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Fans of pinot grigio, the second-most-consumed white wine in North America, will surely know of Livio Felluga, possibly the most prestigious producer of white wine in Italy. The history of the Livio Felluga estate is well known not just to the people of Friuli Venezia Giulia but to all Italians and oenophiles.
Chianti is not Tuscany, and Tuscany is not Chianti. Chianti co-exists with other Tuscan wine regions that sometimes struggle to escape the shadow of their better-known sibling.
Calgary’s newest hotspot, D.O.P, in the former home of Bar Von Der Fels, seems to have respected the codes and customs of its namesake authority. The traditional fare of its downtown 1 Street SW address is distinguishable by its adherence to the exhilarating admixture of rusticity and gastronomic boldness.
While Luce plumbs the depth of the fruit each vintage, the second wine, Lucente (about $35 in Canada), is made in a more approachable and modern style.
In the 1970s, for example, some leading Tuscan producers rebelled against restrictive wine laws and began to make such wines as Ornellaia, Tignanello, and Sassicaia, whose quality quickly made them more expensive than any other Italian wines.
One of the noteworthy wineries in Italy’s northeastern Friuli region, by the border with Slovenia, is Vie di Romans. It’s best known for its fine white wines made both from international varieties and the local friulano grape.
Until two or three decades ago, Italian whites tended to be simple and unimpressive, but they have grown in stature and quality, the best now ranking with top contenders from around the world.
