Italian dry white wine full#
Italian dry white wine series#

This aging brought a wine that is usually medium-bodied to a more full-bodied style.įriulano wines are usually pale straw and greenish more than yellow. This was the case with the 2015 bottle I tasted for this article, which had been aged on the lees for eight months. While Friulano is usually drunk as a young, crisp wine, it can also be aged to achieve a full-bodied texture. Today, Friulano is primarily restricted to the region and isn’t terribly well-known abroad. Most recently, in 2007, Hungary successfully lobbied to get the word Tocai, the local name for the grape now called Friulano, dropped by the Italians and reserved exclusively for their white grape, written Tokaj.Īlthough Friulano vines used to be widely planted in the region, Friulano has been slowly replaced with Pinot Grigio, a more internationally recognized variety. Friulano winesįriulano grapes originated in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia DOC of Italy in the 15th century and have a complex and long history with several changes in names. Let’s look at each of them in a bit more detail. Some of the most commonly known full-bodied white grape varieties in Italy are Friulano, from Friuli, the area northeast of Venice, Muller Thurgau grapes from Alto Adige, very near the border with Switzerland, and some of the blends with the sweeter Malvasia white grapes that even my father grows in Spain. I was pretty excited to taste some of the lesser known full-bodied Italian white wines and pair them with foods that go well with their heavier texture and higher level of alcohol.

Italian dry white wine full#

Full-bodied white wines of Italy Three full bodied white wines Some sweet dessert wines are also considered full-bodied, mostly because the sweetness and higher level of alcohol makes them “heavier” in the mouth.īut beyond this international grape, there are a few local white grape varieties in Italy that lend themselves to higher alcohol and also more complexity, and which make for great full-bodied white wines. Internationally, Chardonnay tends to be the most commonly found full-bodied white wine, particularly when it has been aged. This is because the body of a wine refers to its weight in the mouth and that is usually derived from its percentage of alcohol, its extract and its acidity, all of which are more developed in reds than in whites.

We usually associate the term full-bodied with red wines and rarely with whites. About full-bodied white wines White wines, usually fresh, light and young In this article I explore three full-bodied white wines of Italy, their grapes and some of the more unusual yet perfect food pairing options. With so much variety there is room to try the more unusual grapes and wines like full-bodied white wine options, which go well not only with Italian food but also with Asian cuisine. If you have read my previous posts on Fun facts about Italian wines you will know that Italy has the largest range of grapes in the world and that there are hundreds of grapes in Italy, many of which are autochthonous and native to the country and rarely found anywhere else.

Italian dry white wine series#

In my last post in the series for the Italian Trade Agency I wanted to talk about some of the more unusual grape varieties and wines in Italy: full-bodied white wines. It all started in Tuscany and is bound to continue in Sicily, where a friend of mine is getting married next summer. I have been exploring, reading and writing about the wines of Italy for a couple of years now. This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Italian Trade Commission for IZEA Worldwide.