ITALIAN WINES
Italian Wine Regions
The Italian Wine Regions produce some of the best wines. Nothing goes better with a delicious Italian meal than a good Italian wine!
The regions are, roughly from Northwest to Southeast:
1. Aosta Valley
2. Piedmont
3. Liguria
4. Lombardy
5. Trentino-South Tyrol
6. Friuli
7. Veneto
8. Emilia-Romagna
9. Tuscany
10. Marche
11. Umbria
12. Lazio
13. Abruzzo
14. Molise
15. Campania
16. Basilicata
17. Puglia
18. Calabria
19. Sicily (Sicilia)
20. Sardinia (Sardegna)
Common Italian Wine Red Varietals:
Sangiovese - This red grape is the pride of Tuscany. It produces Chianti Classico, Rosso di Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino, Rosso di Montepulciano, Montefalco Rosso, and many, many others. Nebbiolo - The most noble of Italy's varietals. The name (meaning "little fog") refers to the autumn fog that blankets most of Piedmont where it is grown, a condition the grape seems to enjoy. It is a somewhat difficult varietal to master, but produces the world renowned Barolo and Barbaresco, along with the lesser-known Sfortzato, Ghemme, and Gattinara. The wines are known for their elegance and bouquet of wild mushroom, truffle, roses, and tar.
Montepulciano - The grape of this name is not to be confused with the Tuscan town of Montepulciano; it is most widely planted on the opposite coast in Abruzzo. Its wines can run the gamut of easy quaffers to world class, with silky plum-like fruit, friendly acidity, and light tannin.
Barbera - The most widely grown red wine grape of Piedmont, most famously around the towns of Asti and Alba. The wines of barbera were once simply "what you drank while waiting for the Barolo to be ready." With a new generation of wine makers, this is no longer the case. The wines are now meticulously vinified, aged Barbera gets the name "Barbera Superiore" Superior Barbera, sometimes aged in French barrique becoming "Barbera Barricato", and intended for the international market. Expect bright cherry fruit, a very dark color, and a food-friendly acidity.
Corvina - Along with the varietals rondinella and molinara, this is the principal grape which makes the famous wines of the Veneto: Valpolicella and Amarone. In Valpolicella, you will find a dark, spicy, cherry fruit. After the grapes undergo passito (a drying process), the Amarone they yield is elegant, dark, and full of raisinated fruits. Some Amarones can age for 40+ years.
Nero d'Avola - Nearly unheard of in the international market until recent years, this native varietal of Sicily is gaining attention for its robust, inky wines.
Dolcetto - A grape that grows alongside barbera and nebbiolo in Piedmont, its name means "little sweet one"", referring not to the taste of the wine, but the ease in which it grows and makes great wines, suitable for everyday drinking. Flavors of concord grape, wild blackberries and herbs permeate the wine. Negroamaro - The name literally means "black and bitter". A widely planted grape with its concentration in the region of Puglia, it is the backbone of the acclaimed Salice Salentino: spicy, toasty, and full of dark red fruits.
Aglianico - Considered the "noble varietal of the south," it is primarily grown in Campania and Basilicata. The name is derived from hellenic, so it is considered a Greek transplant. Thick skinned and spicy, the wines are both rustic and powerful.
Sagrantino - A native to Umbria, it is only planted on 250 hectares, but the wines are world-renowned. Inky purple, with rustic brooding fruit and heavily tannic, these wines can age for many years.
Malvasia Nera - Red Malvasia varietal that peeks up in Piedmont. It's a sweet, perfumy wine.
Ghemme, and Gattinara - The wines are known for their elegance and bouquet of wild mushroom, truffle, roses, and tar.
Common Italian Wine White Varietals:
Trebbiano - The grape of cataratto (which is made for industrial jug wine), this is the most widely planted white varietal in Italy. It is grown throughout the country, with a special focus on the wines from Abruzzo. Mostly, they are pale, easy drinking wines, but trebbiano from producers such as Valentini have been known to age for 15+ years. It is known as Ugni Blanc in France.
Moscato - Grown mainly in Piedmont, it is primarily used for the slightly-sparkling (frizzante), semi-sweet Moscato d'Asti. Not to be confused with moscato giallo and moscato rosa, two Germanic varietals that are grown in Trentino Alto-Adige.
Nuragus - An ancient Phoenician varietal found in southern Sardegna. Light and tart wines that are drunk as an apertif in their homeland.
Pinot Grigio - A hugely successful commercial grape (known as Pinot Gris in France), its wines are characterized by crispness and cleanness. As a hugely mass-produced wine, it is usually delicate and mild, but in a good producers' hands, the wine can grow more full-bodied and complex.
Tocai Friuliano - A varietal distantly related to Sauvignon Blanc, it yields the top Italian wine of Friuli, full of peachiness and minerality. Currently, there is a bit of controversy regarding the name, as the EC has demanded it changed to avoid confusion with the Tokay dessert wine from Hungary.
Ribolla Gialla - A Slovenian grape that now makes its home in Friuli, these Italian wines are decidedly old-world, with aromas of pineapple and mustiness.
Arneis - A crisp and floral varietal from Piedmont, which has been grown there since the 15th century.
Malvasia Bianca - Another white varietal that peeks up in all corners of Italy with a wide variety of clones and mutations.
Pigato - A heavily acidic varietal from Liguria, the wines are vinified to pair with a cuisine rich in sea-food.
The Italian Wine Regions produce some of the best wines. Nothing goes better with a delicious Italian meal than a good Italian wine!
Many people equate wine with France, but you may be surprised to learn that Italy is in the top 5 of the largest wine producing countries in the world. Italy is giving France a run for their money with Italian wine being considered among the most prestigious wines in the world. In 2005, Italy was second globally, producing about 20% of the global production of wine, just behind France's 22%.
People have been enjoying wine since the beginning of time. In one form or another wine production has been carried out for thousands of years. Pottery discovered in Persia, dated at 5,500 BC, show evidence of grape use for winemaking. Today wine is still a popular beverage in Italy and grapes are grown in almost every part of the country. Many Italians drink wine with every meal and many are also proud of the wine they make from their own grapes.
Italian wine tends to be acidic, dry, light-to-medium bodied, with a subtle flavor and aroma, making them excellent accompaniment to food. Those not familiar with Italian wine think of the red wines Chianti and Lambrusco or the white varietal Pinot Grigio and Marsala, but there is a wide assortment of both red and white wines grown throughout the many regions of Italy. The well-known Marsala wine was traditionally served as an aperitif between the first and second courses of a meal. The fortified version of this Italian wine is produced for export and is a very popular cooking wine in Italian-American restaurants. Who hasn't heard of Veal or Chicken Marsala. I love to use this Italian wine in cooking and I can see why it has become so popular.
Like Italian cuisine, Italian wine varies in each of Italy's 20 wine regions which correspond to their 20 political regions. The regions are, roughly from Northwest to Southeast:
1. Aosta Valley
2. Piedmont
3. Liguria
4. Lombardy
5. Trentino-South Tyrol
6. Friuli
7. Veneto
8. Emilia-Romagna
9. Tuscany
10. Marche
11. Umbria
12. Lazio
13. Abruzzo
14. Molise
15. Campania
16. Basilicata
17. Puglia
18. Calabria
19. Sicily (Sicilia)
20. Sardinia (Sardegna)
Common Italian Wine Red Varietals:
Sangiovese - This red grape is the pride of Tuscany. It produces Chianti Classico, Rosso di Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino, Rosso di Montepulciano, Montefalco Rosso, and many, many others. Nebbiolo - The most noble of Italy's varietals. The name (meaning "little fog") refers to the autumn fog that blankets most of Piedmont where it is grown, a condition the grape seems to enjoy. It is a somewhat difficult varietal to master, but produces the world renowned Barolo and Barbaresco, along with the lesser-known Sfortzato, Ghemme, and Gattinara. The wines are known for their elegance and bouquet of wild mushroom, truffle, roses, and tar.
Montepulciano - The grape of this name is not to be confused with the Tuscan town of Montepulciano; it is most widely planted on the opposite coast in Abruzzo. Its wines can run the gamut of easy quaffers to world class, with silky plum-like fruit, friendly acidity, and light tannin.
Barbera - The most widely grown red wine grape of Piedmont, most famously around the towns of Asti and Alba. The wines of barbera were once simply "what you drank while waiting for the Barolo to be ready." With a new generation of wine makers, this is no longer the case. The wines are now meticulously vinified, aged Barbera gets the name "Barbera Superiore" Superior Barbera, sometimes aged in French barrique becoming "Barbera Barricato", and intended for the international market. Expect bright cherry fruit, a very dark color, and a food-friendly acidity.
Corvina - Along with the varietals rondinella and molinara, this is the principal grape which makes the famous wines of the Veneto: Valpolicella and Amarone. In Valpolicella, you will find a dark, spicy, cherry fruit. After the grapes undergo passito (a drying process), the Amarone they yield is elegant, dark, and full of raisinated fruits. Some Amarones can age for 40+ years.
Nero d'Avola - Nearly unheard of in the international market until recent years, this native varietal of Sicily is gaining attention for its robust, inky wines.
Dolcetto - A grape that grows alongside barbera and nebbiolo in Piedmont, its name means "little sweet one"", referring not to the taste of the wine, but the ease in which it grows and makes great wines, suitable for everyday drinking. Flavors of concord grape, wild blackberries and herbs permeate the wine. Negroamaro - The name literally means "black and bitter". A widely planted grape with its concentration in the region of Puglia, it is the backbone of the acclaimed Salice Salentino: spicy, toasty, and full of dark red fruits.
Aglianico - Considered the "noble varietal of the south," it is primarily grown in Campania and Basilicata. The name is derived from hellenic, so it is considered a Greek transplant. Thick skinned and spicy, the wines are both rustic and powerful.
Sagrantino - A native to Umbria, it is only planted on 250 hectares, but the wines are world-renowned. Inky purple, with rustic brooding fruit and heavily tannic, these wines can age for many years.
Malvasia Nera - Red Malvasia varietal that peeks up in Piedmont. It's a sweet, perfumy wine.
Ghemme, and Gattinara - The wines are known for their elegance and bouquet of wild mushroom, truffle, roses, and tar.
Common Italian Wine White Varietals:
Trebbiano - The grape of cataratto (which is made for industrial jug wine), this is the most widely planted white varietal in Italy. It is grown throughout the country, with a special focus on the wines from Abruzzo. Mostly, they are pale, easy drinking wines, but trebbiano from producers such as Valentini have been known to age for 15+ years. It is known as Ugni Blanc in France.
Moscato - Grown mainly in Piedmont, it is primarily used for the slightly-sparkling (frizzante), semi-sweet Moscato d'Asti. Not to be confused with moscato giallo and moscato rosa, two Germanic varietals that are grown in Trentino Alto-Adige.
Nuragus - An ancient Phoenician varietal found in southern Sardegna. Light and tart wines that are drunk as an apertif in their homeland.
Pinot Grigio - A hugely successful commercial grape (known as Pinot Gris in France), its wines are characterized by crispness and cleanness. As a hugely mass-produced wine, it is usually delicate and mild, but in a good producers' hands, the wine can grow more full-bodied and complex.
Tocai Friuliano - A varietal distantly related to Sauvignon Blanc, it yields the top Italian wine of Friuli, full of peachiness and minerality. Currently, there is a bit of controversy regarding the name, as the EC has demanded it changed to avoid confusion with the Tokay dessert wine from Hungary.
Ribolla Gialla - A Slovenian grape that now makes its home in Friuli, these Italian wines are decidedly old-world, with aromas of pineapple and mustiness.
Arneis - A crisp and floral varietal from Piedmont, which has been grown there since the 15th century.
Malvasia Bianca - Another white varietal that peeks up in all corners of Italy with a wide variety of clones and mutations.
Pigato - A heavily acidic varietal from Liguria, the wines are vinified to pair with a cuisine rich in sea-food.
Fiano - Grown on the southwest coast of Italy, the wines from this grape can be described as dewy and herbal, often with notes of pinenut and pesto.
Garganega - The main grape varietal for wines labeled Soave, this is a crisp, dry white wine from the Veneto wine region of Italy. It's a very popular wine that hails from northeast Italy around the city of Verona. Currently, there are over 3,500 distinct producers of Soave.
