Apr 25 2009
Brunello to Zibibbo: The Wines of Tuscany, Central and Southern Italy
In Barolo to Valpolicella, Belfrage demystified northern Italian viticulture, discussing dozens of wines ranging from the highest-quality vintages to affordable selections that can be enjoyed every day. Now, with Brunello to Zibibbo, he considers the wines from Tuscany to the south, again concentrating on the regions’ indigenous vines and the unique grapes that make Italy’s wines so exceptional.
There’s extensive coverage of the vines and wines of Tuscany, as well as an assessment of the emerging wines of the south—on which, to date, little has been written. From the Sangiovese, or Brunello, of Tuscany, to the Zibibbo, or Alexandrian Muscat, of the island of Pantelleria off the Tunisian coast south of Sicily, this is an authoritative primer on the wealth of Italy’s vineyards and a discerning guide to the regions’ best bottles.
Customer Review: All You Never Knew There Was To Know About The South
Be warned: This is not for the casual reader; Belfrage goes into levels of detail heretofore unknown regarding Tuscany, Puglia, Sicily, and the rest of the South. He seems to have visited every producer in Italy, and to have traced (where possible) the origins of every grape he comes across--and he comes across quite a few that you won't find in the Oxford Encyclopedia of Wine or in Jancis Robinson's "Vines, Grapes & WInes." I have a special place in my heart for the unfortunate Nuragus, the most widely planted grape in Sardinia, of which Belfrage says "Nuragus probably has little or nothing to do with Trebbiano Toscano, as the ampelographer Cettolini would have us believe, but it does share an inability to rise above a certain fairly basic level of mediocrity winewise..." If you have to look up "ampelographer," you are probably going to find this book heavy going.
On the other hand, it's not like you need to know to enjoy the book. Belfrage is a good writer, a terrific reporter, and has the added benefit of being honest. He's got some commercial connections in Italy, and he's very straightforward about stating them.
His overall take on the slowness of southern Italy to rally to the cause of quality over quantity is astutely observed: He has no love for Italian Bureaucracy, EU bureaucracy, or the Mafia. All three, he says, conspire to prevent progress.
Anyway, if, like me, you find it is actually important to know that the wide variability in quality in Chianti is as much due to clonal selection as anything else, you'll greatly enjoy Mr. Belfrage's company.
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