Wines of Italy
Centuries before the Ancient Roman Empire spread wine around Europe, there were the Ancient Greeks. This community arrived in the southern reaches of what is now Italy around 2,000 BC and planted vines that flourished so impressively, they named this new land “Oinotria” (the land of wine). Fast forward to modern times and Italy is among the top wine producers in the world with vineyards spread across its length and breadth. Italy possesses a huge array of grape varieties, making everything from budget-friendly styles to world-class labels.
The variety of red, white, rosé, sparkling, and dessert wines from Italy reflect a country with a varied climate and topography that features chilly northern mountain foothills, Mediterranean shorelines and everything in between. In the north of the country, the cool to moderate Piedmont region produces finessed, acclaimed wines like Barolo from the Nebbiolo grape while the warmer central area of Tuscany is known for its rich, fruity selection of Chianti made from Sangiovese. Vineyards located further south in the Calabria, Campania, and Puglia regions turn out powerful red wines and rich, fruity whites. Italy also produces popular sparkling wines with Prosecco, from the northern area of Veneto, the most famous. As well as being rich in indigenous varieties, international grapes also thrive in Italy with the most renowned examples of wine coming from the coast of Tuscany – hence the name “Super Tuscans”.
High-quality Italian wines are labeled as DOC for Denominazione di Origine Controllata or the even higher DOCG, an anagram for Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita. It’s worth noting that some very high-quality wines fall outside these categories.