Italian Blonde

Italian wine imports into the United States now top French imports far and away; in 1978, 50.5 per cent of all wine imported into the U.S. came from Italy and only 17.9 per cent from France. The reasons for this sensational increase are not only the attractive prices, but also the enormous improvement in the quality of Italian wines during the last ten years. This is due to better grapes, up-to-date winery equipment, and the adoption in 1963 of a new set of wine laws, stricter than the French ones. Wines that have met the new standards of quality get the DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) stamp on their labels (or a legend indicating they are worthy of it), which guarantees that the wine is from the region indicated and made from specific grapes and in specific ways. Though there are good non-DOC wines, the best vintages are so identified.

The wines mentioned in this article (all of them white wines—I will discuss Italian reds in a later column) are wines I consider good to drink and excellent value for the money. Note—I bought these wines in the late spring of this year and, since prices have gone up somewhat in the meantime, I suggest that you add 10 to 15 per cent to the prices quoted. Prices are New York City prices.

NH

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Nika Hazelton

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Italian wine imports into the United States now top French imports far and away; in 1978, 50.5 per cent of all wine imported into the U.S. came from Italy and only 17.9 per cent from France. The reasons for this sensational increase are not only the attractive prices, but also the enormous improvement in the quality of Italian wines during the last ten years. This is due to better grapes, up-to-date winery equipment, and the adoption in 1963 of a new set of wine laws, stricter than the French ones. Wines that have met the new standards of quality get the DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) stamp on their labels (or a legend indicating they are worthy of it), which guarantees that the wine is from the region indicated and made from specific grapes and in specific ways. Though there are good non-DOC wines, the best vintages are so identified.

The wines mentioned in this article (all of them white wines—I will discuss Italian reds in a later column) are wines I consider good to drink and excellent value for the money. Note—I bought these wines in the late spring of this year and, since prices have gone up somewhat in the meantime, I suggest that you add 10 to 15 per cent to the prices quoted. Prices are New York City prices.