European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 25, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Coming out italian wines show their stuff by Nancv Harmon Jenkins new York times there was a time within the memory of Many Over 40 americans when italian wine was something rough and red  came in a Straw covered flask and was served mostly in Spaghetti joints and pizza Parlours on the outskirts of College towns. In Hose Days you took the empty Bailie Back to dormitory room where Wilh .1 Candle stuck in its neck. It was a Symbol of Sophomore sophistication. No More. Italian wine has changed and so has its image if the most popular italian wines in the United slates tie still Friendly but undistinguished Jug wines like suave and reunite among wine connoisseurs there is a growing appreciation and interest in Bolli new and  Quality wines from Italy. More and More of these Fine wines ire finding their Way onto the wine lists of fancy stateside restaurants and into the bins of first me wine and liquor shops Ami the prospects for the future according to a number of importers Are Bright. American consumption of non Vintage malian wines has declined in recent months largely in response to the scandal of methanol contamination which in fact did not affect any italian wines imported to the United states and i to earlier problems with i ethylene glycol contamination. According to Ursula Ziegler editor of special reports or the wine investor a los Angeles based Trade newsletter consumption of All Low end generic wines Industry talk for Jug wines is Down the result of inroads made by wine coolers in that  in 19h5 Italy shipped 50.5 million Gallons of table wine to the United Stales 42 percent of that under Villa Banfi s Riu Nile Label Ziegler said. In comparison France shipped 27.6 million Gallons to the United   s Fine Premium wines Are doing very Well.1 Zie Jiler said that was confirmed by importers of Antinori.  a co Libuono and Villa Banfi Premium  Welcome As this flow of wine has been Lur italian producers in has left confusion in its Wake for american Consumers Many of whom Are still unfamiliar Wilh the wine producing areas the grape varieties and the changes in production methods that have taken place in Italy in recent years. Faced with ,1 wine list in Many italian restaurants where prices can Range from s10 to Well Over j100 a bottle the wary will Retreat in disorder Wilh a simple request for the House White or red to simplify matters think in terms of the major areas in Italy in which Fine wines Are produced for a tace Northwest particularly the Piedmont. Here the Nebiolo grape a late maturing Black variety with a Long history in the Piedmont is King. The Nebiolo is responsible for the big Tanc Long aging prestigious red wines barolo Sandbar Barloco longtime favourites of connoisseurs. It is also used to make other less Complex and less robust but nonetheless interesting wines like Nebiolo Hemme Shanna and Ca Linara. The native Dole Etlo grape makes softer reds usually with Dolcetto in the name while the Cortese grape makes cavi a Crisp and at us Best aristocratic ally dry White wine. Allan 11 cd. Y. I i Ulsan a u design by per Jaag this is still one of the most old fashioned wine Makini areas of Italy. If you be got something As Good As this Many piedmontese wine makers apparently believe Why tinker Wilh it Yel some of the most respected producers in the Piedmont like Angelo Caja and marches digress Are Experiment ing with cabernets and chardonnays. And to the horror of traditionalists some producers of Nebiolo wines Are turning to Shorter fermentation times and lower fermentation temperature As Well As to briefer aging changing the very Way in which the great wines have Long been made. Tbs Northeast including Trentino Alto adige Friuli Vemuru Ciuti Jurf tile Venlo. According to Burton Anderson an american who lives in Tuscany and is recognized As one of the world s leading experts in  wine the Northeast is technologically the most advanced of Italy s wine producing areas. Medium bodied reds like Valpo Kella and , Long known and appreciated As Bolh Jug ind Premium wines As Well As cabernets and Merlos have been joined in recent years by Crisp fresh whiles Pinnt Grigos locals Pinna Blancos Sauvignon ind the native Trainer All of Zhuni popular in the United states. , in Hie Nenoto Region is also the Home of Mamne one of those big Long aging italian reds thai until very recently were ,1 Well kept secret shared Only by .1 few connoisseurs outside Italy. I Ike . Barbaresso and Tuscany s brunello i  am Rune i not to everyone s taste. Powerful Complex and austere it is most definitely a wine for thoughtful appreciation nil her than casual , Tuscany is also a Center of experimenting with new  of aging wine holding in in Small. 225-liter barrels known is Barri Nues of new Wood rather than in the traditional old  casks wines mature More i quickly in  and Al their Best have a Youthful ire Sling is and suppleness Hal pleases modern a Larrv 1 in Loo and in neighbouring us Luria Many Gin-ati., like Giorgio Lungarelli Al Sorgiano outside i Erugia ind the Kul finn estates in Tuscany Are Lii Kimi Inu to produce alluring chardonnays often aged in . A number of Alliese new wines will be i Vinink Mil ill the Neil year or so according to Luicci. Till South. Southern Italy  behind the North in wine nol in wine production however for this hut Region  always produced vast quantities for Forvil Ying into blending with weaker wines of the North. Still Liuro Are notable wines grown South of Rume Greco i 1 ii u and Fiano i Avellino from Campania the area Arinin Naples Are Whites with a bouquet and flavor often missing in the crisper Northern wines. In Sicily where the while and red Corvo wines have been fashioned for the american Market the  reds and Whites Are also distinguished. The late maturing Agli Anico grape makes Campania s Taurasi As Well As Agli Anico Del vulture grown on High Altitude Cool climate slopes in southernmost Basilicata. Both of these lesser known wines Are ranked by Anderson among Italy s great reds. Although the changes that have taken place in italian wine production have created less excitement in the South than elsewhere in the country in seems Hal time May Well find More Southern wine makers joining their Northern colleagues and turning to new types of vines and new methods of vilification. Why All these changes according to Anderson the consumer has shaped the Market. Modern tastes demand balanced wines that can be drunk Young he said on a recent visit to new York where he often conducts wine tastings for the italian Trade commission. People have Learned thai from  irptember2s, 19k us put Oulu let 5