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Italy’s best white wines
All of Italy’s regions produce wonderful white wines, but some are particularly well suited to the cultivation of white grapes. Friuli Venezia-Giulia, Liguria and Campania are some of the territories most popular with white wine producers, and are home to important designations. Among these we should mention: Friuli Friulano, Venezia Giulia Ribolla, Colli Orientali del Friuli Sauvignon, Vermentino Colli di Luni, Riviera Ligure di Ponente Pigato, Falanghina del Sannio, Fiano d’Avellino, Ischia Biancolella, and Costa d’Amalfi. We also love Trentino-Alto Adige for its elegant white wines, unmistakable on the nose and on the palate, such as the iconic Gewürztraminer, with a scent of tropical fruit and spices, echoed in the mouth.
The production of white wine
Obtained from the pressing of white berried grapes, the first-pressing must (the most aromatic part) must undergo the fundamental stage of screening before white wine can be produced. White-wine production involves elimination of the pomace shortly after the start of alcoholic fermentation, so that the skins do not release substances or colour – exactly the opposite of what happens in red wine production. The screening of the crushed grapes involves precisely this separation of the first-pressing must from the skins, which also allows white wine to be produced from red grapes.
Production techniques
A technique widely used in recent years for the production of the best quality white wines is cryomaceration, which consists of leaving the crushed grapes at 5 °C before fermentation, in order to extract substances that can enrich the wine. Another cold maceration technique consists of freezing the whole grapes at -5 °C and then pressing them, extracting aromas and sugars. In recent years, another category of white wines has emerged, Orange Wines, which have a totally different production process and characteristics. These are wines from white grapes, which have undergone lengthy maceration on the skins, giving them a hue that tends towards orange (hence the name), a sensory profile of great complexity and a generous palate, on which tannins similar to those of red wine can be perceived.
Pairings with whites
Generally speaking, if the white is produced from aromatic varieties (Gewürztraminer, Malvasia cultivars and dry Moscato cultivars) and semi-aromatic varieties (Pigato, Vermentino, Sauvignon, Ribolla), the resulting white wines are richly aromatic, ideal for accompanying equally flavourful dishes, such as pasta with bottarga, or walnut or basil pesto. A non-aromatic variety such as Chardonnay is capable of adapting very well to various dishes, especially if it has received brief barrel ageing. As always, regional pairings are a good bet: Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi is excellent with stuffed olives and brodetto, Sardinian Vermentino goes well with fregole with seafood and saffron, and monovarietal Cortese (Gavi DOCG) is perfect with raviolo di gaviese. Give them a try!