Italian white wines boasting flavors ranging from rich walnut to tart pineapple are among the first wines granted DOCG status.

Learning some basic Italian phrases will go a long way, but sometimes it can be difficult to decipher locals' colloquial speech. By following these tips when ordering drinks, things should become simpler.

1. Cosa va?

Are You New to Italian Wine Lists? Ordering wine in Italy can seem intimidating at first, but with some helpful phrases in your arsenal and an understanding of their vast wine lists it should actually be easy and manageable.

Ordering wine in an Italian restaurant may involve simply saying: "Want some white wine?"

Your server will then bring over a bottle of white wine for you to sample. As is customary in many instances, they should fill your glass halfway rather than completely so as to facilitate easy drinking and enable more people to share in its enjoyment.

Alternative orders: Order an un bicchiere di latte tiepido (uh-bik-hee-ree dle latte tie-puh-doh), a glass of milk instead. Once ready to pay, go directly to the cassa (cassa is Italian for cash register) and obtain a receipt called scontrino (pronounced skohn-tree-noh) that you will then give back to your server.

2. I’d like a glass of white wine

Before moving to Italy, Liv was something of a white wine connoisseur. Since moving there she's learned that Italy is actually an amazing place for trying white wines - particularly due to the egalitarian approach Italians take towards drinking alcohol - people commonly share bottles and even larger glasses of alcohol among themselves; unlike many restaurants in the US it's customary for glasses of alcohol to only be filled halfway up, rather than all at once!

Gavi is an easy-drinking Italian white wine from Piedmont made with Cortese grapes that boast notes of citrus zest, green apple and almond.

3. Chi assaggia?

Italians enjoy drinking wine with their meals and often drizzle a bit over spaghetti, though there are plenty of white wines designed for solo consumption as well. If you want to order a glass in Italy, here are a few phrases to get the job done:

Vernaccia di San Gimignano from Tuscany is one of Italy's most beloved white wines, while Verrazzano from Campania makes up another DOC (denominazione di origine controllata e garantita).

These wines aren't particularly sweet, so you might find them to be slightly dry when served over ice. They pair nicely with cheese, chicken and other light meals like salad and breadsticks; but can also go well with pasta pizza and heavier foods.

4. Qualcosa da bere?

Liv was an admitted wine snob before her arrival to Italy. She believed that only the finest wines came from Tuscany, when in reality many of Italy's top whites can come from other regions as well. One such white is Vernaccia di San Gimignano which boasts one of Italy's earliest DOC (now considered an IGT since medieval times) classification and hails from its hills surrounding this medieval city.

Amazingly, Italy boasts incredible house wine at roughly half the cost of purchasing bottles - so don't dismiss its potential just yet! Don't turn your nose up at what might be seen as subpar offerings such as house wines - who knows - maybe they might surprise you and be deliciously enjoyable!

Italy has long embraced aperitivo as a socializing and relaxing ritual, often served in sophisticated restaurants and cafes as a set-price selection of snacks known as stuzzichini (little nibbles). Aperitivo usually falls during dinner time.