There is a moment I see almost every night at MaMeMi. Someone opens our wine list, sees hundreds of Italian names they do not recognise, and their eyes go slightly wide.
Then they close it and say, “Can you just pick something?”
Which is completely fine. That is what Danilo is there for and he loves doing it. But I also think there is something genuinely enjoyable about being able to read a wine list yourself, understand what you are looking at, and make a choice that feels like yours.
So let me teach you how to read an Italian wine list. It is easier than it looks, because Italian labels follow a logic once you know what it is.
The Four Things Every Italian Wine Tells You
Almost every Italian wine on a list will give you some combination of four pieces of information.
- The producer. The name of the person or family who made it.
- The place. The region, subregion, or specific vineyard.
- The grape. What it is made from.
- The classification. DOCG, DOC, IGT, or Vino da Tavola.
The confusing part is that Italian wines are named inconsistently. Some are named after the grape. Some after the place. Some after both. Some after neither.
Let me show you how to tell which is which.
Wines Named After the Place
This is the traditional Italian approach and it is the most common for the classic regions.
Barolo is a place in Piedmont. The grape is Nebbiolo, but the label may not say so.
Chianti Classico is a place in Tuscany. The grape is mostly Sangiovese.
Brunello di Montalcino is a place. The grape is Sangiovese Grosso.
Soave is a place in Veneto. The grape is Garganega.
If you see one of these names and no grape variety, that is because in Italy the place is considered more important than the grape. The assumption is that everyone knows what grows there.
Wines Named After the Grape
Increasingly common, especially in the south and among modern producers.
Nero d’Avola, Primitivo, Barbera, Sangiovese, Vermentino, Fiano, Aglianico. These tell you the grape directly.
Sometimes you get both. Barbera d’Alba means Barbera grape from the Alba area. Fiano di Avellino means Fiano grape from Avellino. This construction, grape plus “di” plus place, is very common and very useful.
Wines Named After Neither
This is where natural wine producers often live.
Many small producers give their wines poetic or personal names. A wine might be called something like “Sutta a Vigna” or “Il Bruno” or “Tramonto.” These names tell you nothing about grape or place directly.
When you see a name like this on a list, look at what comes after it. There is usually a region, a grape, or a classification somewhere nearby. And if there is not, this is exactly the moment to ask.
At MaMeMi, many of our most interesting bottles fall into this category. They come from small producers making tiny quantities with a lot of personality. This is where Danilo earns his living.
Understanding the Classifications
Italy has four quality tiers. They are useful but not as meaningful as people assume.
DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) is the highest classification. Strict rules about grapes, yields, and ageing.
DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) is the next tier down. Still regulated, still specific to a place.
IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) is a broader regional category with looser rules.
Vino da Tavola is the most basic classification with almost no restrictions.
Here is the crucial thing to understand. A lower classification does not mean lower quality. Many of Italy’s greatest wines are IGT or even Vino da Tavola, because the producers chose to work outside the rules. The famous Super Tuscans of the 1970s were table wine because they used French grape varieties that the DOC rules forbade. Today, many of the best natural wine producers are IGT because their methods do not fit the regulations.
At MaMeMi, some of the most extraordinary bottles on our list carry the lowest official classification. That tells you something about how much the classification actually means.
Reading the Vintage
The year on the bottle matters more in some regions than others.
In northern Italy, where the climate is variable, vintage matters a great deal. A cold wet year in Piedmont produces very different Barolo than a warm dry one.
In the south, where the climate is more consistent, vintage variation is smaller.
For natural wine, vintage matters more than usual, because without chemical intervention the wine reflects the year more honestly. This is a feature, not a problem. It means each vintage tells you something true about that particular growing season.
What to Do When You Are Lost
Here is the honest advice. Even sommeliers do not recognise every wine on every list.
Italy has hundreds of native grape varieties and thousands of small producers. Nobody knows all of them. What sommeliers have is a framework for asking the right questions.
So when you are lost, ask these:
- “What are you excited about right now?” This is the single best question you can ask a sommelier. It gets you their genuine enthusiasm rather than a safe recommendation.
- “I like [wine you know]. What here is similar?” Anchoring to something familiar gives them a starting point.
- “What goes with what I ordered?” Simple, practical, and always a good conversation.
- “Can you show me something I have never tried?” Danilo’s favourite question. Say this and see what happens.
The Real Secret
The secret to reading a wine list like a sommelier is not memorising regions and grapes. It is being curious and being willing to ask.
The best wine experiences I have watched at MaMeMi have never come from someone who knew everything. They come from someone who was open, who asked a question, and who let Danilo take them somewhere they would not have gone on their own.
Our list has over 1000 natural Italian wines at our wine bar. Danilo has met the producers, walked the vineyards, and tasted every single bottle. He is not there to test you. He is there to show you something.
Come and let him. Take a look at our menu before you visit, and pair it with whatever Danilo pours.
Mysundegade 28, Vesterbro. Weekend lunch every Saturday and Sunday from 12:00.
Francesco
