Vines of white grapes used to create Vin Santo; Castello di Ama, Siena, Tuscany, Italy RELATED LINKS Test Your Wine IQ Visit the Fine Living Wine Cellar

With 20 separate wine regions in one small country, Italy produces one of the most impressive and sometimes overwhelming wine lists in Europe. From the very light wines of Friuli to the full-bodied reds of Piedmont, learning to understand Italian wines isn't hard as it may seem. As the locals are fond of saying, "don't think, drink!"

• "Single vineyard" implies all of the wine is from that winery's vineyard. In the U.S., these are labeled "estate."
  
• Vigneto Bellavista and La Casuccia are both examples of Castello di Ama's single vineyard Chianti Classico wine.
  
• Riserva refers to wine that has rested in a cellar for at least 24 months.
  
• Sangiovese grapes are the foundation of the versatile Chianti wine. According to Italian standards, a Chianti must contain at least 80 percent local Sangiovese grape.
  
• In the 1960's, wine blending laws were made to prevent imposters from falsely using the name Chianti on their bottles.
  
• Experimenting with grape mixtures has yielded delicious "Super Tuscans," which incorporate the local Sangiovese grape with a range of international grapes.
  
• Frescobaldi's Super Tuscan, Luce, is made from 50 percent Merlot grapes and 50 percent Sangiovese. Frescobaldi and Napa Valley's Mondavi wine family combined their efforts to make this Super Tuscan in 1997.
  
• Tuscany is also a great region for world-class white wines, such as Vernaccia di San Gimignano.
  
• Sweet Vin Santo, meaning "wine of saints," is a great match for most desserts.

Perfect Pairings

Bread with Olive Oil with Castello di Ama's Chianti Classico 2000 vintage
or Castello di Ama's Vin Santo 1998 vintage
Liver Sauce on Toasted Bread with Luce
Pear Pecorino Salad with Terre di Tufi, white wine
Manzo Peposo with Super Tuscan Luce
Biscotti with Vin Santo

Resources

Castello di Ama
53010 Lecchi in Chianti
Siena, Italy
Ph: +39 0577 746031
info@castellodiama.com, www.castellodiama.com
A winery in the heart of Tuscany that's a village unto itself.

Marchesi de Frescobaldi
Nipozzano Estate
Chianti Rufina, Italy
Ph: + 39 055 27141
www.frescobaldi.it
Here the 31^st generation of one of Florence's oldest winemaking families is taking a new approach towards wine.

Tredici Gobbi/13 Hunchbacks
Via del Porcellana, 9r
Firenze, Italy
www.montefollonico.it
Ph: +39 055 284015
One of the region's fantastic eateries where you can enjoy traditional Florentine fare in a familiar rustic environment.

Create an unforgettable dining experience with Andrea Immer's Entertaining Made Simple CD collection. Each CD includes music, menus, recipes, affordable wine recommendations and video demonstrations.