Wine & Words

This refreshing white wine comes from the area around the hilltop town of Orvieto in the province of Umbria in the heart of Italy (about 100 miles from the epicenter of this week's earthquake...no word on how the wineries fared). Wine has been made in Orvieto since Etruscan times. The volcanic tufa soil has long been recognized as perfect for giving grapevines just the right amount of stress to bring out their sweet goodness.

The "abboccato" in the name means the wine is just off-dry, of about the same sweetness as the Vouvray we featured recently. But the Italian word "abbocare" mean "to bite," so we've also go a a nice bright crispness on the finish. The grape here is principally Trebbiano, Italy's most widely planted (and sometimes uninteresting) white grape. Here it is enriched with Malvasia Blanca, giving it a luscious fruit and flowers redolence that makes it most refreshing.

I'd pair this one with rich cheeses, cold salads...I think it might even go very well with our kicked up Shrimp & Grits.