What could be the next 'big thing' in white wine from Italy?

During a webinar on selling Italian wine in the UK market, db quizzed two experts on their top tips for the next ‘big thing’ when it comes to whites from Italy – and the responses may surprise you.

Having established that it’s already Pinot Grigio that dominates when it comes to Italian white wine in UK supermarkets and restaurants, followed by Gavi DOCG – which uses the Cortese grape – the attention then turned to the potential phenomena of tomorrow.

Davide Rinaldi, who is head sommelier at Sexy Fish in Manchester, was the first to comment, and began by recording how one challenger to Pinot Grigio was Pecorino – “which went from nowhere to everywhere, then fizzled out”.

In its place, he continued, “I would personally love it if it was Vermentino,” before adding, “but the problem with Vermentino is that you have Liguria, you have Toscana, and you have Sardinia – and then Colli di Luni – which are four completely different styles of Vermentino, so that is too confusing to make it become the next one,” referring to an alternative to Pecorino or Pinot Grigio.

As a result, Rinaldi chose a different grape – which was Verdicchio. Speaking about the variety, which is most famously used in the Marche’s Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi DOC, he said it was ideal for the UK consumer. “It has the right level of fruitiness and, when it’s made in a refreshing style, it has apricot, it has honeydew, it has lemon, it has a good level of acidity, and offers itself to many gastronomic pairings… and it has a good price point, so Verdicchio could be the one.”

While he also said that “I love Greco di Tufo, it’s a little bit too full bodied, and I love Soave, but it is too expensive.”

The same could be said of Arneis, another white grape that Rinaldi felt could be bigger in the UK, but tends to come in at relatively high prices.

That was certainly the belief of the webinar’s other guest, who was Alex Canetti – not only an Italian wine specialist, but also director for off-trade sales at Berkmann Wine Cellars, ensuring the discussion included a view from the retail sector too.

“I’ve always liked Arneis, but I think it would just be too expensive [to go mainstream in the UK], but I totally agree with [Rinaldi’s view on] Verdicchio,” he said.

Looking back, Canetti said that hampering the potential for Verdicchio in the recent past was the collapse of the Marche’s largest cooperative, Terre Cortesi Moncaro, which was declared bankrupt in October last year, and had been the primary supplier of wines from this grape to UK supermarkets. Explaining the producer’s insolvency, Canetti said, “It sold Verdicchio too cheaply.”

However, he said that should a good level of quality be secured at the right price, then, “Verdicchio definitely has a big future”.

Meanwhile, he commented that “Vermentino still has legs, probably, from Sardinia,” before adding that another grape with potential is “Fiano from Puglia and, obviously where it comes from in Campania.”

Finally, he threw in a surprising concluding remark. “But the big one is rosé, and if Italy can get rosé right, then that would be just huge.”

In other words, Italy, while performing strongly in the UK with Pinot Grigio – along with Prosecco of course – has an opportunity to significantly expand its presence with other white grapes, above all Verdicchio.

And beyond that, the country could challenge France when it comes to rosé – or rather, take on Provence, which has become the UK’s go-to for pale, dry, pink wines.

But as to how Italy might do that – well, that’s another story, and one you can find out by listening to the webinar below.