Italian Whites
by Anthony Lynch
2023 Prosecco Treviso Sui Lieviti
Italy | Veneto
I dare anyone to find a more lip-smacking summer refresher than this naturally made Prosecco! Refermented in bottle without disgorgement, it has the slight cloudiness of a pet-nat with bracingly pure, clean flavors. It is crafted via sustainable, traditional practices in the hilly epicenter of the vast Prosecco zone, and that great terroir shines through with clarity in each mouthwatering sip. You’ll see that the Gregoletto family is in a league all their own when it comes to old-school Italian farmer fizz.
The Vermentino we import from Punta Crena, on the coast of Liguria, is the most carefree rendition of the grape I know. Scented of freshly squeezed Meyer lemon and mimosa blossom, it has a slight bitterness reminiscent of grapefruit pith and a salty sea-spray finish that tickles the back of the palate. The charm and lightheartedness of the Italian Riviera, and its colorful seaside villages, is captured to a tee.
2021 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Riserva “Passolento”
Italy | Le Marche
“It’s always windy here,” says Alessandro Bonci as a gust of cool air whirs past us. It’s springtime, and we are overlooking the colorful parcel whose grapes will become his Passolento cuvée. The plot looks more like a field of wildflowers than a vineyard. It is covered in bright yellow blossoms—mustard plants—whose deep roots help loosen soil and provide nitrogen; on the surface they serve an important role as well: “for beauty, for our pleasure.” My heart swells. It’s easy to see how these vines, pampered by Alessandro and prized for their exceptional fruit, yield a complex and chalky white wine that’s reminiscent of Chablis or great Vermentino.
More from the July 2026 Newsletter
