Wine of the week: Stemmari Grillo 2022
by Wine Curmudgeon Posted On
This Italian white is a great cheap wine from a great cheap wine producer
Those of you paying attention will remember this Italian white made the shortlist for the 2024 Turner award for cheap wine of the year, which will be announced next week.
Which is why I’m using it as this wine of the week. It’s that good.
Sicilian wines have long been a staple of the blog, even after premiumization took terrific $8 and $10 wines and boosted their prices to $12 and $15 without increasing quality (and, yes, I’m looking at you).
But Stemmari, along with a couple of other producers, continued to fight the good fight. The Grillo ($8, purchased, 13%) shows its commitment to the quality wines that most of us can afford to drink. Even Wine-searcher, despite its focus on the most expensive wines in the world, says nice things about grillo like this: “It has become a viable contender for the quintessential Italian table white: light, easy-drinking and often associated with very good value.”
In this, the Stemmari is classic: Nutty. Spicy. Green apple and stone fruit. Fresh. Clean. Which is why, when I go to Jimmy’s in Dallas (which has a Stemmari display), I buy a couple or three bottles. You should, too, when you get a chance.
Imported by Prestige Wine Imports