We can’t let France have all the fun! Some spankin’ new wines have arrived from Italy and are ready to take you into fall with elegance and style. Both instant classics, one represents all the beloved benchmarks of a Northern Italian Pinot Grigio, the other a local favorite rosé style of Southern Italy’s Abruzzo region. La fortuna favorisce la mentalità aperta — which is Italian for, trust us, you’re gonna dig these.
San Michele Pinot Grigio delle Venezie
If fair Verona didn’t have Romeo and Juliet on its tourism board, San Michele might be a solid stand-in. Its vineyards dedicated to a local Romanic church dating back to the 12th century, the rolling landscape is steeped in history enough to make you swoon, and the wines take you the rest of the way to fully smitten. Their Pinot Grigio is traditional but full of vibrant charm, fermented at cool temps in stainless steel with four-months’ stirring of the mineral-laden lees. The result is a brilliant balancing act between bright lemon, crisp yellow pear, green apple, orchard flowers, gentle salinity, and a smooth, fresh finish.
Colle Corviano Cerasuolo Rosé
Boasting a totally different set of iconic Italian environs, the vines of Colle Corviano are sustainably tended by Antonella di Tonno and Rodrigo Redmont in the picturesque hills smack between the Adriatic Sea and Gran Sasso Mountain. Take a quick click through pictures of the neighboring historic town of Lorento Aprutino and you might soon find yourself checking out plane tickets instead of tasting notes. But if wines are your travel agent of choice, you can’t go wrong with Colle Corviano’s Cerasuolo — or “cherry-hued” — rosé of Montepulciano. The grape’s characteristic savory fruit and aromatics come through nicely with an extended skin contact method, boasting cranberry, rhubarb, orange zest, dried hibiscus, and a touch of tarragon on its broad but silken body.
-Aimee Hutchinson | Wine Manager Top Ten Liquors