Italy’s finest white wines: 20 top bottles, region by region

Mattia Spedicato, wine manager at Michelin three-star Geranium in Copenhagen (No1 in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2022 list), impressed producers last October in Sicily when he confessed that two-thirds of the restaurant’s wine list is dedicated to white wines: in the past, an old vintage of a Chardonnay, a Fiano or a Trebbiano was presumed unsellable as consumers were wary of white wines more than a year or two old.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for 20 of Italy’s finest white wines

‘Fine white wines are lacking in Italy,’ stated Antinori’s CEO Renzo Cotarella during the launch of a new top-shelf Chardonnay, Nibbio, produced at the company’s Umbrian estate Castello della Sala, also the source of the prestigious Cervaro della Sala.

For me, the turning point in the perception of Italy’s fine whites was a decade ago.

Frescobaldi released the 2013 first vintage of Ornellaia Bianco in 2015, and today, in part due to limited quantity, it costs more than its red sibling. Now, however, Italy can claim at least one superb white wine in every region.

In the south, Basilicata, Calabria, Molise and Puglia do struggle more than the rest, given their almost complete focus on red wine production, although there are still some good examples to be found.

Emilia Romagna has its own gem in the Albana variety, and Liguria and Sardinia have Vermentino.

Deep knowledge and business expertise in key regions such as Piedmont and Tuscany have enabled the introduction of wines such as Gaia & Rey (first vintage 1983), Querciabella’s Batàr (1988), and in Umbria the Cervaro della Sala (1985).

In Alto Adige, Rarity from Cantina Terlano (1979) is made using the so-called ‘Stocker method’ of extremely long lees ageing.

National treasures

These wines showed producers that it was possible to make the leap from commercial appeal to the fine wine market.

Other great examples followed, such as Aloïs Lageder’s dense Löwengang Chardonnay, Dipoli’s steely Voglar Sauvignon Blanc and Cantina Tramin’s Epokale Gewürztraminer, all from Alto Adige.

In Veneto, Pieropan proved the potential of Soave Classico, pursued with success by others, as in Prà’s Monte Grande and Gini’s Contrada Salvarenza.

Friuli Venezia Giulia has possibly the best soils for white wine in all of Italy (‘ponca’, ancient marine sedimentary marls), though this has not always been linked with top-end wines.

Further south, Campania is finally emerging with quality Fiano after years of inconsistency. Etna’s volcanic soil and altitude puts Sicily front and centre on the map for vibrant whites, such as Frank Cornelissen’s complex Munjebel, I Custodi delle Vigne dell’Etna’s whites, Tenuta di Fessina’s A’ Puddara, and Feudo Cavaliere’s Millemetri Bianco.

On the Adriatic side, the elegant strength of Verdicchio is raising the reputation of the Marche region’s older and younger producers, such as Villa Bucci and Pievalta.

Then there are niche gems, such as Aosta valley’s Chambave sub-zone in the far northwest, with the mineral tanginess of its Muscat; and the welcome return of densely textured Viognier and Grechetto from Boncompagni Ludovisi at Tenuta di Fiorano near Rome in Lazio.

At the top of the quality pyramid since the 1970s is Valentini, whose cult Trebbiano d’Abruzzo embodies the vibrancy and stunning ageing potential of current head Francesco Paolo’s wines.

Even Trebbiano Toscano is under a deep rediscovery due to its ability to retain acidity later into the growing season. Examples such as Bòggina from Petrolo, or the IGT Monteraponi in Chianti Classico, are fine whites to look out for.

Clearly Italy’s significant patrimony today is not just one great white wine from each region, but a treasure of biodiversity and a changed mindset about the undeniable potential and quality of the country’s fine white wines.

20 of Italy’s finest white wines tasted & rated

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