Undiscovered Italy

I was in the Ebury the other day when I was struck by the number of Italian wines on the wine list. The Ebury, for those who don't know it, is the new restaurant and bar in London's Pimlico Road from Tom Etridge (the Wells in Hampstead et al). The food is smart French country, with a dollop of pesto here, and a sprinkling of gremolata there, courtesy of ex-Fat Duck chef Derek Creagh.

My point is it's the kind of place you expect to see a cross-section of wines from all over the world - yet Italy dominates. "It's because we feel that Italy produces great food wines," declares restaurant manager-cum-sommelier Ian Milhofer, revealing that his all-time favourite steak wine is Chianti (the 2001 Fonterutoli).

Do I spy a trend? Are non-Italian restaurants finally giving Italian wine the space it deserves? The answer is yes. "And about time too," says our guest editor Oliver Peyton, who has always championed the country's wines in his restaurants and bars.

Italy is on a roll. In just one decade it has gone from being one of the world's under-performers to a country that is exciting wine buyers the world over. The best now rival the top growths in Bordeaux and exports are stronger than ever. It has an intriguing line-up of indigenous varieties, is showing a real drive towards quality and there's a new, dynamic generation of winemakers - some of whom shun the restrictions of the DOC and go it alone, with exciting results.

And who ever thought Soave could produce one of the world's great white wines? But if you've tried Soave from producers such as Pieropan, Anselmi or Inama, then you'll know what I'm talking about. Mix in some fabulous vintages across the country (OK, so 2002 was a little tricky) and you've really got something to shout about.

And just to confirm my suspicions, I caught up with Aussie sommelier Matt Skinner at the impossibly fashionable Fifteen restaurant in London's Hoxton, where Italian wines account for a large chunk of the wine list.

"Italian wine listings are steadily increasing around town, thanks to a handful of quality-driven wholesalers," observes Skinner. "It inspires confidence in restaurant wine buyers who might otherwise find Italian wine a bit daunting."

We pretty much know our way around the French wine regions - even Spain, but Italy? "So many world-class Italian producers are readily available in the marketplace, but still supermarket shelves continue to be filled with mass produced co-operative crap," Skinner says, with typical Aussie bluntness.

"People find Italy so confusing, they just don't engage," agrees wine consultant and Master of Wine Peter McCombie. "While the trade is still split between Italian and non-Italian restaurants, the work of suppliers such as Enotria and Liberty Wines are beginning to pay off, transcending the divide."

So what is the situation in Italian wine heartland - the Italian restaurant? Have customers moved on beyond Pinot Grigio? "It's happening," says Luciana Girotto, the wine buyer and group sommelier for the nine-strong Etrusca Group of Italian restaurants. "If left alone, customers will still choose either that or Chianti. But what I'm finding is that more and more customers are open to suggestions."

Girotto believes that part of the problem was that suppliers just weren't bringing in the good stuff. "Five years ago you couldn't find a decent Italian wine on the high street. It was difficult persuading people to spend money on Italian wines, but things are changing."

Scary price hikes on certain bottles (and you know who you are) in recent years didn't exactly help matters either. But according to leading Italian wine guide Gambero Rosso, the era for high prices for premium bottles is over. "Those who fondly imagine they can continue to sell Barolos or Supertuscans at the cellar door for more than g40 euros (£28) may be in for a nasty surprise," predicts Daniele Cernilli, co-editor of the 2003 guide.

So what is it, exactly, that is winning us over? "I think Italy is the most exciting country in the world in terms of range and value," McCombie suggests. "Although part of the excitement is because it's still unknown to many people."

"There is a near endless array of aroma, flavour and texture capable of matching an equally enormous range of food styles," adds Skinner, who reveals that his favourite Italian wine region is Piedmont.

"Nowhere else does the idea of regionalism seem to ring for me as clearly. Loads of small producers, many of who are still family operated, coupled with some of the most amazing food you will ever eat make for some pretty sensational experiences. I love Burgundy for the same reasons, and I think the two regions share quite a lot in common - not to mention Pinot Noir and Nebbiolo," Skinner says. He is also excited by the wines coming out of southern Italy - Puglia, Sicily and Sardinia particularly, highlighting producers such as Planeta, A Mano and Villa Tonino

Girotto is keen on Puglia, Sicily and Sardinia too, and also likes the wines coming out of the Trentino, in Italy's north-east. "I love the Tokai from there," she says. "And they make these delicious, dry reds from a variety called Nosiola."

So next time you blindly reach for a bland bottle of Pinot Grigio, just remember there's an exciting new world of Italian wine out there. Try the likes of Ca dei Frati's Lugana, Bosco del Merlo's Tocai or Planeta's La Segreta and prepare to be excited.

Hot spot

The Maremma

There has been a flurry of vine-friendly land purchasing going on in the Maremma, with big names such as Antinori, Zonin and Frescobaldi snapping up acreage. Where is it? The vineyards can be found on the gentle hills of Tuscany's coastal plain from Pisa south to Grosseto. The most fought-over land is around Bolgheri, a DOC created in 1994, but land is running out, so interest has spread to the likes of Montescudaio and Piombino. Why the excitement? The climate is more predictable than the Chianti zone and ideal for international varieties such as Cabernet, Merlot and Syrah. Hot estates here include Petra, La Regola, Gualdo del Re and Ca' Marcanda - the hottest of them all, owned by the Prince of Piedmont, Angelo Gaja.

Hot list

• Allegrini (Veneto)

• Pieropan (Veneto)

• Cusumano (Sicily)

• Di Majo Norante (Molise)

• Feudi di San Gregorio (Campania)

• Le Pupille (Tuscany)

• Librandi (Calabria)

• Petrolo (Tuscany)

• Tenuta San Donaci (Puglia)

• Setti Ponti (Tuscany)

• Foradori (Trentino)

• Planeta (Sicily)

• Vietti (Piedmont)

• Brancaia (Tuscany)

• Azienda Agricola Zuani (Friuli Venezia Giulia)

• Casa Vinicola Zonin (national line-up)

• Maso Besler (Trentino)

• Fattoria di Fiano (Tuscany)

• Roccolo Grassi (Veneto)

• Librandi (Calabria)

• Azienda Agricola Bucci (Marches)

• Tenuta la Querce (Baslicata)

To read: Gambero Rosso 2003 Italian Wines (Grub Street, £17.99), Brunello to Zibibbo Nicolas Belfrage (Mitchell Beazley, £20), Barolo to Valpolicella Nicolas Belfrage (Mitchell Beazley, £20)

Suppliers

Ten wine suppliers with great Italian lists:

Alivini 020 8880 2526, Astrum 020 8870 5252, Ballantynes of Cowbridge 01446 774840, Berkmann Wine Cellars 020 7609 4711, Bibendum Wine 020 7449 4100, Enotria Winecellars 020 8961 4411, Justerini & Brooks 020 7484 6400,
Lea & Sandeman 020 7244 0522, Liberty Wines 020 7720 5350, Mille Gusti 020 8997 3932

Ten to try

White

• Zuani Vigne Collio Bianco 2002 Ballantynes

• Colli di Lapio Fiano di Avellino Clelia Romano 2002 Enotria

• Olivar IGT Vigneti delle Dolomiti Cesconi Liberty

• "Ciampagnis Vieris" Chardonnay, Vie di Romans 2000 Liberty

Red

• Anticaia Rosso del Salento, San Donaci 2000 Lea & Sandeman

• Cepparello VDT Toscana, Isole e Olena 2000 Liberty

• Il Carbonaione IGT Alta Valle della Greve, Podere Poggio Scalette 2000 Mille Gusti

• Barolo "Rocche", Parusso 1999 Enotria

• Turriga, Argiolas 1997 Eurowines (020 8747 2100)

Dessert

• Vin Santo, Isole e Olena 1997 Liberty