Snooth Talk: Looking to make an Italian wine list...

Wine & Food

: Looking to make an Italian wine list...; Posted by WineList, Dec 1, 2008.; Hello everyone, I've been using this website for quite some time but finally signed up.
I'm making a wine list for my family's italian restaurant and pizzeria. So since its a pizzeria I'd like to have good affordable wines. 5 Whites 5 Reds But I'm really trying to stay true with Italian wines. I'm interested in the new modern wines that are emerging as well as the traditional.
For whites:
1 Trebbiano
1 Soave
1 Tocai-Friulliano
1 Pinot Grigio
1 Chardonnay

Reds:
1 Moltepulciano D'Abruzzo
1 Chianti
1 Tuscan
1 Merlot
1 Syrah
Any recommendation would be much appreciated. The wine would be going along with Pizza, Pasta, Salads, Vegetables, Veal, Chicken, seafood, red, white, creamy and all diffrent kinds of sauces. I hope this helps. Thanks again.

543 1245: Reply by mark, Dec 2, 2008.; Hmm... I don't have too much experience with what's involved with buying wine for restaurants. I think it might have more to do with finding a good distributor than choosing a few wines, but that's probably not true.

Best of luck with the restaurant! Where is it located?

78 43: Reply by Robert Johnston, Dec 2, 2008.; Reds: Negroamaro and Aglianico -- quintessentially modern southern Italian wines, and still cheap at their prices. On the whites, Orvieto made from grechetto (rather than trebbiano) is a good bet.

2517 1738: Reply by Gregory Dal Piaz, Dec 3, 2008.; Hey Winelist,

where are you located? It'll make a big difference as far as availability goes. For pizza you really should have at least one just off-dry Lambrusco or, if you can find it, Gragnano. It is the quintessential Pizza wine. I always like a simple barbera with Pizza as well and they are food friendly wines.

Beginning for a moment with the whites you of course need the Pinot grigio and Chardonnay, they'll make up 70% of your sales most likely but are looking for specific wines or just additional general reccomendations for wine styles?

78 43: Reply by Robert Johnston, Dec 3, 2008.; OK, here would be my ten:

White
1 Soave (preferably garganega- rather than trebbiano-based. Classico if possible)
2 Pinot Grigio, but only from the north (Alto Adige, Friuli-Venezia Giulia)
3 Orvieto (grechetto-based)
4 Verdicchio, for the seafood
5 Chardonnay or other good 'fantasy name' blends (I'm loath to include a non-Italian variety, but GDP is right -- customers will want it)

Reds
1 Valpolicella. Don't know how this one escaped. A nice, simple, fruity Valpolicella goes great with pizza and tomatoey pasta.
2 Chianti (Classico only please)
3 Barbera (d'Alba)
4 Aglianico
5 Primitivo (these last two for meat. Might be nice to remind the more Americanized patrons that Primitivo is genetically the same grape as Zinfandel)

Can you tell I'm almost finished reading Vino Italiano?!

I love the more unusual varieties like (Tocai) Friulano, Lagrein, etc., but the above are all saleable crowd-pleasers, pretty authentic, and you can for sure find some really nice ones at a decent price.

My mouth is watering at the thought of the Primitivo I have waiting in the kltchen ...

0 1: Reply by HardRow, Dec 31.; I agree. Add a Barbera and a Primitivo. There are some excellent ones coming out of Washington State.

0 9: Reply by terry picillo, Jan 14.; On the whites--you might also want to think about adding a prosecco and/or a francacortia.......for your "fizzy fans".

10 84: Reply by MReff, Feb 6.; what about Vermentino. Probably go very wel l with a starter salad or app. Just do not pair with tomatoes. Also Nero D'Avelo, might do well with a tomato based pasta or pizza. Just my two cents

11 26: Reply by alavaughn, Feb 10.; Also a Roero Arneis is a great italian white. Or a Falanghina is always delicious. I agree that Lambrusco, Dolcetto, and Barbera are great pizza wines! If you are wanting an Italian Chardonnay, look for one in Tuscany, they are often produced there in a very modern style, and Sicily is also producing some big fat Chards lately too. I think you should throw the Merlot out and substitute a Rosso Conero or something similar. They just don't do a lot of affordable great Merlot in Italy, but Cusammano makes one that's not too bad at all!