Wine for Beginners

by Guy Kugel

Wine shouldn’t be scary. My philosophy is, if you like it, then it’s a good wine. Good wine comes at all price points, all styles, and a good wine expert will make you feel comfortable spending as little or as much as you want. Sommeliers are there to do the work for you, so what better way to explore Italian wine than to have somebody pair all the dishes with wines that come from many regions, north to south, including Sicily and Sardinia? When people want something that goes with food, I keep in mind the styles of wines that people enjoy and try to find something that captures both. 

There’s such a great range of value-oriented wines coming out of Italy, so you can spend as little or as much as you want. As people who have traveled in Italy know, you can have some amazing wines that don’t break the bank, that are incredibly food savvy, and are incredibly interesting. This makes Italy a great and easy region to explore.

What distinguishes Italian wine?

History, tradition, geography, and diversity. There are over 1300 varietals that come out of Italy alone. 

Where should I start?

Two good regions to start with for white wines (in Italy) are the Veneto and Alto Adige. Two regions to start with for red wines are Piedmont and Tuscany. You can learn a lot about Italian wine from the production of Nebbiolo in the Piedmont and Sangiovese in Tuscany, as well as the light crisp white varieties from the Veneto and Alto Adige, including Prosecco in the Veneto. 

Start small. Develop an appreciation, and once you learn about the tradition, it’s fun to branch out to some of the more esoteric, less-known varietals specific to the small towns that dot the countryside.