You might think that with a bottle of fermented grape juice, drinkability comes as standard equipment.   But, it just ain’t so. And what exactly is drinkability, anyway? Many of Italy’s wines are first and foremost food wines. That is to say, components of many Italian wines - acidity, tannins, etc. - are such that the wines not only compliment food, but, in many cases, food is required in order to best enjoy the wine. Consider how the mouth-puckering sensation of a tannic Brunello di Montalcino is transformed into a sexy-smooth palate experience when the wine is enjoyed with wood-fired bistecca alla fiorentina.

When a wine’s structural components are in harmony with each other, there is such an appreciable ease and forthrightness to the drinking experience that the wine drinks well all on its own: you have drinkability. Drinkability, in a bit more detail is, for me, often associated with younger wines that exhibit remarkable freshness and ripe fruit flavors.