7 Italian White Wines Under $20 for Summer
The best warm-weather bottles
Courtesy of Pieropan
When it comes to bright, light, and refreshing white wine from Italy for summer sipping, the first grape that comes to mind is Pinot Grigio. The best examples typically come from Northern Italy and offer pure stone fruit flavors and tingly acidity. But these wines aren’t the only refreshing Italian whites.
I recently had lunch with winemakers Andrea and Leonildo Pieropan. Their family pioneered winemaking in the Northern Italian region of Soave. Over plates of halibut crudo, grilled octopus, and smoked trout, their Soave really shined, and I was reminded that many other Italian whites can be similarly great with warm-weather dishes.
So, I reached out to six somms across the country to get their recommendations for the best Italian whites–perfect for summer sipping–all under $20.
2015 Pieropan Soave Classico
- wine-searcher.com, $17
The wine that inspired this story is made entirely from estate-grown grapes planted on the steep, volcanic hillsides of the Soave Classico area. A blend of 85 percent Garganega and 15 percent Trebbiano di Soave, it offers up a stunning package of pale lemon-gold color and notes ranging from citrus and orchard fruit to almonds and white florals. The finish is long and tinged with Mediterranean herbs.
2015 Bruno Verdi Pinot Grigio
- wine-searcher.com, $18
“Bruno Verdi has hit a wonderful chord with this round and soft but also vibrant and fresh wine. Add an ‘80s-inspired label and you’ve got a hot little number on your hands brimming with citrus fruit and nice mineral character.”—Helen Johannesen, Owner, Helen’s Wines/Jon & Vinny’s; Beverage Director, Animal/Son of a Gun/Trois Mec/Petit Trois/Kismet, Los Angeles
2015 Tenuta la Calcinie Vernaccia
- wine-searcher.com, $16
“I had the pleasure of visiting Simone Santini, a.k.a. the Italian Johnny Depp, back in June 2016 at his winery in Tuscany, where I tasted this wine. I was blown away by the meticulous attention to detail—Santini had planted the vineyard himself on a property his uncle owned back in the early 1980s, and has a keen affinity Vernaccia grapes. He has a huge collection of fossils and shells that he unearthed from the soil, so it’s no wonder that underneath the citrus, orchard fruit and white floral notes there is an incredible vein of minerality, and such clean acidity—one for the ages.”—Matthew Kaner, Bar Covell/Augustine Wine Bar, Los Angeles
2014 Bibi Graetz Casa Matta Bianco
- wine-searcher.com, $14
“Bibi Graetz is a groundbreaking, new-wave Tuscan producer. He goes to cooler, coastal Maremma to source grapes for his Casamatta Bianco, a Vermentino-based blend, rounded out by Trebbiano and a pinch of Muscat. With nice weight overall, the wine has plenty of crunchy, fresh pomaceous and citrus fruit, with a just a touch of green tropical fruit notes (from the Muscat, likely). While lively enough to drink on its own, put it next to a lemony seafood pasta or grilled fish for pure, uncomplicated bliss.”—Morgan Harris, Aureole, New York City
