):  Rocche dei Manzoni’s regular Barolo suffers only by comparison to their exquisite single vineyard bottlings.  Indeed, it does this wine a disservice to taste it next to the others.  This Barolo shows both the elegant, floral side characteristic of the DOCG as well as the power hidden under the surface. … Read more

($90):  Rocche dei Manzoni’s Bricco San Pietro is slightly denser than their Vigna Cappella di S. Stefano, but displays the same elegance and power.  Glorious smoky and savory nuances accent and complement its gorgeous  fruitiness.  There’s not a hint of over-ripeness. … Read more

($105):  As my colleague Michael Franz points out, you need to select your 2015 Barolo carefully.  The warmth of the growing season resulted in some spectacular wines, while others might be a little over the top and lacking acidity if growers waited too long to harvest. … Read more

($21, Wilson Daniels):  The wines from Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG are powerful and tannic red wines that need years, if not a decade, to be ready to drink.  If there were ever a need for a “rosso,” that is, a wine from a region that is ready to drink sooner (think Rosso di Montalcino) it is from this region. … Read more

($22):  Regulations require that Cerasuolo di Vittoria, Sicily’s only DOCG wine, be made from a blend of Nero d’Avola (50-70%) and Frappato.  Gulfi, one of the island’s best producers, uses equal parts for this wine.   It’s explosive, in a very delicate way. … Read more

($14, Wilson Daniels):  Prosecco has become so popular that its name has become synonymous with sparkling wine, replacing “Champagne” as that moniker.  For example, on a recent flight when I requested a sparkling wine, I was offered a “Prosecco,” which turned out to be a Cava. … Read more

($20):  Prosecco has taken the world by storm, which means the quality varies from awful to innocuous to very good.  Put Ca’ di Rajo’s in the latter category.  Weighing in at only 11 percent-stated alcohol, it is, amazingly, both fruity and dry.  … Read more

($17, San Marzano USA):  Puglia, in Italy’s heel, is home to rich red wines, in part, because of the area’s warmth and sunshine.  It is also home to lots of small grape growers, many of whom are interested in making wine. … Read more

($25):   Rosso di Montalcino, made from Sangiovese, the same grape that is required for Brunello di Montalcino, requires and undergoes less aging than Brunello, which explains why the wines are ready to drink sooner.  Donatella Cinelli Colombini, one the star producers of Brunello, also makes an engaging Rosso. … Read more

($44):  Fontodi, one of the great names in Chianti Classico, is located in the heart of that region, in what’s known as the Conca d’Oro (golden shell) because of the amphitheater-like exposure.  It’s a perfect area for bringing Sangiovese, the only grape used for this Chianti Classico, to perfect ripeness. … Read more