The Best New Wines from Central Italy

Central Italy estates outside of Tuscany must often feel that they're stuck between a rock and a hard place.  While wine lovers the world over know and clamor for the great wines of Northern Italy (Barolo, Barbaresco, Amarone, Franciacorta sparklers, Friuli and Alto Adige whites, to name just a few), of Tuscany (various Chiantis, Brunello di Montalcino, Bolgheri, Supertuscans in general), and even those of Southern Italy, which are generally viewed as new and exciting (nero d'Avola, aglianico, nerello mascalese, fiano), those of Central Italy bring up the rear on most wish lists.  This is a real shame because Central Italy can be a treasure trove of great wines and top values too.

In fact, Central Italy has three aces up its wine sleeve:  it's where you'll find one of Italy's three best dry white wines (verdicchio), one of the most interesting of all recently rediscovered native grapes (pecorino), and a slew of user-friendly, inexpensive, delicious reds, the sheer number of which neither northern nor southern Italy can match.  Add to all that one of Italy's best rosato (rosé) wines, an impressive wave of young, energetic men and women now starting to run and modernize their family estates, Lambrusco (which when done right has virtually no direct competition in the wine world), and more ancient and native grapes than the locals know what to do with, and you realize producers from this part of Italy have no reason to feel like poor cousins.