Since we did our progressive dinner last week, and I chimed in on the wines, I thought maybe I’d add a littlemore about wine this week. I wrote this arfrticle a few months ago on Italian wines under $20.00. I didn’t just use the typical Chianti and Pinot Grigio. I tried to mix it up and had a lot of fun with it.

Right now I’m reading Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. Anyone reading it? Read it? What are your thoughts on it? I’m loving it, and I just finished the section where she was in Italy. Between us–it made me want to run off to Italy, ravage some young Italian guy and eat and drink to my heart’s desire. But then reality hits, and kids come home sick, the dog tears up a pillow and my youngest whines that she hates school. However, there is perfection in all of that too. One day when they’re grown, maybe my husband and I will have a chance to run off to Italy. We may be too old or sick of each other to ravage one another at that point, but I doubt we’ll ever get tired of good wine and food.

So, here is a taste of great Italian wines under $20.00.

What’s not to love about Italy? Just the mention of the various cities such as Rome, Sicily, Tuscany, Milan and all the villages scattered throughout this amazing country makes one want to steal kisses with their significant other, sit down at an outdoor café and order a good bottle of wine and some delicious food. Well, let’s face it, many of us can’t hop the next flight on Alitalia, but we can create a bit of that Italian flare in our own homes amongst our friends and family. And believe it or not, we can do it without spending a lot of money at the wine shop and time in the kitchen.

I’ve been on this Italian kick lately because pasta always goes over well with everyone in my house and a glass of wine at the end of the day with my husband is something the two of us savor. We both agree that when we find a good wine for under $20.00, we’ve discovered something great. Here’s a list of some wonderful Italian wines that are all under $20.00.

Südtirol Alto Adige
2006
Eisacktaler
Müller Thurgua

The Müller Thurgua varietal is grown close to the Austrian border and is an off-dry wine that pairs well with light cheeses, salads, sea food and believe it or not, it’s terrific with macaroni and cheese! This is a crisp wine that contains no oak flavor to it and is fermented in steel barrels. It’s truly light and refreshing and terrific with or without food. If you’re thinking that a relaxing bath with a bit of lavender oil sprinkled in it and this wine on hand, then you are on target. What’s also on target with this wine is the price at $11.00.

The next wine is Teruzzi & Puthod

2005
Vernaccia Di San Gimignano

San Gimignano is a village in Tuscany about an hour south of Florence. The village is called the Manhattan of Italy because it is a pre-Renaissance village surrounded by tall towers. The vineyards in this area are surrounded by olive groves and if you focus on the flavors of this wine you will be able to taste a note of green olive. This wine is a dry white with a hint of fruitiness and not at all sweet. It pairs with cream sauce pastas, chicken, and seafood. However, I’d go simple with this and pair it with prosciutto and melon. It’s outstanding! You can pick this gem up for $12.00

The last white I’ll include is a wonderful Pinot Grigio from Delle Venezie.

Kris Pinot Grigio
2006
Delle Venezie

This Pinot Grigio comes from North Eastern Italy where some of the best Pinot Grigios are produced due to the cooler climate. What’s wonderful about this wine is at its price point you won’t find it at all thin or watery. It shows good fruit, balance, and acids. It is a fantastic value at $11.89, and is perfect for chicken or seafood in a lemon or butter sauce.

Onto the reds. Terre del Nero D’Avola, 2003 vintage. The Nero D’ Avolo is an indigenous grape to Sicily. This ancient grape dates all the way back to the pre-Roman era. It’s similar to a California Zinfandel because like the California Zin it has a touch of pepper and spice on the palette. This red pairs nicely with pizza, lasagna, eggplant parmigiana, anything with a red sauce basically. It’s also a great barbeque wine and is tasty with a good burger. At $10.00 you can’t go wrong.

The Barbera D’ Alba 2005 produced by Damilano from Piedmont, which is located in North Western Italy, not too far from Southern France, is a soft red that doesn’t contain too many tannins. A slight chill on this wine is really nice as it’s not heavy at all. This is a great cheese wine. It also pairs well with chicken, veal and lamb. The price on this fantastic wine is $17.00

Cascina Castle’t
2005
Barbera d’Osti

This wine is also from the Piedmont region, however, the Barbera wines coming out of Osti tend to be heavier than from Alba. I picked this wine up because I liked the label (and who says that marketing isn’t everything?). The label is of four little girls on an old school Vespa circa early sixties. It struck me as cute and for $16.00, I couldn’t pass it up. Word is that the girl dressed in pink runs this winery, and I enjoyed the wine as much as I do the label. This red would be excellent with Osso Bucco or Veal Milanese, but if it’s been a long week and you’re thinking simple sounds good, then take out a pizza and enjoy.

If you want to end the night with a bit of dessert Italiano style, then go for a bottle of Nivole Muscato 2006. It has a slight sparkle to it and is decadent in its own right or if you’re not counting calories, what the heck—add your fave from a bowl of berries, the classic tiramisu or lemon gelato—YUM! Be decadent, be romantic, mysterious and live life. Come on, you know you want to. Go ahead and bring a little Italy on home.

Saluté my friends!

Michele Scott