2012 Abbazia di Novacella Stitftskellerei Neustift Kerner

2012 Abbazia di Novacella Stitftskellerei Neustift Kerner

Don’t let the long name of this beautiful Italian white wine scare you off. Just remember Abbazia di Novacella and Kerner. That’s the name of the grape, and according to my hefty copy of “Wine Grapes” by Jancis Robinson et al, it’s “qualitatively the most successful modern German cross, versatile, producing Riesling-like wines.” It’s modern, in that it dates from 1929, and it was named after “medical doctor and writer of drinking songs Justinius Kerner, who used to recommend that his patients drink a glass of wine as the best natural medicine.” Abbazia di Novacella’s grapes are grown on the steep slopes of the Alto Adige region, beneath the Italian Alps. The wine is gold, very clean, very flowery yet crisp and appealing. I’ve enjoyed it with soba, sushi and cured salmon. It also goes nicely with spaghetti alla bottarga or with any other seafood pasta or risotto.

Region: Alto Adige

Price: From $18 to $22

Style: Clean and crisp

What It Goes With: Sushi, Asian cuisine, cured salmon, seafood pasta and risotto

Where to Find It: BestWinesOnline, (888) 817-8880, Larchmont Village Wine, Spirits & Cheese in Los Angeles, (323) 856-8699, Royale Liquor, 1508 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, (213) 250-0396; Wine Exchange in Orange, (800) 76WINEX, Wine Hotel in Los Angeles, (323) 937-9463, and the Wine House in West Los Angeles, (310) 479-3731.