No longer confined to Italy’s most vaunted regions for quality wines, sommeliers are stretching the boundaries of traditional offerings, turning to indigenous grapes and previously unknown regions to refresh their lists. And, happily for lovers of Italian cuisine, such native wines are finding their way into the upper tiers of dining in the United States.
“Nine years ago, we focused on Atlanta trends,” says Clarke Anderson, a sommelier at St. Cecilia, in the city’s stylish Buckhead neighborhood, noting those preferences favored the classics from Piedmont and Tuscany, along with “the elegant and refined nature of Nebbiolo and wines that are high-toned red fruit without heavy oak influence.”
