So Italian wine is a little, err… different.  Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not comparing them to my mom’s favorite asparagus recipes (love you, mom!) but there’s no denying that Italian wine-making often times accomplishes a different set of goals than California wine-making.  For those that don’t know, Italian, as well as most European wines- French wine especially, are known for higher acids and less alcohol, but just as much- more earthy flavors as opposed to fruity flavors, as well as less body than American wines.  These attributes have always been ascribed as positive characteristics if you enjoy the style, because they develop wines that age well and compare to American wines in flavor much the same way coffee does to fruit juice.  (Ok, that’s not really fair, cuz I love coffee WAY more than fruit juice)

I always figured this was because French and Italian winemakers just have different goals than we Americans.  Sommeliers definitely seem to.  They go nuts over wild yeast smells and other “old world” smells.  I figured someday I’d have to make a trip to Europe and see how the old-school of wine does it.  But then I moved to Australia, and I met Edoardo and Niccolo.

I have to say, I love these guys, they are intensely passionate about what they do, are deeply compassionate, love gastronomy, are kind, giving and so endearingly Italian their accents would embarrass a Super Mario.  As interesting as they are culturally, they are both talented and brilliant Italian wine-makers.  Edoardo is the most outspoken of the group, and when we started talking about our different wine-making philosophy, something he is not shy about, I expected it to be like something out of one a mid-90’s Jackie Chan film, a humorous mis-match of characters.  (I also like to imagine that we would fight crime together)  But what surprised me, actually, what shocked me, was how similar we were.

This is what it feels like I every time I come over.  It’s AWESOME!  The guys are great hosts.

So far, Eduardo, Niccolo and I have gotten together and exchanged meals from our home countries, they’ve made traditional Italian dishes, and I’ve made, well, hot dogs.  This week it’s burgers.  We’ve sat and we’ve talked wine.  It’s amazing to me how the Italian palate likes the gentle fruitiness of plums and berries of Shiraz as much if not more than I do, and that they are more forgiving of prominent alcohol than I am (that really surprised me) and so far, we’ve liked the same wines.  I’ve also noticed that all that wine funk that we American winemakers look at in disgust (such as sulfur off-flavors, spoilage yeast and oxidation) they look on with equal disgust.  When talking about Brettanomyces, Edoardo wrinkles his nose, sneers, and shakes his head a lot, a much more honest version of what I would say about the same thing.

The one difference that I have noticed between them and myself is a taste for acid.  As an American wine-maker, the primary goal of acid use is just to make sure you don’t confuse my wine with grape-juice.   For them, however, it is a mandatory necessity, and they seem to enjoy it flavor-wise.  Having your acid right makes the process of wine-making go a lot easier, but American wine-makers seem more willing to wrestle with the problems of lower acids than do the Italians (and the Australians, for that matter).  I think what I’ve probably learned here is that the Italian palate is very open-minded, that fruity smells are every much as enjoyable to the Italian winemaker as is a dark, earthy red.  Also, I would guess that there is a relationship between the open-minded-ness towards acid and a different perception of wines that some Americans might find austere.  There may be less need for fruit and the “sweetness” derived from higher alcohols, high levels of oak and other natural poly-saccharides (scary word!  just means stuff it the grape that gives sweet taste) when you have more of a appreciation for acid.

Maybe next time I see them (hopefully soon!) we should have a toast to acid!