Verdicchio is a native Italian white grape that has the ability to give just about any white wine you desire. Classically dry? Sure. Sparkling? Verdicchio has you covered. Orange? Yessireeee. Sweet, dessert wine-styled? You betcha. And even better, Verdicchio gives some of Italy’s most ageworthy white wines, with well-stored bottles of Verdicchio wines from the 1990s still in amazing shape today. These are not skeletal and acid wines hanging on for dear life by a thread, but rather luscious, full-bodied rich wines that improve as they age. Simply put, there aren’t too many white grapes and wines that can do that. Riesling? Certainly: a plethora of forty years old wines are still magnificent today. Sylvaner and Gewurztraminer? For sure, even though their aging capacity is less well-known. Pinot Blanc? Yes, and it also ages better than people think. Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc? With few exceptions, wishful thinking at best.
