Wine Wednesday - Campogrande Orvieto Classico

It has been a while since my last Wine Wednesday posting!  But, I recently tried Campogrande Orvieto Classico 2007 and had to share about it.  We actually bought this wine at Whole Foods over a year ago.  It has just been sitting in our wine cabinet for a while.  I got it out when I needed to add a little white wine to something I was cooking.  We tend to prefer red wines and rarely even open white wines.  Since I was cooking with it, I thought it would be nice to have with dinner.  This has quickly become one of my favorite white wines.  Many white wines are either to buttery or too crisp tasting to me.  This one is so light and fruity - not at all overpowering.  It goes well with seafood, light courses, vegetables, and many Mediterranean dishes.  Like one of my favorite red wines, Chianti, Orvieto is also made in Tuscany and Umbria.  Italians are not traditionally known for their white wines, but wine critics, like Kevin Zraly, believes that Italians are trying to become better known for some of their white wines.  The designation of "classico" that describes some Chianti, Orvieto, and other wines denotes that the wine is produced in a region where that type of wine has traditionally been produced.  Not all wines produced in Italy are eligible for the "classico" distinction.  Orvieto, traditionally grown between Florence and Rome is sometimes called "the Pope's wine" as it was commonly drunk by Popes in the early 20th Century.  To learn more about Orvieto, visit this website.  Campogrande Orvieto Classico can be purchased for $12-15 in some retail locations or on-line.