21 Refreshing Italian White Wines to Drink This Summer

Italy, the land of red wine! Chianti with wild boar ragù, Barolo with white truffles, porchetta with Montepulciano d’Abruzzo — wait. Stop. Throw that Fiat into reverse. A lot of the great wines of Italy are white. And, even better, they’re ideal for summer drinking.

It might come as a surprise, but Italy produces more white (60%) than red wine, led by the regions of Veneto, Puglia, Emilia-Romagna, and Sicily. The most common varieties are Trebbiano, which largely, but by no means exclusively, goes into inexpensive bottles for the local market; Pinot Grigio, the most exported white variety; and, semisurprisingly, Chardonnay. (I’m leaving aside Glera, the grape of Prosecco; that’s a different story.) 

But for me, the true joy lies in Italy’s less well-known, native varieties. Coastal Vermentinos from Liguria and Sardinia with their citrus-zest snap; Etna whites, which suggest their volcanic origins in a kind of stony intensity; bright, faintly almondy Verdicchios from Marche — all of these wake you up with zippy acidity and little to no oak influence, and they tend to be appealingly affordable as well.

Fill a cooler with ice and bottles, invite over some friends, and save those brooding Amarones until December, when the wintry winds start whipping by once again. Here are 21 refreshing Italian white wines to seek out right now.

Sicily and Sardinia

2023 Tenuta Regaleali Buonsenso Catarratto ($15)

The Tasca d’Almerita family’s Regaleali estate in the center of Sicily is a do-not-miss visit, and this tingly, grapefruity white made from Cataratto comes from the vineyards surrounding the beautiful manor house there. 

2023 Argiolas Costamolino Vermentino ($17)

Argiolas is arguably Sardinia’s most well-known producer and is certainly one of its best. This crisp, balanced Vermentino channels the island’s coastal warmth into inviting pineapple and lemon-zest flavors.

2023 Cantina Mesa Giunco Vermentino di Sardegna ($25)

Cantina Mesa, in Sardinia’s coastal Sulcis region, farms with only organic fertilizers and no insecticides or herbicides. Maybe that explains the purity of flavor in this energetic Vermentino, with its lime and white-peach flavors.

2023 Feudo Montoni Masso Catarratto ($27) 

Fabio Sireci and Melissa Muller’s organic Sicilian estate is a magical place. They make excellent wines — like this blood orange–flavored, luscious Catarratto — as well as dried pastas, olive oil, and much more.

2023 Benanti Etna Bianco ($38)

Benanti was one of the first to bring international recognition to Etna’s wines. This Carricante can compete with white Burgundy in terms of complexity, yet it’s very Etna: stony and savory, with smoky green-apple notes and struck-flint aromas.

2022 Girolamo Russo Nerina Etna Bianco ($40)

This racy blend of Carricante with other local varieties comes from the northern slopes of Mount Etna. Winemaker Giuseppe Russo’s late father, Girolamo, farmed grapes on the side of the volcano his entire life.

Marche and Abruzzo

2023 Garofoli Serra del Conte Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi ($13)

This light-bodied white is a great introduction to the Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi appellation in Marche. It produces minerally, grapefruit- or lemon-accented whites; this one is entirely characteristic.

2023 Pievalta Tre Ripe Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi ($22)

Biodynamic farming and old vines (early 1970s) give this citrus-peachy Verdicchio more complexity than its price suggests. The finish lingers in a stony-almondy way; it would be stellar with linguine in white-clam sauce. 

2021 Ciavolich Fosso Cancelli Trebbiano d’Abruzzo ($45)

The Ciavolich family started as wool merchants in Bulgaria before moving to Abruzzo in the 1500s. Today, Chiara Ciavolich oversees the family’s impressive array of wines, including this melony, earthy, powerful Trebbiano.

2022 Umani Ronchi CaSal di Serra Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi ($21)

This brisk, refreshing wine from one of Marche’s top producers is a smart pick for summertime entertaining. It comes from a selection of the best grapes from the winery’s Montecarotto vineyard.

2023 Tiberio Trebbiano d’Abruzzo ($25)

Is Tiberio a coastal wine producer or a mountain one? That’s hard to say, as its vineyards in Abruzzo lie between the Adriatic Sea and the Apennines. Either way, this fragrant, graceful white is a buy-by-the-case no-brainer.

2022 Masciarelli Marina Cvetic Trebbiano d’Abruzzo ($45)

Abruzzo star Masciarelli is run by mother-daughter team Marina Cvetic and Miriam Lee Masciarelli. This minty, melony, rich white helps dispel any idea that Trebbiano is only good for simple quaffers.

Liguria, the Tuscan coast and beyond

2023 Castello ColleMassari Melacce Vermentino ($18)

The Tuscan Montecucco region has gotten more attention in recent years, thanks to wines like this lush yet bright Vermentino. It comes from organic vineyards high up in the Montecucco hills.

2023 Rocca di Frassinello Maremma Toscana Vermentino ($20)

Rocca di Frassinello, owned by Paolo Panerai of Chianti’s Castellare di Castellina, is known for its luscious Maremma reds, but this finely cut Vermentino is a worthy addition to the portfolio.

2022 Ceretto Blangé Langhe Arneis ($25)

Blangé get its name from boulanger, French for “baker” — as the story goes, what’s now the vineyard for this wine belonged to a baker in the 18th century. True or not, it’s a terrific Arneis, slightly tingly and full of peach and green-apple flavors. 

2023 Allegrini Lugana Oasi Mantellina ($30)

Northern Italy’s Lugana appellation lies on the shores of Lake Garda — not coastal exactly, but not not coastal either. This crisp, peachy white is made from the local Turbiana grape variety, a relative of Verdicchio.

2022 Massolino Langhe Riesling ($38)

Langhe is the home of Barolo and Barbaresco, but a few brave people there also make Riesling. When Franco and Roberto Massolino aren’t making their sought-after reds, they devote some time to this savory, polished white.

2023 Val delle Rose Litorale Vermentino ($20)

Val delle Rose is in Tuscany’s coastal Maremma region, long ago a malarial marshland but now filled with grapevines. Vermentino grows well here, as this medium-bodied, lightly spicy, pear-scented white reveals. 

2023 Cantine Lunae Etichetta Grigia Colli di Luni Vermentino ($28)

Floral jasmine notes lead into apricot-lime flavors in this Ligurian white, the winery’s intro-level cuvée. Lunae’s pricier Etichetta Nera cuvée adds additional complexity and is also worth seeking out.

2023 Giovanni Rosso Roero Arneis ($30)

Davide Rosso makes excellent Barolos in the small town of Serralunga d’Alba, where his family has been since the 1890s, as well as this floral, lime-scented Arneis. Also look for his minerally Etna Bianco from an estate he purchased there in 2016. 

2023 Ottaviano Lambruschi Costa Marina Colli di Luni Vermentino ($40)

Fabio Lambruschi makes some of Italy’s best Vermentinos from his Ligurian vineyards. This wine is thrillingly precise, as if its lemon and wild-herb flavors had been etched in stone.