Italian Wines 2016

This my ongoing “go-to” reference for good Italian wineries and specific wines. I’ve been getting the guide every year for about 10 years, and generally keep three years’ worth around for reference and to track individual wineries’ progress. I wouldn’t be without it.The 60-person staff at Gambero Rosso meticulously tastes many thousands of Italian wines each year and write their reviews afresh. Part of the value for me is being able to identify which wineries are truly improving and which are either merely holding their own or are starting to drift. There’s also usually some overall commentary on what is changing in the Italian wine industry, as well as something similar for each region.The guide is organized by region, and then alphabetically by winery name. I think most users will be drawn first and foremost to their ratings, which are very simple, and captured in wine glasses (bicchieri). Wines which Gambero Rosso recommends receive one glass (un bicchiere); Thus, even to get into the book is a signal of accomplishment. Two glasses (due bicchieri) reflect wines that are best expressions of the territory in which they’re made; three glasses (tre bicchieri) go to great wines that are universally recognized as symbols of Italian winemaking excellence.However, the guide also is increasingly informative on many aspects of the winery and wine, including production volume, price ranges, type of production (i.e., conventional, organic, biodynamic, etc.) and something of the recent past assessments. GR’s recent emphasis on those wineries using strict sustainability criteria also is reflected in the guide.No guide based on human assessment is ever going to be completely objective. However the Gambero Rosso staff is as close to the ground as is possible for something covering this diverse an undertaking. I have generally found them to be as objective as they claim. There clearly is a wine aristocracy in Italy based on certain regions and certain growers; this can’t be ignored, and the Guide usually acknowledges who continues to set the highest standards. However, even the paragons of past years don’t appear to get to rest on their laurels if a given years’ submissions are not up to previous accomplishments. This will be reflected not only in the comments provided by reviewers, but also in the ratings.However, I can attest to the fact that the Italian wines which are awarded Tre Bicchieri are very, very good, and are truly worth seeking out, justifying the outlay for this book each year. In conjunction with the release of the guide, Gambero Rosso tours the world along with a fortunate selection of those winemakers whose wine have received Tre Bicchieri that year. Members of the local wine trade (importers, distributors, merchants and restauranteurs) can thus taste these wines firsthand. Having been to five of these annual events in the U.S., I can tell say you the reviewers have done a great job picking the summit of current Italian winemaking.

This is THE Bible for Italian wines. Problem WAS that you had to carry the monster with you when shopping. Not a problem if you're browsing online, but a real pain in restaurants in Italy. Now you can just download this beauty to your tablet and have it at your fingertips. Easy to search, too.

Excellent book on Italian wines.

This authoritative guide on wineries and their wines has been a key reference for me whenever I come across a wine that I am not familiar with. Informative, concise and easy to navigate the pages on Kindle version.

Awesome reference. Will get the 2017 when it comes out.

Fun Read for Italian wine Lovers

I have been buying this guide for about the last six years. It is still an excellent reference guide for fine Italian wines. The book is organized by wine region from North to South. There is an index at the back to easily find a producer's listing.The primary producers in a region get a half-page listing that describes the winery and wines and lists ratings for new releases that were submitted for review. These are very informative although it helps to read carefully and think about your priorities versus the writers. For example, they seem to value a wine that shows well early. If you tend to age wines before drinking then how it shows at release may be of less interest to you. Secondary wineries in the region get a shorter listing at the end of the region's section.There are very useful vintage charts for different wine regions - the most detailed I've ever seen - and also summary listings of 'best' wines.I gave four stars this year instead of five. Two related reasons: (1) The first two producers I looked up - two extremely prominent and famous Veneto producers - are not listed whereas they have been in previous editions. (2) There is a contact email address in the book. I sent an email asking about item (1). No response at all. That is not very customer/reader friendly.

This is an excellent guide to Italian wine.When ordering wines from a merchant, I've found this book a valuable and reliable indicator of what to go for.It's detailed, informative, knowledgeable and appears impartial and independent of the producers.It covers everything from a £5 bottle of Prosecco to a £50 Brunello, and indicates what is good value, not just what is best.Invaluable as a guide, but also an interesting book to dip into and discover more about Italian wine.It's not clear from the cover, but this is quite a substantial tome and infinitely more detailed than pocket guides such as Johnson. This is a serious bit of research!I'd have given it 5 stars, but I must say that the index is less than brilliant. I found the regional index hard to master - maybe something has got lost in translation?

Highly opinionated incomplete guide to Italian wines in a smaller format than older versions...Gambero Rossos problems are many, starting with the stupid name...Their testers are all over the place, and being Italian perhaps subject to influences not in the consumers best interests...however, this incredibly influential guide book is a MUST for wine collectors, just do not put your full faith in it ... A tool, along with 2,000 Mille Vini, and WINE SPECTATOR....

Pour moi, qui boit peu mais qui aime les vins du sud - où je réside - et en particulier les vins italiens, ce guide est trop complet et trop compliqué à consulter. Ce n'est pas un ouvrage pour les amateurs occasionnels mais plutôt pour les passionnés et les œnologues.