Italy churns out nearly one quarter of the world’s wine and lays claim to what seems to be an endless universe of red grape varieties….in fact, just too many to highlight.  Many have names that few will recognize (take Ughetta or Uva rara, for example).  My goal here is to highlight the more accessible and quality assured alternative varieties and their wines, leaving the very esoteric and sometimes uninspiring grapes aside.  As well, we’ll leave the topic of desert wines for another chapter.  For practical purposes, let’s define Barolo, Brunello, Barbaresco, Barbera and Chianti as mainstream and investigate some alternatives.

Aglianico: is a dark skinned grape yielding a full bodied red wine from the Southern Italian region of Campania and Basilicata.  The wines have the potential to express deep plum and chocolate aromas, and tinge the palate with full tannins and marked acidity.

Food Pairings: think classic Italian cuisine, braised beef, game roasted meats, osso buca, pizza, among others.

Bardolino:   made primarily from the Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara grape, this wine is quite light bodied and dry, a one dimensional, easy to drink, wine.

Food Pairings: lighter Italian fare such as antipasti, chicken, pasta, pizza

Charbono: is the name of two black grape varieties, one in Italy and other in California.  While once thought to be identical to the Dolcetto grape, DNA profiling has concluded that that is not the case.  The grapes known as Bonarda in Argentina, may in fact, end up really being Charbono.  The wine is an opaque, deep purple color with deep plum flavors and rustic nuances of leather, tar and some spicy pepper. 

Food Pairings:  grilled or roasted meats, game birds and pasta

Dolchetto: a soft and round fruity wine with low acidity, moderate to high tannins and fragrances of licorice and almond.  Vintners often “soften” the tannic structure by shortening the fermentation process. 

Food Pairings: grilled or roasted chicken, meats, game birds, pork, chili and pizza

Lambrusco:  A very light bodied sparkling wine with palate refreshing fruit flavors of strawberry, cherry and raspberry; meant for near term consumption.  You should be aware that many of these wines can be rather uninspiring in character.  Nice wine to sip late at night.

Food Pairing: Cheese, pizza, acidic salad dressing such as balsamic, pasta w/red sauce, prosciutto, rabbit, grilled sausage

Montepulciano D’Abruzo:  This grape variety produced a well structured wine with “chewy” tannins, deep aromas of dark cherry and licorice and well balanced acidity. 

Food Pairing:  As you might imagine, this wine pairs very well with grilled or roasted meat, lamb, pork or veal or stews and of course………pizza.

Nero D’Avola:  Sicilian grape variety that’s medium to full bodied and can offer wonderful flavors of deep plum and chocolate, well structured tannins and balanced acidity.  While quality can vary significantly from one producer to another, the wine offers a good bargain if you can find one you like.

Food Pairings:  roasted beef, lamb or pork, pasta

Primitivo:  has a common origin, genetically, with the Zinfandel grape and offers a personality very similar to Zinfandel.

Food Pairings: grilled beef and chicken, pasta with meaty red sauce

Valpolicella:   in the northeast of Italy, is located in the Veneto region.  The reds from this locale are usually derived from the Corvina grape blended with lesser amounts of the Molinara and Rondinella grape.  Most of the wines, historically, have been lacking in personality but that seems to be changing, albeit slowly.  The wines, typically, are light and dry with a hint of cherry aroma and flavor. 

Food Pairings:  Most grilled, roasted or braised meat, poultry and venison dishes, pasta in tomato sauce, grilled sausage, and of course…..pizza.

Vino Noble (di Montepulciano):   This is a wine produced from mostly the Sangiovese grape and thus we won’t highlight it except to say that it is the grape that yields the very infamous Brunello wines.

If you enjoyed this article, you would also enjoy Alternative French Whites and Alternative French Reds.  Also, check out our Wine Pairing Guide for pairings with Italian reds and food.

Have you tried any of these “alternative” reds?  If so, let the Wine Inquire community know how you like them on the Community Forum.

Tags: anglianco, bardolino, Bonarda, charbono, dolcetto, lambrusco, montepulciano, Nero d'Avola, primitivo, valpolicella