($34, Montcalm Wine Importers):  Wines made from grape grown on the lava-rich slopes of Sicily’s Mount Etna transmit their origins beautifully and precisely.  The cherry-like fruitiness of this Etna Rosso takes a back seat to its angular lava-tinged character.  Wonderfully austere, this sleek wine delivers a saline-like freshness. … Read more

($24, Montcalm Wine Importers):  The versatility of Barbera helps explain its popularity.  Typically bright and fresh, like this one, they are a “go-to” choice for many tomato-based pasta dishes.  This one’s raspberry-like fruitiness and mild tannins means that it could take a chill nicely in the waning days of summer. … Read more

($26, Folio Fine Wine Partners):  No one needs an introduction to Ornellaia, a Bordeaux-blend and one of Italy’s greatest wines.  But some explanation about Le Volte is important since even Ornellaia’s website reveals few details of this wine.  Ornellaia took a giant leap in quality in 1997 when they introduced Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia, a second wine, also a Bordeaux-blend. … Read more

($75, Massanois):  Located in Gaiole in Chianti in the heart of the Chianti Classico region, Bertinga is a new venture.  The 2016s are their first release.  After tasting their wines, I have a feeling their success is not beginner’s luck.  Their 50 or so acres of vineyards are planted exclusively with Sangiovese and Merlot. … Read more

($169, Massanois):  This 100 percent Merlot is equally expressive and explosive as Bertinga’s Punta di Adine, just in an entirely different way.  While Punta displays red fruit qualities, Volta di Bertinga is all about black fruit complemented by tar-like minerality.  It’s a wonderful red-black contrast. … Read more

($119, Massanois):  This gorgeous wine comes exclusively from Sangiovese planted in a six-acre vineyard in Gaiole in Chianti that sits at an altitude of about 1,800 feet.  The elevation moderates the temperature, especially at night, which allows the grapes to retain more acidity. … Read more

($55, Montcalm Wine Importers):  Gran Selezione is a relatively new quality category, aiming to represent the pinnacle of a producer’s Chianti Classico production.  This gorgeous wine certainly achieves that distinction.  It’s all the more impressive considering Villa Vignamaggio managed to produce such a stellar wine in 2017, a difficult year for Chianti Classico. … Read more

($25, Montcalm Wine Importers):  Villa Vignamaggio’s 2018 Chianti Classico is textbook Chianti Classico and reminds us why that category is so popular.  Made entirely from Sangiovese, this mid-weight wine delivers the ideal combination of dark fruit and savory nuances, all wrapped in a suave texture. … Read more

($35, Montcalm Wine Importers):  Ciliegiolo, named supposedly because of cherry-like flavor, is a grape variety common in Tuscany where it is sometimes blended with Sangiovese in Chianti or its subzones, such as Chianti Classico.  Bosoni has done a marvelous job with it as a varietal wine in Liguria, not surprisingly since this is such a talented producer. … Read more

($35, Montcalm Wine Importers):  Unsurprisingly, given the stature of the producer, this wine manages a presence without being powerful or in your face.  Its unusual blend, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese, Petit Verdot and Montepulciano, speaks to the experimentation going on in the Maremma. … Read more

($50, Romano Brands):  Paolo Manzone is a top producer of Barolo who happens to fly under most peoples’ radar.  This Barolo, from the Meriame cru in Serralunga, is his top wine.  Though Serralunga is known for tannic, structured wines, Manzone’s Meriame is immediately engaging. … Read more

($24, Matchvino):  Jan Novak, the knowledgeable sommelier at Il Capriccio, one of Boston top Italian restaurants, recommended this wine to me.  Jan has not only forgotten more about Italian wine than most people know, she has an incredible palate for discovery lesser-known wines. … Read more

($37, Erie Beverage Solutions):  This is the big brother to Malgrà’s Giaina.  Far weightier, with more apparent tannins at this stage, it weighs in at 15 percent stated alcohol.  It still conveys an attractive dark mineral component and has an alluring hint of bitterness in the finish. … Read more

($19, Erie Beverage Solutions):   Italian wine authorities promoted Nizza, formerly a part of Barbera d’Asti DOC, to DOCG status in 2014 because it was clear the wines had the capability of being unique.  Malgrà’s Gaiana shows the wisdom of that decision. … Read more

($19, Consortium Wine and Spirits Imports):  The regulations for Langhe Nebbiolo do not require exclusive use of Nebbiolo.  Growers are permitted to include a small amount, up to 15 percent, of some other varieties.  Indeed, the famed Angelo Gaja felt that adding a bit of Barbera to Nebbiolo improved the wine and when he did so was forced to re-classify what he formerly labeled Barbaresco and Barolo to Langhe Nebbiolo. … Read more

($14, Kobrand Wine & Spirits):  It may sound like a brilliant marketing ploy, but Prosecco Rosé is a new recognized category with its own DOC.  As with all Prosecco — and wine in general, for that matter — there will be an enormous range of quality and style. … Read more

($20):  Those looking for bold fruitiness should go elsewhere.  Here, the focus is on an alluring Middle Eastern spice box of aromas and flavors — cinnamon and cloves — and dried flowers.  Light on the palate, the flavors in this lively wine nonetheless persist. … Read more

($40):  Luca Ferraris bottled this wine in honor of his nonno, (grandfather) Martino, the founder of the winery. Altogether different from Ferraris’ other two renditions of Ruché, Opera Prima, with its chocolatey nuances, has an Amarone-like sensibility to it.  The fine tannins that are a hallmark of Ferraris’ wines together with a suave texture hold it all together. … Read more

($23):  Ferraris acquired priest Don Giacomo Cauda’s Ruchè del Parroco in 2016 and renamed it “Vigna del Parroco.”  It remains the only officially recognized cru in the entire DOCG.  A gorgeous wine that still retains the savory focus, it is also more refined and complex than the Clàsic. … Read more

($21):  The regulations for Etna Bianco require at least 60 percent Carricante in the blend.  Firriato opts to blend another autochthonous grape, Catarratto, with Carricante for this Etna Bianco.  The result is a fruitier, somewhat richer, Etna Bianco with less of the cutting saline-minerality for which Carricante is known. … Read more

($19, Quintessential Wines):  Arneis, a grape found nowhere in Italy except Piedmont, makes one of that country’s overlooked white wines.  The Oxford Companion to Wine informs us that is used to be blended with Nebbiolo to soften Barolo and gained the informal local tag of “Barolo Bianco.” … Read more

($27, Dalla Terra Winery Direct):  Marco Felluga, the man in charge at Russiz Superiore, is a good name to remember for top-notch wines.  In addition to a seductive texture, this 2019 Friulano has good power without a trace of heaviness.  Nuances of orange-rind poke through and complement its fruitiness and spice. … Read more

($17):  Ribolla Gialla, a late ripening variety, is typically the last white grape harvested, sometimes even after the first of the reds are ripe.  Despite that, it holds its acidity exceptionally well.  It’s a misunderstood variety because it can be transformed into two very different styles of wine. … Read more

($40):  Pinot Bianco often makes light, innocuous wines.  Not this one.  Livon’s 2018 Cavezzo has weight and an alluring texture.  A hint of grapefruit-rind bitterness in a lively finish enhances its appeal.  This stylish Pinot Bianco has surprising complexity and could redefine the category for you. … Read more

($27, Dalla Terra Winery Direct):  Marco Felluga, the man in charge at Russiz Superiore, is a good name to remember for top-notch wines.  In addition to a seductive texture, this 2019 Friulano has good power without a trace of heaviness.  Nuances of orange-rind poke through and complement its fruitiness and spice. … Read more

($17):  Ribolla Gialla, a late ripening variety, is typically the last white grape harvested, sometimes even after the first of the reds are ripe.  Despite that, it holds its acidity exceptionally well.  It’s a misunderstood variety because it can be transformed into two very different styles of wine. … Read more

($12):  This is a great example of the straightforward — fruity and fragrant — style of Vernaccia di San Gimignano.  Its youthful crispness is emphasized by a delightful salty rather than lemony acidity, which keeps it fresh and lively.  Daniele Cernilli, one of Italy’s top wine authorities explains that the salty acidity comes from an abundance of tartaric rather than malic acid characteristic of Mediterranean wines. … Read more

($16, Taub Family Selections):  The name of the wine, which transliterates into English as “white island” refers to Vernaccia di San Gimignano’s situation as the sole white DOCG in a sea of Tuscany red wine.  Teruzzi, formerly named Teruzzi & Puthod, remains one of the region’s top producers despite the name change. … Read more

($28):  Campo della Pieve is one of Il Colombaio di Santa Chiara’s top cuvées of Vernaccia di San Gimignano.  It is distinguished from their easy-to-recommend regular bottling, labeled Selvabianca, by extended lees aging, which occurs for about 18 months in concrete tanks. … Read more

($40, Folio Fine Wine Partners):  Made entirely from Carricante, Donnafugata’s Etna Bianco displays an immediately engaging floral component.  A crisp and chiseled wine, it captures the best elements of that grape.  This paradoxically vibrant, yet restrained, wine starts to blossom after 30 minutes in the glass. … Read more

($35, Folio Fine Wine Partners):  Donnafugata’s Etna Rosso, a blend of Nerello Mascalese and Cappuccio, is a seductive mid-weight red that marries red fruit flavors with a distinct lava-like minerality.  Not an opulent wine, it has a lovely austerity without being hard or astringent. … Read more

($85, Folio Fine Wine Partners):  The grapes for Donnafugata’s Fragore hail from the Contrada Montelaguardia.  Made entirely from Nerello Mascalese, it is denser than Sul Vulcano Rosso, but paradoxically, still displays a wonderful austerity.  This is no fruit bomb.  Indeed, the power and concentration have a lava-tinged savory character. … Read more

($20, Ste. Michelle Wine Estates):  You know there must be potential for excellent wine in Puglia, the heel of the Italian boot, when Antinori establishes an outpost, Tormaresca, there.  The region is known for big reds, like this one, made from the Primitivo grape, which genetically is identical to Zinfandel. … Read more

($32, Kobrand Wine & Spirits):  Falerno del Massico, a small (not even 250 acres) DOC in Campania, retains appeal, in part, because Falerno was considered the great wine of ancient Rome.  With its lava-like underpinnings, Villa Matilde’s, made from a traditional Campania blend of Aglianico (80%) and Piedirosso, reflects its origins at the foot of the volcano, Roccamonfina. … Read more

($17, Kobrand Wine & Spirits):  Aglianico, the grape known for heavyweight wines, such as Taurasi, bottled under screwcap?  Who would have guessed Aglianico-lite would work — but, in Villa Matilde’s hands, it does.  This light to mid-weight red (not a description used very often for Aglianico) delivers engaging hints of tar alongside fine tannins. … Read more

($17, Montcalm Wine Importers):  At first blush, pun intended, you’d be forgiven for thinking Rosé Prosecco is a marketing tool combining two hot categories of wine.  But this one is a serious wine.  It has a substantial presence.  You can’t help but take note of it. … Read more

($31):  Tenuta di Arceno managed to succeed in a difficult vintage.  Their bold style worked well in 2017 because they captured ripeness, good acidity and suave tannins simultaneously.  Though rich and fruity, a subtly haunting bitterness in the finish reminds us, thankfully, it’s not just about fruit. … Read more

($18, Montcalm Wine Importers):  Illuminati, one of the leading producers in Abruzzo, makes a range of wines from the Montepulciano grape.  This one focuses on the dark fruit tones that the Montepulciano variety can display.  Its fleshiness, coupled with mild tannins, makes this mid-weight red a good choice for current consumption.… Read more

($24, Montcalm Wine Importers):  This Riserva, made from a selection of the best Montepulciano grapes, is real step up from this house’s other, entry-level releases: there’s much more going on here.  Not bigger or bolder, it’s just broader and more layered. … Read more

($18, Montcalm Wine Importers):  This is a differently styled Montepulciano from Illuminati’s Riparossso, highlighting the more herbal and savory side of that grape.  Despite similar weight and concentration, it’s a more aromatic and energetic wine, which makes it a fine choice for current consumption with a sausage-infused tomato sauce for pasta.… Read more

($38, Montcalm Wine Importers):  Colline Teramane, the hills around Teramano, in the north of Abruzzo, neighboring the Marche, is Abruzzo’s sole DOCG.  Judging from this line-up of Illuminati’s wines, it certainly deserves that accolade based on the quality of this release. … Read more

($30, Romano Brands):   I Saltari, part of the highly-acclaimed Sartori di Verona wine group, releases their Valpolicella Superiore when they think it’s ready to drink.  That explains why the 2015 is the current vintage on the retail market and tastes nothing like most Valpolicella. … Read more

($24, Montcalm Wine Importers):  Consumers sometimes forget there are sub-zones other than Chianti Classico in the greater Chianti area that spreads between Florence and Siena.  The Chianti Rufina area, just to the northeast of Florence, is home to some wonderful wines, including this one from Grignano. … Read more

($30):  The leadership of this family-owned winery is unique.  Hilde Petrussa, the current director, is the third generation of female directors.  This Friulano is equally unique.  It has good weight, stone fruit character, all supported and balanced by excellent acidity.  A ying and yang of a subtle creamy richness and hint of bitterness in the finish just makes it just that much more appealing.… Read more

($33):  Fattoria Varramista, located halfway between Florene and Pisa, has about 20 acres of vineyards planted to Sangiovese, Merlot and Syrah. They expertly blend those grapes to make this glossy well-proportioned wine where none of its elements predominate.  Fleshy, but not overly fruity, savory notes remain in this traditionally framed wine. … Read more

($19):  Although only started in 2000, the family-run Fondo Antico, has a long connection with grapes as a grower for Marsala.  They have about 200 acres of vineyards on the western side of the island where they grow both autochthonous varieties, such as Grillo, and so-called international grapes. … Read more