'It's a great time for Italian wine in the US'

The tariff situation seems to change on a daily basis. President Trump's latest threats (and then retraction of said threats) over Greenland have only muddied the waters further. However, in spite of the uncertainty, Lindgren notes that Italian wine remains popular nevertheless.

"It’s a great time for Italian wine in the US, not just for the quality and value, but also because much of the American market now understands different grapes and different regions," she says. "Abruzzo, Campania and Sicily really stand out. We have a wine club with A16 and we’ve done an add-on for Etna – when we opened we could get three Etna wines, and now we can get hundreds. There’s a lot of Italian producers coming to the market this spring, which also really helps. Continuing a forward approach will help sell the wine."

Named after the road that connects Puglia to Campania, A16's first location opened on San Francisco's Chestnut Street in 2004 and over the past two decades its rustic Italian cookery, especially its Neapolitan pizza, and the quality of its wine list (which especially showcases lesser-known varieties) have gained many plaudits.

There are now several locations across California, including a newly-opened site in the heart of wine country, Napa. A16's original San Francisco location has consistently won top awards Gambero Rosso, with its wine list earning the distinction of Tre Bottiglie.

Education

Given that wine is largely taught through a French lens by educational bodies such as the Wine & Spirits Education Trust (WSET), to learn about Italian wine, especially the more obscure varieties and styles, requires a greater degree of digging.

"My background was in French fine dining restaurants, and as a sommelier I wondered why so many of the lesser-travelled regions of Italy were just skipped over and forgotten about in terms of writing and importance. If you’ve had Tintilia in Molise alongside some hearty fare, for example, you will be so happy that these grapes and traditions have been preserved, and we try to recapture that here at A16. We have the produce and the products to give our best interpretation," Lindgren argues. "It’s so eye-opening to see that diners really know their Italian wines and what they like."

"We opened A16 22 years ago as a neighbourhood restaurant with a focus on Southern Italian wines, because they went well with the food, and I didn’t realise what a unique thing that was until customers started coming in," she adds. "We didn’t want the Chianti and Barolo to overshadow the Aglianico and Etna Rosso."

There is still room for improvement, of course. Lindgren notes that wines from the aforementioned Molise, where her mother-in-law comes from, are still hard to come by in the US market.

Home-grown success

Another reason behind that greater understanding of Italian wines in the Golden State is that Italian grape varieties are being planted in California.

"Because we have a Mediterranean climate in California, Italian grapes are arguably more suited to be grown here than the main French varieties that we’re known for," says Lindgren. "Zinfandel/Primitivo isn’t the only Italian grape grown here, there’s Cortese, Ribolla Gialla, Aglianico, etc."

Indeed, Lindgren co-founded wine label Tansy Wines alongside branding expert Kitty Oestlien in 2020. The pair work with winemaker Megan Glaab, who has created wines from Italian varieties including a Pinot Grigio, a Falanghina and a Nero d'Avola.

Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay still make up the majority of grape plantings in Californian vineyards, but Italian grapes are on the rise. For example, the Piemontese red variety Barbera has gained a foothold in Lodi and the Sierra Foothills, while Sangiovese seems to have found its niche in Sonoma.

Changing tastes

President Trump infamously posted on Truth Social last year that a 200% tariff of wine from "France and other EU-represented countries" would be "great for the wine and Champagne businesses in the US".

However, Lindgren notes that A16's diners still want a taste of Italy when they order a bottle of wine.

"We opened a restaurant in Napa last summer, A16 Napa. We had really wonderful Napa producers on the list that are hard to find outside of the US, or even in other states, but we still sell more Italian wine than Californian wine. Of course, our local following really knows that we specialise in Italian wine, but I really wanted there to be a balance between Californian and Italian wines."