When it comes to Italian food, everyone speaks the language. But wines are a different story altogether. And yes, there’s more to life than Chianti. As it turns out, Billy Joel had it right after all: A bottle of red, a bottle of white – it all depends on your appetite. According to Michael Goodwin, a former wine rep who now tends bar at Massimo’s, “It’s all about food when it comes to Italian wines.” Here are a few favorites:

CHIANTI: Red made chiefly from Sangiovese grapes; gets its name from the Tuscan region where it’s bottled.

PINOT GRIGIO: Full-bodied white wine, aka Pinot Gris (France) and Rulander (Germany).

PROSECCO: Sparkling white wine, fruity and light.

SEGRETA ROSSO: Bright-tasting, fruity red wine.

CANCELLI: A blend of Sangiovese (Chianti) and syrah, this blends “New- and Old-World traditions.”

BARBERA: This red is “not big and tannic, but rich.” The flavor is dark, spicy and earthy.

KERNER: From the island of Sardinia, this white has “almost a little salinity.” There’s a hint of the sea.

CANNONAU: Known in the south of France as grenache, this features “dark fruit well-balanced by minerality” – an earthiness.

Source: Michael Goodwin and Webster’s New World Dictionary of Culinary Arts