5StarWines - the Book 2021

Italian wines? Neutral whites and tannic reds. Old prejudices die hard. Helping as Chief
Tasting Officer at 5StarWines & Wine Without Walls allows me to state that times have
changed. Approaching the tasting with my international education, I had great fun in
pinpointing grape variety and origin of hundreds of samples. Of course, judging is not
about that. However, the overall objective quality of a wine lays also in its expressivity
and sense of place. Then, the stylistic interpretation makes the greatness of a wine: is
it more terroir-driven or winemaking-focused? Both ways, quality can be equally high.
For that reason, we tend to re-taste the wines that feel a bit shy and understated,
often the ones that are most likely to flourish soon. One could say that those could
be the wines deemed to be ‘neutral whites’ back in the times. Not anymore. This is
the unparalleled greatness of Italy’s wine patrimony: huge diversity, yet clear signs
of distinctiveness. Sense of nerve, minerality and overall sustained freshness, with
Prosecco, Vermentino and Verdicchio leading the way. And the reds? This was the year
of the well-managed tannins: from the firm yet silky quality of Barolo to the plush and
juicy nature of Montepulciano. In conclusion, it has been a real pleasure to taste (and retaste)
through this edition of 5StarWines & Wine Without Walls. Even greater pleasure
is to realise that the Italian wine world is becoming more and more ‘agile’ even to the
eyes of international experts!
Gabriele Gorelli
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