A couple of fun Italian wines for summer

At the risk of coming across as being a paid-up member of the Waitrose Appreciation Society I find myself once again singing the praises of a couple of new wines from the Waitrose wine aisle.  My apparent bias is probably due to the proximity of a decent branch of Waitrose 2 mins from our front door but I still take my hat off to their buyers for sourcing two fascinating new red wines that should be on the radar of any adventurous wine drinker with a penchant for the Bel Paese.  And if you need a further incentive to branch out and give them a try they are both discounted for the rest of July.

Venturina Freisa d'Asti 2022 (£9.99 discounted to £7.49 until 1st August) 

The aromas of summer - roses, raspberries, and possibly strawberries are the first impression when you pour this wine and in the mouth it is fruity and smooth.  It is made from 100% Freisa, a traditional grape variety from the province of Asti in Piedmont and although plantings are increasingly losing out to the popularity of the likes of Nebbiolo and Barbera it nevertheless hits the spot as a floral and juicy glass of wine.  This bottle is a dry wine although Freisa is also used in the region to produce amabile (sweet), frizzante and spumante wines.  A recent Decanter review calls it "...the perfect red to sit outside with on a balmy summer's evening" and like many light to medium bodied wines, it would probably benefit from a little chilling. 

Santa Tresa Frappato 'Rina Russa' 2022 (£10.99 discounted to £8.99 until 1st August)

By way of contrast this second wine comes from the SE of Sicily, about 1500km and as far as you can travel in Italy south from Asti. Whereas Freisa is native to Piedmont Frappato is pretty much limited to Sicily where it has traditionally been used in blends. But there is growing scope for single varietal Frappatos such as this bottle which are characteristically light-bodied and fruity, a profile leading to frequent comparisons with Beaujolais.  Perhaps these same features also suggest similarities with the Freisa d'Asti too?  However, one immediate difference is how pale the wine is which rather confounds expectations for a wine from southern Italy.  It has a pronounced aroma of summer berry fruits and more than a hint of sweet strawberries in the mouth.  And yet it is a dry wine, the sweetness merely a reflection of the inherent fruitiness of the grape.  A lot is made of the fact that this wine makes an ideal accompaniment to locally caught tuna and swordfish in Sicily but being a vibrant, fresh and unpretentious wine it would go equally with the humble pizza.  But, in any case why worry about matching with food?  This is another red "to sit out with on a balmy summer's evening".