Have you seen the movie The Italian Job? Do you remember the chase scene with the Mini Cooper’s? That’s pretty much how everybody drives in Rome. It’s great amusement … unless you are a pedestrian attempting to cross an intersection.

Thankfully, the Italians don’t eat or drink like they drive. Food and wine are enjoyed for their simplicity at a relaxed pace. It would make a boring movie, but it creates wonderful memories.

Last month D’Aun and I spent two weeks in Italy. One reason we were there was to experience the Italian olive harvest, which you can read about on the D’Oliva Olive Oil blog. Another reason was to enjoy the richness of Italian history and culture. But my favorite reason … was for the wine and food!

Our first stop was Rome. Angelo Amorico was our guide for a few days and he took us to some incredible restaurants. We often ordered the house wine, which was consistently a bargain and drinkable. But Angelo also suggested Antinori Peppoli Chianti Classico. It cost about $15 a bottle in Italy and was quite good for that price. Here in the States it runs about $20 or more, and that seems a little high for the quality. Still, it is among the best Chianti’s that I have tried.

We also spent time in Montepulciano (Tuscany), which is famous for the varietal Nobile di Montepulciano. This is a big bold red wine, widely considered the second best wine in Italy (after Brunello di Monatalcino). D’Aun and I tried several Nobiles and found most of them to be too smoky and musty. That seems to be how most Italians like their wine because every time we asked a Tuscan for a recommendation we were given a bottle that smelled like a musty old cellar. I’m convinced they pawn off the bad stuff to unsuspecting tourists. Since most Italian winemakers don’t even bother to bottle their best stuff but keep it in reserve for themselves, there is reason to believe that this is true! Despite our trials with bad wine, we did find four in Tuscany that are quite good:
– Avignonesi Nobile di Montepulciano is excellent and was my favorite Italian wine. We had both their Riserva and their standard version, and both were great. Prices are between $20 and $40 a bottle, but good luck finding it … it’s rare in the States.

– Lodola Nuova Nobile di Montepulciano was served as part of the tasting menu at Ristorante La Grotta in Montepulciano. The restaurant is great. The wine is very good.
– Also at Ristorante La Grotta, we were served a Fontaleoni Estate Vernaccia di San Gimignano. Vernaccia is a crisp white wine that goes great with fish, appetizers, or even by itself. It can often be tasteless when not done well, but is simply wonderful when done right. The 2009 Fontaleoni is done right (and I have seen it at BevMo for $13 a bottle).
– Our hotel in Montepulciano was Villa Poggiano, and the owner Stefania set up a private tasting for us at Dei Winery. We sampled over a half dozen wines and really enjoyed their Rosso di Montepulciano. This is the poor mans Nobile di Montepulciano and is often … well, not so good. But Dei does a great job with it. So good that we had several bottles shipped home!

During our time in Umbria we were spoiled by the hospitality of Rob and Janina Cushman at Le Mandorelle. They produce their own wine, not available in the USA, and their 2007 was simply excellent. My biggest worry is that they will be out of stock by the time we return!

Two years ago we stayed in Montalcino, not far from Montepulciano, and really enjoyed the wines from Banfi. Their Poggio all’Oro is excellent, if a bit pricey.

I also tried a 2006 Rocca di Castagnoli Chianti. If you like Chianti’s, give it a try, but I don’t consider it worth searching for. It cost about $17.

Wish I had more good suggestions for Italian wines, but I really find it hard to find great ones. Even the ones I enjoy in Italy don’t seem to measure up when I taste them in the States. Not sure if that’s transport issues or just that you need Italian cooking to really compliment the wines!

In the end, and I hate to say this, the Italians drive better than they create wine. I’m going to catch hell from my Italian friends for saying that … but it’s true to my taste buds.

Criticism aside, la dolce vita makes even bad wine taste remarkable. And the Italians really know how to do that!

**** November 10 Update: Just found this post on snoot.com that is well worth reading…great insights about the Nobile di Montepulciano wines. Snooth.com