Lesser known wines of Italy

Italy is mostly known for its big three grapes: Sangiovese, Nebbiolo, and Barbera. Sangiovese takes the top spot of most planted varietal at just over 10%. Nebbiolo, even though it’s the underlying grape for Langhe Rosso, Barbaresco and Barolo, doesn’t even make the top 20. How can that be? Because Italy has over 600 native wine varietals.* And while some are obscure and others are an acquired taste, there are lots of grapes that make great wines which are overlooked. 
 
Red grapes like Ruché, Aglianico and Refosco pair perfectly with steak or Bolognese. Varietals like Friulano, Ribolla Gialla, Carricante, and Fiano make soft white wines with floral aromas and delicate fruit flavors and are perfect for summer. 

*Estimates vary, with some ranging upwards of 2,000, but Italy’s Ministry of Agriculture recently put the official number of native wine grapes at 605.