At first, the invitation seemed fairly unusual. Waldorf Wine Group, a British Columbia–based wine importer, had two of its wine proprietors in town and extended an offer to a small group to attend a tutored tasting presented by both principals at Chambar in downtown Vancouver. That concept in itself isn’t exactly uncommon, but when the folks in question were Emanuela Stucchi Prinetti of Tuscany’s Badia a Coltibuono and Johannes Selbach of Mosel’s Weingut Selbach-Oster, I wondered how, er, cohesive this tasting was going to be.

I mean, on the spectrum of European wine styles, the elegant and often off-dry Rieslings of Germany’s Mosel area are a considerable distance from the multilayered, berry-driven, floral, spicy, and earthy Sangiovese-based Chianti wines of Italy’s Tuscany region.

“There are many parallels here,” Selbach said. “More than you might expect.”

Let’s start with history, something both wineries have in spades. Badia a Coltibuono has been in the Stucchi Prinetti family since 1846, while the Selbach family’s history of making wine from the rocky and steep hillside vineyards of the Mosel goes back 400 years.

As they both spoke of their respective properties, it quickly became apparent that there were, indeed, many shared philosophies and visions. The two wineries create wines that are beacons of terroir, the place and time in which they were grown. They make wines that are at once precise and unfussy, with not too much winery intervention to stand in the way of what each vineyard naturally offers.

What I found to be the most obvious commonality, though, was how both Badia a Coltibuono and Selbach-Oster embrace acid in their wines; this is something that ensures liveliness throughout all of their selections.

“Acidity is so important,” Stucchi Prinetti remarked. “We want it right at the centre of our wines.”

Coltibuono 2014 Cancelli ($21 to $24, private liquor stores, including Kitsilano and Dundarave Wine Cellars, Highpoint Liquor Store on East Hastings, and Liberty Wine Merchants on Commercial Drive) is a juicy and quaffable Sangiovese rounded out by a portion of Syrah. Brambly red fruit tumbles across the palate with lively acidity, a little Coronation grape and maybe some tomato-plant notes bringing a nice savoury character. The tannins are very soft and the wine is pretty damn gulpable. Pizza, pizza, pizza.

Coltibuono Organic 2009 Chianti Classico Riserva ($54.99, B.C. Liquor Stores) is definitely more of a “serious” wine but absolutely enjoyable nonetheless. Its aromatics carry a floral character with nuances of red fruit, then the bright palate brings a smattering of red and yellow plum, red currants, Rainier cherry, and an undercurrent of earthiness and minerality. Acid is on point and the tannins have a good touch of grip.

Selbach echoed Stucchi Prinetti’s championing of acidity, explaining why it is crucial in his Rieslings, particularly the sweeter versions, so they don’t become heavy or cloying. “The acid allows there to be cinema on the palate, meaning that there is action there.”

(Incidentally, I really love that analogy.)

Selbach-Oster 2014 “Fish Label” Riesling ($15.99, B.C. Liquor Stores) has long been a go-to wine of mine, dependable vintage after vintage, beaming with Granny Smith apple, Bartlett pear, zippy acid, and lofty acidity.

Selbach-Oster 2014 Estate Dry Riesling ($22.99, B.C. Liquor Stores) shares some characteristics with the previous wine but adds layers of complexity that include lemon balm, Asian pear, lemon zest, and a pinch of nutmeg. An absolute charmer that seems tailor-made for seafood and practically any Asian dish that’s placed on the table.

Selbach-Oster 2013 Zeltinger Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett ($29.49, B.C. Liquor Stores) starts to enter mind-blowing territory. Don’t get freaked out by all of those big words, either. Zeltinger Himmelreich is simply the name of the vineyard the wine comes from, while “Kabinett” refers to the sweetness level of the wine, in this case meaning it’s just a touch off-dry but that key acidity keeps it nimble and spry. What we have here are green table grapes drenched in fireweed honey with a little lime zest thrown in and a few fresh slices of Honeycrisp apple. The finish goes on and on and on and on; I stopped counting after 60 seconds. Although it harbours a rich character and a kiss of sweetness, that acid makes the mouth water after every sip and has you immediately wanting the next one.

When it comes right down to it, all of these wines share the things we want in all of our wines. They are terroir-focused and crafted with care, and offer a good balance of all of their components, with acidity being key. Oh, and they’re all super tasty, too. If you haven’t, you must.