Time to Chill With Some Other Whites

It’s hot in New Jersey! It actually feels like summer! Time to bust out the white wines. But I also want to expand my palate and my knowledge a little bit, and not rely on the same go-to grapes. There's a whole world out there beyond chardonnay and riesling, and we should drink it all.

First up, pecorello. It's an Italian white grape grown primarily in Calabria, right around the toe of the boot that is the map of Italy. (Man, aren’t Italy lucky that they have this perfect easy-to-refer-to visually attractive country border? Give it up for the Earth’s crust!)

I bought this as part of my “let's buy a bunch of wines from regions I don't know as well” kick back in April, from Princeton Corkscrew. I paid $18 for my bottle of 2018 Ippolito 1845 Pecorello Calabria IGT. Check out this article on TuscanyUmbria.com for a long discussion about what IGT means in Italian wine vs DOC and DOCG.

Look at that color, huh! Gorgeous sunny and straw-colored. It was a little grassy on the nose, and nice green melon on the palate. This feels softer and not very tart, almost heading into medium body territory. I had it with my nice cold chicken and kale salad with chickpeas, pine nuts, carrot curls, and a honey poppyseed dressing, and it went great!

Sorry about all the crap on the table, but you gotta admit: that's a pretty salad.

I’ll try to highlight some other lesser known grapes as we chug on through the summer. I've got a couple neat things I picked up at William Heritage last week I want to share with you! If you've got any questions or interested in anything specific, hit me up!