Obviously, it's impossible to say which wines are “the best” in Italy. However, it is quite possible to say which wines are among the most popular from Italy, as well as which popular wines regularly garner the highest ratings from experts in the international wine press.

Bartolo Mascarello Barolo

Within the rarefied air of the Barolo community, Bartolo Mascarello's Barolo consistently earns high marks. The man for whom the winery is named died in 2005, having held firmly to traditional methods of winemaking and always producing Barolo in its purest form. His Cantina Mascarello Barolo Estate is now run by his daughter Maria Teresa, who is continuing to produce fine Barolos in the same manner.

You can taste wines and take tours of the estate without reservations. It doesn't have a website, but Mascarello is a legend in the Barolo community, so all you need to do is tell a local taxi driver, “Please take me to 15 Via Roma.”

Angelo Gaja Barbaresco

The Gaja Winery owns some 250 acres of vineyards in the Piedmont region, including the Barolo and Barbaresco areas. Its current owner is Angelo Gaja, the great-grandson of Giovanni Gaja, who founded the winery in 1859. Since the 1960s, Angelo has campaigned worldwide on behalf of Barbaresco and in turn has made the name Gaja synonymous with the highest-quality bottling from that village.

If you visit the address 36 Via Torino in Barbaresco, look for the 1999, 2000, and 2004 vintages of Gaja Barbaresco. Other recent years have also received high marks from aficionados, but those three years took top honors.

Isole e Olena Chianti

A good number of Chianti producers regularly receive high marks, including Marchesi de'Frescobaldi, La Massa, and Gruppo Italiano Vini. One current favorite is Isole e Olena, an estate run by Paolo de Marchi. His family has owned the estate only since the 1960s, and he is widely regarded as the man who brought quality Chianti back to this patch of terroir.

Frequently noted for excellence is Isole e Olena's Chianti Classico, which is produced in the Classico sub-area of the Chianti geographic area. You may recognize the black rooster on the label of any Chianti Classico that is produced here.

Casanova di Neri Brunello di Montalcino

Casanova di Neri took the Wine Spectator magazine “Wine of the Year” award in 2006 for its 2001 Brunello di Montalcino, which scored a rare 100 out of 100 points and was described as “one of the greatest Brunellos of all time.” It runs about $160 per bottle in the United States, obviously with limited availability because of all the media buzz.

Other recent vintages of Brunello from Casanova di Neri have received marks in the nineties — still very good — and are available for half to less than half that price. Keep an eye out for the label as much as the year.

Feudi di San Gregorio Taurasi

Feudi di San Gregorio is widely regarded as the premier wine-making estate in the region of Campania — an interesting fact, given that it has only been in the village of Sorbo Serpico since 1986. Feudi di San Gregorio is not nearly the largest winemaker in the Taurasi area, but is more like the tiny mouse whose excellence roars louder than the largest lion's. Look for the 2003 vintage, which is typically offered at a price equivalent to the $20–$40 range in the United States.

Fattoria di Fèlsina Maestro Raro

Maestro Raro, a Cabernet, is one of two well-regarded Super Tuscans from Fattoria di Fèlsina (the other is Fontalloro, a Sangiovese). The winemaking estate dates back to the 1100s, but it did not gain prominence in the international wine community until the 1960s. It's located in the Chianti Classico zone, and while its Felsina Chianti Classico Reserva Rancia remains its flagship product, the Maestro Raro Super Tuscan enjoys many followers as well.