Bottle of red. Bottle of white. Whatever kind of mood you’re in tonight.” Back in 1977, Billy Joel set the tone for the average American’s worldview of Italian wines with the opening lines to his classic hit, “Scenes From An Italian Restaurant.”

Even if you’ve never visited the fictitious red sauce joint depicted in the song, you likely know the scene: giant jugs of homogenized Chianti wrapped in wicker and off-dry Pinot Grigio being poured like it was apple juice. For many, this was an introduction into the “exotic” world of Italian wines.