A beautiful Italian white wine from Abazzia di Novacella, a winery founded in 1142 (and still run today) by the Augustinian order of monks who toil with 100 lay workers in the Isarco Valley of Alto Adige; located a short distance south of the Brenner Pass and the Austrian border. The winery is Italy's northernmost and specializes in cool-climate whites, many of which are grapes of Germanic origin. The 2008 Kerner is 100% Kerner, a grape origianted as a cross between a Trollinger and a Reisling. Sparkling pale gold in color. Citrus fruit nose. Full, silky body. Fermented and aged in stainless steel. Crisp and delicious. Synthetic cork. Hock bottle. For those of you who are wondering, the photo is of former Illinois Governor Otto Kerner, who was the first of three (pretty soon four) Illinois governors to be convicted of Federal criminal charges.

A good-enough Tuscan red from the Vecchia Cantina Cooperative, a large producer in the Poliziana region of southern Tuscany. Purchased on the cheap from Trader Joe's, a store that is by no means my "go-to" place for wine, but since we are there several times a week, it's convenient. According to the laws of of the DOCG (if you mix-up the letters it spells God; with a "C" for Christianity!) a wine has to have at least 70% Sangiovese and no more than 20% Canaiolo Nero to be designated as a Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. (if you mix up these letters, I'm not sure what the hell you get.) Incanto's incarnation (clever? I thinks so) is a blend of 78% Sangiovese, 20% Canaiolo Nero, and 2% Mammolo. Haunting dark red color; decent cherry/stone fruit nose. Medium to full body. Nice acidity, but with some rough tannins. Needs food to be enjoyed. Cute image of a hedgehog on the label. Not enough hedgehog imagery in the wine world in my opinion.

A delicious summer white from Teruzzi & Puthod, a Tuscan winery owned by global branded beverage industry titan Gruppo Campari, whose 40 brands like Wild Turkey, Skyy vodka, Cinzano are distributed in over 190 countries worldwide. Founded in 1974, the winery has over 90 hectares under vine and produces more than a million bottles of wine a year. Their Terre di tufi is a blend of 80% Vernaccia, 7% Chardonnay, 7% Malvasia, and 6% Vermentino. Brilliant straw yellow in color with a fresh nose of apples - pine and otherwise. Synthetic cork.

Thanks to an "All-Access" backstage pass that was granted to Hollywood insider, The Italian Cellar, we were afforded an opportunity to briefly speak with season nine American Idol winner Lee Dewyze after his upset victory last night:

Damijan Ribolla Gialla 2002 made me change the way I look at white wine, and the first time I had Quintarelli Amarone I knew I’d never tasted anything even close to that before. However I have to say that the wine that did it for me, that truly made me realize that I love wine was Bartolo Mascarello’s 1989 Barolo (out of a magnum). Like the Quintarelli it possessed layers and depth that I could draw few comparisons to, and definitely had the "what was that?" impact on me. However the one thing that made this one truly stand out was it’s elegance. To this day if you asked me to describe my idea of “elegance” I would have to say that that wine is an example that I would use.

Well, prior to Idol, I was in Piemonte, so how could I not mention white truffles on Tajarin with aged Barolo. But there is also something to be said about the simplicity of a white like Verdicchio from Le Marche (look for Sartarelli) that work their magic with the seafood of the Adriatic on a summer day. The zing and citrus nuances bring just about any fish back to life - no sauces needed here - just some grilled fish and lemon. A Rosso di Montalcino with some pici topped with wild boar ragu is also a nice, simple classic pair.

He was very gracious indeed.

It was my pleasure.

Some 30 years ago, winemaker Emilio Bulfon rediscovered and replanted several ancient native Friulian grape varieties in the hills of the province of Pordenone in western Friuli. Today, Bulfon produces wines exclusively from these ancient grapes. While I have enjoyed Bulfon's single varietals (especially the whites), his Pecol Ros, a kitchen-sink blend of 35% Piculit Neri, 35% Refosco del Peduncolo Rosso, 15%, Forgiarin, and 15% Cianorie is a disconnected mess. Deep ruby-red color. Minty, peppery, blackberry fruit nose. Not particularly well balanced. Fiery finish. 14% alcohol. As a side note, each of Bulfon's wines are adorned with a different color label designed by Bulfon that depict a detail of a medieval fresco of the last supper found on a wall of a local church.

A terrific Italian white wine from master winemaker Silvio Jermann, whose 100 year old family winery is known for the character and varietal correctness of their wines. The 2006 Vinnae is a blend of 90% Ribolla Gialla and 10% Tocai and Riesling. Bright straw-yellow in color. Beautiful fruity nose. A small portion of the blend is aged in oak barrels for six months to give the wine some added weight. Prior to bottling, the oak-aged wine is incorporated with the rest of the wine that was aged in stainless steel. The Ribolla grape is high in acid, making it great match with a variety of foods. Terrific balance.