Conversation is so often sparked by good company. But an even better prompt can come in the form of remarkable wines, ones that tell the narrative of where they’re made. And with the holidays just around the bend, we figured it’s the perfect time to speak to some of the very best wines—ones that not only enhance great meals but speak eloquently for themselves.
Ryan Fletter is the owner and sommelier at Denver’s Barolo Grill. The longstanding northern Italian restaurant features one of the most impressive wine lists you’re likely to come across. Best, Fletter is genuinely fascinated with the craft, glowing like a kid on Christmas at the thought of cool Old World varietals or turning customers on to something they’ve never tried.
Naturally, he seemed like an ideal person to chat up as we head into holiday gatherings. He offered not only some cool Italian styles, spanning the lesser known to iconic, but even a non-wine option to kick things off.
Beer to cider to wine
At least that’s one route you could go. After all, a well-made cider is about as autumnal as it gets, a celebration of the season and a nice food-friendly option for your holiday dinner or snack table. And, as Fletter points out, they won’t fill you up. “I have found that my almost limitless and ageless beer-drinking self of the past has made a turn to a much more limited beer-drinking present as I now age, and I have turned more into cider drinking,” he says. “I discovered Virtue Cider makes a Golden Russet cider locally from Michigan apples that is dry, tart like green apples, great for a pale ale-drinking beer person looking to make the leap or ‘hop’ over to fruit-fermented beverages.”
He adds that it’s a nice gateway to wine drinking and that one could drink a fair amount without feeling “beer-battered,” as he says. “These are local Michigan apples, and only fresh juice is used. It’s a real artisanal production made in America,” he says.
Do you like Italian wine?
“I feel like this is a great question that opens up everyone who has visited Tuscany to Rome,” Fletter says. “Someone will say ‘Valpolicella’ or ‘Chianti’ pretty quickly, and we’re off to chatting about fun Italian conversations from there on out!”
But Fletter thinks Brunello should be in the mix. “Brunello di Montalcino is a wine region south of Siena, and so many incredible experiences are intertwined within its Tuscan borders. Argiano makes Rosso di Montalcino and Brunello di Montalcino, which are majestic examples of Sangiovese; great conversations about Florence or Siena should sprout from here.”
Malbec, Cab, or Sagrantino
A true steward of Italian wines, Fletter is quick to offer cool Italian alternatives to other popular, widely-known offerings. “With all the endless Cabernet and Malbec choices flooding the market, how about Sagrantino anyone? This is such a cool grape from Umbria, which is quite famous for olive oil, truffles, and great chocolate, as well as a grape variety that big wine drinkers of Malbec and Cabernet-fisted drinkers would also love,” he says.
But which to enjoy? “Arnaldo Caprai is widely revered as the producer to help bring the big tannic and dark-skinned grape variety of Sagrantino back into small commercial production from almost extinction,” he says. “Chatting about Sagrantino brings up St. Francis of Assisi, Cappuccino (which gets its name from the Capuchin monks of Umbria), or who wants to go to the hilltown of Orvieto, perhaps!”
Nebbiolo, Barolo, Barbaresco
“I might be partial, but any life worth living needs to include the grape variety Nebbiolo for us wine drinkers,” he says. “Nebbiolo is the grape of grapes, tart at times, big and voluptuous at times. It can be young and fresh with cherry compote or more mature and taste like mushrooms and truffles. It can be dried plums with anise and Christmas spice or the cigar at the table with all of its tobacco and rustic flavors.”
Fletter suggests Domenico Clerico for a Barolo with dense fruit and balanced tannins. “This is a crowd-pleasing Barolo that always delivers impressive flavor and body. If you bring a wine from Clerico into the party, it will speak for you,” he says.
Taurasi, Fiano, and Naples
Where there’s great scenery, there’s often remarkable wine. “One of my favorite trips to Italy was sightseeing around the Amalfi Coast, driving along the stunning coastal roadways and visiting the seaside towns near Naples and the great Mount Vesuvius,” Fletter says. “This volcanic soil produces incredibly interesting wines, both white and red.”
A few varietals come to mind. “Fiano and Greco are the flinty and minerally white wines of the area, and the grape Aglianico is the king for big red wines of Taurasi, the bold red wine region most famous in the south,” he says. “Feudi di San Gregorio makes a great red Taurasi wine from the Aglianico grape that drinks like Barolo or Brunello of the south.”
And if you want to shake it up and go with a cocktail, that would fit the coastal Italian script too. “Of course, with all the enormously large and sweet lemon trellises bountifully planted along the steep cliff sides, the local limoncello is made here near Sorrento, and a great conversation or discussion is waiting to happen about bufala mozzarella and ‘caprese’, all surrounded and wrapped around the great pizza region of Napoli,” he says.
With the above knowledge, you’re bound to start some narratives and turn some heads this holiday season. While we’re on topic, check out our features on great volcanic wines as well as a brief Italian wine label guide. Here’s to memorable meals.
