Italian Faves

By Al Spoler

Published December 10, 2025 at 5:30 PM EST

White Italian wine from the Marche wine region of Offida made from the Pecorino grape. Agne27, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons — White Italian wine from the Marche wine region of Offida made from the Pecorino grape.

Italian wines have become big favorites on Cellar Notes, and Hugh has a bunch of new favorites to discuss.

Price key:
$=less than $20
$$= $20-40
$$$=$40-60
$$$$=above $60

Quality key:
* = decent wine
** = very good wine
*** = superb wine
****= elite
VALUE = exceptional quality for the money

Indigenous Toscana Sangiovese Rosso IGT **1/2 $ VALUE
(A dark, powerful sangiovese with depth and flavor, still tannic)

Cottanera “Barbazalle” Cataratto white, Sicily ’22 ** $
(Unique grape from Sicily, very reminiscent of viognier)

WINE OF THE WEEK

Goretti “Il Moggio” Grechetto, Umbria **1/2 $$
(A good Saturday night dinner white, with complexity and class)

All of these wines can be purchased at Wells Discount Liquors.

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Al Spoler

Al Spoler, well known to WYPR listeners as the wine-loving co-host of "Cellar Notes" has had a long-standing parallel interest in cooking as well. Al has said, the moment he started getting serious about Sunday night dinners was the same moment he started getting serious about wine. Over the years, he has benefited greatly from being a member of the Cork and Fork Society of Baltimore, a gentlemen's dining club that serves black tie meals cooked by the members themselves who are some of Baltimore's most accomplished amateur cooks.

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