Bathing In Wine, And Other Enological Lore From Italy

Can you imagine taking a bath in wine? It has been done.

In doing some research on the Italian white wine, orvieto (named for the pretty little town in Umbria), I stumbled across one of those great legends involving wine - one I had not heard before. It rivals the story of Marie Antoinette modeling the original champagne glass after her breast. Or, the tale of Dom Perignon, the blind monk who supposedly discovered champagne, shouting, "I am drinking stars."

Orvieto's story involves the Holy Seat of the Roman Catholic Church which, in the Middle Ages, often used the town of Orvieto as a retreat when the summer heat of Rome became too much. It is only a short distance from Rome but because of its higher altitude, is quite comfortable year-round. Because of this connection, orvieto (the wine) became very fashionable in Rome.

But here's the story: Orvieto also became especially fashionable with Pope Gregory XVI whose will stipulated that his body be washed in the wine prior to his funeral. I should say that there is no proof such a dousing of wine ever took place (and I certainly mean no disrespect by reporting it), but it is mentioned in several reliable wine history books. And whoever said legends had to be based on fact?

Whatever, it got me to investigating orvieto, as it has long been one of my favorite Italian whites because I feel it goes so well with Northwest seafood. Interestingly, it accounts for two thirds of all the wine produced in Umbria.

Originally, this wine was made only in the golden, sweeter style called abbaccato. Today, it comes in a variety of styles and degrees of dryness. But the bone-dry version has become the standard shipped to the U.S.

In checking wine shops and local distributors, I discovered a large number of orvietos available to wine lovers. I also discovered that much of orvieto's output is actually controlled by neighboring Tuscany. Many big names such as Antinori, Melini, Bigi and Rocca delle Macie often buy wine there, bottling it up under their own label. Some make the wine themselves but do not own the supplying vineyards.

A good orvieto for meals should be dry, crisp, fruity and nicely balanced. It is made from a number of Italian grapes including procanico, verdello and grechetto. Here are half a dozen look for:

Melini 1990 Orvieto Classico, $7.50: Always a good bet for its fresh, bright flavors.

Ricasoli 1990 Orvieto Classico, $7: Pleasing fruit, nicely balanced.

Rocca delle Macie 1989 Orvieto Classico, $7: Another Tuscan producer. Dry, good grape flavors, clean finish.

Ruffino 1990 Orvieto Classico, $8: Silky in texture with good flavors and crisp finish.

Fontana Candida, 1989 Orvieto Classico, $9: Rich fruit, ample flavors and crisp finish.

Antinori 1990 Orvieto Classico, $10: Crisp from cold fermentation, delicately fresh and fruity.

Wine by Tom Stockley appears Wednesday in the Food section of The Times.

--------------------------------------------------------------- Tip of the week

We have what amounts to an embarrassment of riches in the Northwest with our grand fume blancs (sauvignon blancs). It's difficult to name the best, but it's easy to point to one that is an especially good price. The 1990 Covey Run Fume Blanc, a nicely balanced, fruity version with 18 percent semillon blended in, is on sale this month for about $6. Beat that!