White
Italy is home to a treasure trove of exceptional white wines, each showcasing the country's diverse terroir and winemaking traditions. From the cool Alpine regions of Alto Adige to the sunny coast of Sicily, Italy offers a captivating range of fine white wines that delight the senses and capture the essence of their respective regions.
In the region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, renowned vineyards like Livio Felluga, Jermann, and Terlato produce exceptional white wines that are highly regarded for their quality and elegance. These wines, crafted from indigenous grape varieties such as Friulano, Pinot Grigio, and Ribolla Gialla, showcase crisp acidity, vibrant fruit flavors, and a unique minerality.
Tuscany, known for its red wines, also produces remarkable white wines. The vineyards of Antinori, Castello Banfi, and Isole e Olena are celebrated for their Tuscan white wines, which offer a delightful alternative to the region's reds. Wines like Vermentino and Vernaccia di San Gimignano exemplify the Tuscan terroir, with their refreshing acidity, citrusy notes, and an underlying richness.
In the Veneto region, Soave and Garganega are the stars of the show. Wineries like Pieropan, Suavia, and Inama craft exceptional white wines that showcase the elegance and aromatic complexity of the Garganega grape. These wines feature flavors of ripe stone fruits, floral nuances, and a vibrant acidity that make them highly versatile and food-friendly.
Moving south to Sicily, vineyards like Planeta and Donnafugata produce captivating white wines that reflect the island's unique terroir. Wines made from native grape varieties such as Grillo and Carricante exhibit a lively acidity, tropical fruit aromas, and a distinct mineral character that sets them apart.
From north to south, Italy's fine white wines offer an incredible range of flavors, styles, and terroir expressions. Whether you're sipping a crisp Friulano, a complex Tuscan white, an aromatic Venetian white, or an elegant Sicilian white, Italian white wines transport you to the sun-soaked vineyards and capture the essence of Italy's winemaking heritage.
White
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Vinous - Ian D'Agata (97)
Vivid pale golden-tinged yellow. The mineral-driven, perfumed nose boasts intense aromas of fresh pear, Golden Delicious apple, lime peel and jasmine, with a mineral overtone. Racy, fragrant, sharply focused fresh citrus and orchard fruit flavors are powerful and penetrating, but show no excess weight. The 2015 Grande Cuvée I Primo gains sweetness and a gingery nuance with air while maintaining noteworthy tension and remarkable clarity and cut. The strikingly pure, laser-like and extremely long finish shows superb energy with nuances of powdered minerals and lemony zing lingering nicely. An outstanding, truly beautiful wine from Terlano, that is one of this year’s best white wines from Italy.د.إ2,335.00 -
Vinous (96)
The 2017 Terlaner Grande Cuvée Primo is rich and seductive from the first tilt of the glass. It displays a mix of roasted hazelnut, baked apple and dried peaches, as it gains further complexities through evolving notes of smoky minerals, chamomile and hints of honeysuckle. The textural depths on the palate are otherworldly, seemingly weighty yet precise, enveloping all it touches in velvety waves of ripe stone fruits and sweet spice, as juicy acids sneak in, both framing and balancing the wine. The finish is remarkably long yet fresh, teeming with energy while also showing hints of vanilla and toasty oak. The Terlano wines have a track record for evolving beautifully in the cellar. That said, the 2017 does show a warmer vintage character, yet all of the elements are here to carry it for another fifteen to twenty years. It's a blend of Pinot Bianco 70%, Chardonnay 27% and Sauvignon Blanc 3%...Wow!د.إ2,600.00 -
James Suckling (97)
The Alps and the Mediterranean meet in a glass! Mountain freshness (think wild herbs) and bright fruit (think Amalfi lemon) come together in a wine that marries a stack of fine tannins with wet-stone minerality on the the tightly wound palate. Make no mistake, this has been built for very long aging, so decant to aerate, if you drink it any time soon. Breathtaking energy at the very long finish. Drink or hold.د.إ2,100.00 -
Luca Maroni (99)
When it comes to subtlety and elegant expression, this is the absolute, considered champion. This wine does not present itself as black, but as a purplish bordeaux, which immediately and visibly conveys the balance, smoothness and the silkiness of its fleshy expression. A velvet silk glove that feels like a petal or lace to the touch. A sheath, a veil of sumptuous glycerin - the essence of the peak maturity of the fruit it is made from. A perfect rotundity of palate, somewhere between acidity, softness and tannin, an oenological sheen from the technique of its formation, shedding spiced light on its native splendour.د.إ690.00 -
Wine Advocate (96+)
As the saying goes, good things come in small packages. The Cantina Tramin 2017 Alto Adige Gewürztraminer Vendemmia Tardiva Terminum is made with late-harvest fruit. The wine is packaged in a 375-milliliter bottle and only 4,200 bottles exist. The barrique-aged wine opens to a dark golden color with amber and copper highlights. It would be impossible to exaggerate the intensity of the honey, dried apricot and candied fruit aromas that rise from the bouquet. The one-hectare vineyard is located at a high 450 meters above sea level. The fruit is left to dry on the vines, and only when Botrytis cinerea (or the so-called "noble rot") appears are the grapes ready for harvest. The botrytis serves to safeguard the grape's natural acidity, and it shapes the high-toned and lifted aromas of the bouquet. This wine is simply gorgeous.د.إ1,170.00 -
James Suckling (94)
Wonderful nose of yellow roses, fresh pineapple and jasmine, with delicately spicy overtones. Stunning ripeness and concentration, but even more importantly, almost impeccable balance for a grape variety that’s a winemaker’s nightmare. Very long, silky finish, where the 15% alcohol is barely perceptible. Drink or hold.د.إ979.00 -
A testament to winemaking prestige, Valentini Trebbiano d'Abruzzo 2019 epitomises artisanal excellence. Originating in the mountainous Abruzzo region in central Italy, this extraordinary wine is produced from vines grown on lands rich in clay and limestone that aptly nurture the indigenous Trebbiano grapes. The Valentini family’s heritage of timeless tradition is evident in the fiercely manual process utilised, from harvesting to decanting.
The wine showcases a remarkable balance of fruity notes and fresh acidity, with the 2019 vintage particularly expressing distinct nuances of citrus and almond. Intense and complex, this amber nectar resonates with a captivating mineral finish that demonstrates the impeccable quality of this hand-crafted masterpiece. Valentini Trebbiano d'Abruzzo 2019 is not simply a wine, but a delectable epitome of Italy's historical vineyard legacy – a worthy addition to the collection of any discerning oenophile.
د.إ3,105.00 -
The Villa Bucci Verdicchio Castelli di Jesi Classico Riserva 2017 is a prestigious white wine hailing from Italy's splendid Le Marche region. Produced by the famed Ampelio Bucci, this Riserva radiates complex elegance. Grapes are harvested manually from 50-year-old vines across the Villa Bucci estate, giving this wine superior texture and depth. With its fermentation in steel vats and two-year aging in large Slavonian oak barrels, it unfurls distinctive mineral and almond nuances, with delightful peach and apple aromas.
The Villa Bucci Verdicchio Castelli di Jesi Classico Riserva 2017 is a wine that brims with longevity, displaying an intense straw-yellow colour, yet presenting a fresh and zesty palate. With an outstanding stature in the International Wine Community, it is exemplary of the Verdicchio grape's versatility and the producer's commitment to organic farming. Savour this Italian masterpiece alone or alongside seafood for an unrivalled gastronomic experience.
د.إ793.00
