Italian Red

during the normal harvest but left to dry until January or February; it is aged for at least three years, including two years in the cask. A 1973 Sfursat is going for $7.49 at Ferrara, a New York store specializing in Italian wines. Nino Negri also makes Castel Chiuro Riserva, from specially selected grapes; it costs around $6 or less, depending on the vintage.

Italy’s greatest reds, again from the Nebbiolo grape, come from Piedmont— Barolo, Barbaresco, Gattinara, Spanna. Barolo is the most majestic of these big, full-bodied wines, all of which require considerable aging. Superior Barolo, comparable to superior Rhone wines, can be had for well under $10, and it is possible to find vintages from the Fifties and early Sixties for $20 or less. Values to look for come from Calissano, Giri, and Kiola (less than $7 for the 1970 and 1971 vintages). Barbaresco, Gattinara, and Spanna fetch similar prices; the producers to look for are Calissano, Borgogno, and Fontanafredda for Barbaresco; Brugo and Antoniolo for Gattinara (this one is not always easy to find); and Vallano Campi Raudii for Spanna. I also recommend looking for other producers of these wines, but I warn of bottles in the $3 range.

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during the normal harvest but left to dry until January or February; it is aged for at least three years, including two years in the cask. A 1973 Sfursat is going for $7.49 at Ferrara, a New York store specializing in Italian wines. Nino Negri also makes Castel Chiuro Riserva, from specially selected grapes; it costs around $6 or less, depending on the vintage.

Italy’s greatest reds, again from the Nebbiolo grape, come from Piedmont— Barolo, Barbaresco, Gattinara, Spanna. Barolo is the most majestic of these big, full-bodied wines, all of which require considerable aging. Superior Barolo, comparable to superior Rhone wines, can be had for well under $10, and it is possible to find vintages from the Fifties and early Sixties for $20 or less. Values to look for come from Calissano, Giri, and Kiola (less than $7 for the 1970 and 1971 vintages). Barbaresco, Gattinara, and Spanna fetch similar prices; the producers to look for are Calissano, Borgogno, and Fontanafredda for Barbaresco; Brugo and Antoniolo for Gattinara (this one is not always easy to find); and Vallano Campi Raudii for Spanna. I also recommend looking for other producers of these wines, but I warn of bottles in the $3 range.