The eighteenth-century English poet William Cowper coined the phrase “variety is the spice of life” in “The Task”: “Variety is the spice of life, that gives it all its flavor.” The poem examined everyday English life, but it could have easily been written by an Italian vignaiolo from a quiet, out-of-the-way region, attempting to persuade a skeptical customer to try something new. It must be challenging to give your life to your vines, honoring your region’s history and traditions, only to release the fruits of your labor into a crowded marketplace dominated by more renowned regions like Tuscany and Piedmont. “If you like Chianti, I’m sure you’ll love my Rossese,” our imaginary winemaker would say. And while those regions are justifiably famous, they represent only a fraction of what Italy has to offer. To limit yourself to them is to miss out on the chaotic, messy, bewildering yet sublime variety of Italian wine.
     Our Italian portfolio is full of wonderful producers from throughout the country, and we’ve gathered a dozen of them here to demonstrate how delicious variety can be. This sampler offers invigorating whites from Puglia, Sardinia, and the Veneto, and refreshing reds from Liguria and Sicily; wines made from Frappato, Verdiso, Lumassina, Molinara, Verdeca, Rondinella, and Rossese. We even include a few bottlings from Tuscany and Piedmont, just because. They’ll pair perfectly with the strangely shaped pasta or the oozy Italian cheese you’ve always passed up, until now.