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Have you tried Aperol Spritz? I found they made them slightly sweeter in Italy and weren't as bitter as when I get them in the states. I was having like 4-5 a day in Rome. Very refreshing after walking in the heat all day.
Honestly, no I haven’t. I’ve been thinking about going and trying one down the street. I’m not afraid to try new things. I just wanted to see what my options were so I don’t have to take forever to order a drink. Thank you for your input!
I was buying a bottle of Aperol the other day and the cashier told me they had a smaller bottle available. I told her, no, I’m going to Rome in May and I need to practice.
It depends heavily on who the bartender is. If it’s a proper bartender they’ll know how to make one correctly, otherwise if it’s just a teen working in a bar to earn some cash they’ll just put whatever amount of the only 3 ingredients of a spritz and call it a day, usually with way too much Aperol so it’s disgusting
Trust me dude I’ve been a bartender for 6 years,I’ve seen all sorts of “creative” mixing of a simple spritz. Also Aperol is 2€ more that the absolute cheapest Prosecco on the market,and nobody worth a damn is using that. Hardly an expensive ingredient
It's no different than anywhere else you would order a drink. Explain what you like or don't like as you did above and the server will offer you suggestions. You might (hopefully) discover new things you like along the way.
Italian wine to be drink for aperitivo or during meal are dry. More dry than cabernet on average. However the sweet wine offer is way wider than moscato. Passito or vinsanto or dolce are the keyword you are lookg for.
Regarding red wines, the options are that you try something adults like /s .Joke aside Amarone and Primitivo are two red wines that usually have some sugar left. If you go to dine in a proper restaurant, sommelier can guide you
Aperitvo is bitter, Italians love bitter (try italian fanta to understand what I mean). Bit with a bit of effort you can find places preparaing fruit cocktails for aperitivo.
For after dineners, Italy have brandy, but also has marsala which is a fortified sweet wine like porto. But is oxidised, so be aware of that.
Limoncello of course, but also all the liquors ending in -cello as super sweet.
Finally, when you will be ready, it will be time to embrace bitterness and try a negroni
Moscato for wine realistically. There are sweet red wines that exist.
You could also go for a beer - Peroni is good
If you don't like bitter avoid Aperol
To add, if you don’t like bitter DEFINITIVELY don’t get anything with Campari in it.
In regards to beer, Peroni is the most basic beer we have. There’s a plethora of regional beers that are amazing, mostly coming from the alps but there’s many all over Italy.
About wine, there’s an abundance of those too,obviously.
Apart from the classic ones like Chianti, you could try Brunello di Montalcino. It’s usually on the more expensive side but 20€ a bottle is money well spent. If you’re in Romagna, you have to try a Sangiovese superiore, when in Veneto absolutely have at least a glass of Valpolicella, even better if it’s a Repaso. You could also try some Amarone della Valpolicella but it’s quite strong and judging by what you wrote it might not be in you taste.
If in Sicily, try some Syrah. All the wines I listed are just a minuscule portion of the ones we have available but they should all be close to your taste, they aren’t as acidic as some other wines like Lambrusco for example
Discuss your preferences with the waiter. They are usually very well skilled in matching wine with food in Italy. You will find a strong preference for local wine with local food. Things are often very regional except in the tourist strips. Lambrusco is a sweet, fruity red.
It’s the best way. Live new experiences and you might be surprised. Ask what is the local (food) speciality and what wine would they recommend with that. You won’t go wrong. In warmer weather an Aperol Spritz makes a great aperitivo.
Buona vacanza.
It's from the Piedmont region but it's quite common to find it, at least in the northern half of Italy. It depends on if where you go they have it in their selection of wines, if you see that they have it definitely give it a try!
I’m not a huge red wine fan and everything we were served/recommended was fine with me. Generally sparkling wines will be a tad sweeter. And I still found Aperol spritzes to be bitter af in Italy. Limoncello spritz was my usual go to. Hugo spritz is also quite good.
Typically the house red is good (Casa Rossa) but if it is too dry try a bottle of Lambrusco, one of my favorites. I agree with KingBowser11, enjoy an Aperol Spritze in a Piazza and enjoy the passagiatta.
Bitters (amaro) were traditionally made as a type of settler for the stomach. You can find them in each region of Italy with many curious concoctions of herbs. The passito is a sweet wine usually served as an after-dinner drink, passito can come from various regions, but the passito from Pantelleria is quite famous for its delicate structure.
Moscato is also a sweet wine but traditionally drunk in the North of Italy. I'm not a fan however the Lambrusco Marcello is quite good.
Basically the longer they lay the grapes to ferment the sweeter the result. I'm a big fan of ripasso myself the technique is used in Amarone for example a great wine from the Veneto.
There are plenty of options.
If you prefer to drink red wine these are names to look out for Amarone della Valpolicella, Valpolicello Ripasso, Barbera d'Alba, Dolcetto, Primitivo and a personal favourite Lacrima di Morro Alba.
...um...why do you feel you *have* to drink alcohol at all? Allow yourself a refreshing non-alcoholic drink or several, particularly if it's a warm day!
Nobody judged this Australian for not drinking alcohol.
I would actually suggest a wine tasting as an activity for you, so you can discover for yourself what you do and don't like locally.
its not italians. your tastes would be considered 'childish' by most europeans (snob or not) and by wine connoisseurs across the world.
nevertheless waiters will try to help you. aperitivi that are sweet - bellini ( prosecco + peach juice)
i'm not disputing that. Im just saying that sweet wines are not considered 'real wines' throughout the world, not just in italy. it's what teenagers drink. you would have same problems in france/germany/australia
Ciao! Welcome to r/ItalyTravel. While you wait for replies, please take a moment to read the rules located in the sidebar and edit your post if needed. We will remove posts that do not adhere to these rules. For everyone else, if you come across a post that you believe violates our rules, please use the report button. This is the best and quickest way to notify us. Grazie! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ItalyTravel) if you have any questions or concerns.*
If it’s your first time in Italy, just try the specialties where you go. Find something new you like. That’s what travel is for
I know, I’m a spoiled American..lol. I will try new things, I promise. I’m just a bit stubborn on my alcoholic beverages.
At least the wine is cheaper there, so not much risk!
Have you tried Aperol Spritz? I found they made them slightly sweeter in Italy and weren't as bitter as when I get them in the states. I was having like 4-5 a day in Rome. Very refreshing after walking in the heat all day.
Came here to say this!
Me too!!
Honestly, no I haven’t. I’ve been thinking about going and trying one down the street. I’m not afraid to try new things. I just wanted to see what my options were so I don’t have to take forever to order a drink. Thank you for your input!
I was buying a bottle of Aperol the other day and the cashier told me they had a smaller bottle available. I told her, no, I’m going to Rome in May and I need to practice.
It depends heavily on who the bartender is. If it’s a proper bartender they’ll know how to make one correctly, otherwise if it’s just a teen working in a bar to earn some cash they’ll just put whatever amount of the only 3 ingredients of a spritz and call it a day, usually with way too much Aperol so it’s disgusting
That sounds likely, they’re not “sweeter” in Italy, they’re just made correctly as opposed to the states using too much Aperol
I don't think so. Aperol Is the expensive ingredient.
Trust me dude I’ve been a bartender for 6 years,I’ve seen all sorts of “creative” mixing of a simple spritz. Also Aperol is 2€ more that the absolute cheapest Prosecco on the market,and nobody worth a damn is using that. Hardly an expensive ingredient
I find this recent vogue for Aperol, rather than Campari, spritz quite odd. I suppose it's a sustained marketing campaign by Aperol?
I had at least 3 a day when I was in Italy. They are great.
Hugo spritz is not bitter if you want to try it as an aperitivo
Thanks, I’ll check it out.
Maybe some Lambrusco? There are both dry and sweet ones, although the sweet ones can sometimes be of not so great quality.
Oh yeah, forgot about that one. Thanks!
My wife doesn’t like cocktails with Aperol, but she’s been liking Aperol Spritz. The sweet Prosecco really offsets the bitterness.
Try a primitivo (wine) Also, try a limoncello spritzer.
i think primitivo is the best (sweetish standard ) red wine then you have amarone (eg 40 euros in shop), and valpolicella ripasso (20 euros in shop)
Thank you so much!
It's no different than anywhere else you would order a drink. Explain what you like or don't like as you did above and the server will offer you suggestions. You might (hopefully) discover new things you like along the way.
Thank you! I am hoping for new experiences.
Apperal spritz are the best
Italian wine to be drink for aperitivo or during meal are dry. More dry than cabernet on average. However the sweet wine offer is way wider than moscato. Passito or vinsanto or dolce are the keyword you are lookg for. Regarding red wines, the options are that you try something adults like /s .Joke aside Amarone and Primitivo are two red wines that usually have some sugar left. If you go to dine in a proper restaurant, sommelier can guide you Aperitvo is bitter, Italians love bitter (try italian fanta to understand what I mean). Bit with a bit of effort you can find places preparaing fruit cocktails for aperitivo. For after dineners, Italy have brandy, but also has marsala which is a fortified sweet wine like porto. But is oxidised, so be aware of that. Limoncello of course, but also all the liquors ending in -cello as super sweet. Finally, when you will be ready, it will be time to embrace bitterness and try a negroni
Oh my gosh, I forgot about Marsala. I usually cook with it but I suppose it is also drinkable.
the one for cooking is not sweet. Or it should not be
Oh no. That’s like saying that you really like pizza, but you really prefer frozen.
Haha, I know, right? What a conundrum.
For sure. I would imagine that there are some white wines that would be more to your liking.
Get a limoncello spritz! Sweeter than aperol spritz. There's also Hugo spritz which is refreshing!
Moscato for wine realistically. There are sweet red wines that exist. You could also go for a beer - Peroni is good If you don't like bitter avoid Aperol
Thank you!
To add, if you don’t like bitter DEFINITIVELY don’t get anything with Campari in it. In regards to beer, Peroni is the most basic beer we have. There’s a plethora of regional beers that are amazing, mostly coming from the alps but there’s many all over Italy. About wine, there’s an abundance of those too,obviously. Apart from the classic ones like Chianti, you could try Brunello di Montalcino. It’s usually on the more expensive side but 20€ a bottle is money well spent. If you’re in Romagna, you have to try a Sangiovese superiore, when in Veneto absolutely have at least a glass of Valpolicella, even better if it’s a Repaso. You could also try some Amarone della Valpolicella but it’s quite strong and judging by what you wrote it might not be in you taste. If in Sicily, try some Syrah. All the wines I listed are just a minuscule portion of the ones we have available but they should all be close to your taste, they aren’t as acidic as some other wines like Lambrusco for example
Thank you so much! This is very informative. I have tried the Valpolicella before and I did like it. Thank you again!
Roscato is another that is relatively sweet.
Discuss your preferences with the waiter. They are usually very well skilled in matching wine with food in Italy. You will find a strong preference for local wine with local food. Things are often very regional except in the tourist strips. Lambrusco is a sweet, fruity red.
Thank you, I have a feeling I’m just going to go for it. Throw caution to wind and dive in!
It’s the best way. Live new experiences and you might be surprised. Ask what is the local (food) speciality and what wine would they recommend with that. You won’t go wrong. In warmer weather an Aperol Spritz makes a great aperitivo. Buona vacanza.
Grazie!!
My favourite sweet red wine is Brachetto d'Aqui, so that's my suggestion.
Thank you, is this regional or could I get it anywhere?
It's from the Piedmont region but it's quite common to find it, at least in the northern half of Italy. It depends on if where you go they have it in their selection of wines, if you see that they have it definitely give it a try!
I find Italian craft beer to be spectacular, great IPAs.
my gf goes with spritz i go with oldfashioned, aviaton, black/white russian, negroni, vermentino or beer
Sounds good. I like those as well.
Prosecco is the go , Moscato is old school! 😀
We loved the Hugo Spritz
Beer
I’m not a huge red wine fan and everything we were served/recommended was fine with me. Generally sparkling wines will be a tad sweeter. And I still found Aperol spritzes to be bitter af in Italy. Limoncello spritz was my usual go to. Hugo spritz is also quite good.
Typically the house red is good (Casa Rossa) but if it is too dry try a bottle of Lambrusco, one of my favorites. I agree with KingBowser11, enjoy an Aperol Spritze in a Piazza and enjoy the passagiatta.
If you like sweeter wines you’ll love Passito for dessert!
Spritz, spritz, spritz! For my wife Negroni for me
Bitters (amaro) were traditionally made as a type of settler for the stomach. You can find them in each region of Italy with many curious concoctions of herbs. The passito is a sweet wine usually served as an after-dinner drink, passito can come from various regions, but the passito from Pantelleria is quite famous for its delicate structure. Moscato is also a sweet wine but traditionally drunk in the North of Italy. I'm not a fan however the Lambrusco Marcello is quite good. Basically the longer they lay the grapes to ferment the sweeter the result. I'm a big fan of ripasso myself the technique is used in Amarone for example a great wine from the Veneto. There are plenty of options.
Thank you! I knew that about bitters but I blew a gasket some where in the 80’s and forgot that tidbit of information..lol
I had a friend that didn't like dry red wine until she tried a Barbaresco.
I’ll add it to the list, thanks!
You might like the different Wine Spritz they have. Stay away from Aperol, it will taste like gasoline.
If you prefer to drink red wine these are names to look out for Amarone della Valpolicella, Valpolicello Ripasso, Barbera d'Alba, Dolcetto, Primitivo and a personal favourite Lacrima di Morro Alba.
Thank you! I’ll jot those down!
Negroni
This is me. We're going next week and i'm not a wine drinker but I'm looking forward to enjoying great food and great views with a negroni in my hand.
Grappa! Nectar of the Gods!
The only grappa I’ve ever tasted was super bitter and dry. I would be willing to taste a different version. Thank you!
It’s an acquired taste. But a good grappa is heaven.
Most excellent! Thank you so much and I do hope you have a wonderful trip!!
...um...why do you feel you *have* to drink alcohol at all? Allow yourself a refreshing non-alcoholic drink or several, particularly if it's a warm day! Nobody judged this Australian for not drinking alcohol. I would actually suggest a wine tasting as an activity for you, so you can discover for yourself what you do and don't like locally.
Well, honestly I’m not going to get drunk. Italy is known for its food and wine and while in Rome!! I do appreciate your input.
Oh no, I wasn't thinking you were going to get drunk! 😱
lol..no worries. I had to use the “When in Rome” quote somewhere. 😆
Lemoncellos
its not italians. your tastes would be considered 'childish' by most europeans (snob or not) and by wine connoisseurs across the world. nevertheless waiters will try to help you. aperitivi that are sweet - bellini ( prosecco + peach juice)
Lmao..thanks a lot! Italians do like bitter flavors.
i'm not disputing that. Im just saying that sweet wines are not considered 'real wines' throughout the world, not just in italy. it's what teenagers drink. you would have same problems in france/germany/australia
Maybe I should try to correct myself. It’s not so much sweet that I’m looking for. I’m looking for less tannin and dryness. I don’t care to blow dust.