Vin blanc d'Italie du Sud

Italy is responsible for some of the finest wines in the world, and while Northern Italy receives the majority of the plaudits, there is some excellent wine emerging from the sparsely populated southern regions. Fiano and Greco are the two big white varietals in Campania and Basilicata, while Sicily has become known for their Bianco d'Alcamo, a dry wine made from the Marsala grape. Southern Italy's reputation has taken a beating in recent years as they have become known for producing bulk wine that they can't sell, and the reputation seems to endure despite some lovely wine coming from Sicily, Campania and Basilicata. Fiano tends to be a wonderfully creamy white wine with lots of green apple skin and pear. Greco, arguably Campania's flagship white grape, is a lot crisper, and typically has an abundance of minerality, lemon notes and pear. The white wine of Southern Italy pairs extremely well with the creamy regional cuisine, as well as with some freshly caught fish or shellfish.