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Italy
Overview
One of the
world's great wine nations, Italy produces more wine than any other country,
and the thirsty Italians also drink more wine than anyone except the French.
From the north to the south, Italy has a profusion of wine regions, each of
quite different character. Indeed, the myriad of unfamiliar grape varieties,
wine styles and regions can appear confusing to the uninitiated. The northern
region of Piedmont makes Italy's most long lived and expensive red wines,
Barolo and Barbaresco, from the Nebbiolo grape. This region is also responsible
for tasty and more affordable reds from the Barbera and Dolcetto grapes, and
the grapey-sweet fizzy Moscato d'Asti. In the north east, the Veneto region
churns out lots of Valpolicella (usually a light, cherry-laced red) and Soave
(crisp, often watery white), as well as some intriguing wine made by
part-drying the grapes before fermentation (Amarone and Recioto). In the
centre, Tuscany is home to Chianti (variable quality reds made primarily from
Sangiovese), Chianti Classico (much more consistent), Brunello di Montalcino
(rare, expensive reds from a special strain of Sangiovese) and the
'Supertuscans' (high-end, aspiring wines made largely from non-local grape
varieties). But perhaps the best value for money in Italian wine is to be found
in the new wave of wines coming from the southern regions of Puglia, Sardinia
and Sicily.
Abruzzo
Mountainous
southern wine region making large quantities of mainly inexpensive wine. The
red wines (from the Montepulciano grape) can be pretty good; the whites less
so.
Alto Adige
This mountainous
northeastern Italian region, also known as the South Tyrol, is right on the
border of Austria and is predominantly German-speaking. The wines are usually
single varietals (six reds and ten whites), and some two thirds of production
is vinified by cooperatives. Quality here is usually pretty good.
Friuli
In the far northeast of Italy, the
Friuli-Venezia Giulia region (to give it its full name) is best know for its
crisp, classy white wines, made from a host of varieties such as Pinot Blanc,
Pinot Gris, Malvasia, Ribolla, Traminer and Riesling. The best wines tend to
come from the hilly Colli and Colli Orientali subregions, on the border with
Slovenia. These are some of Italy's best and most sought after dry white wines.
Lazio
Huge central Italian wine
region (just below Rome) making lots of fairly unexciting wine, the most well
known of which is Frascati.
Marche
A scenic, hilly region stretching along
the Adriatic coast in the middle of Italy. Pale, dry white wines from the
Verdiccio grape quench the thirst of holidaymakers, but more interesting are
the red wines Rosso Conero and Rosso Piceno, from the Montepulciano and
Sangiovese grapes.
Piedmont
This
region in the northwest of Italy produces many of this country's most
sought-after fine wines. At the top of the tree are the wines of Barolo and
Barbaresco, both of which owe their greatness to the exceptional qualities of
the Nebbiolo grape. The best examples are profound, long-lived and fiercely
expensive, but because of the worrying variation in quality, choosing the right
producer is crucial when you are buying these wines. Where the late-ripening
Nebbiolo will not grow, the other red varieties Barbera and Dolcetto are often
grown, and these are both capable of producing full-flavoured, complex wines.
In complete contrast to these serious, full-on reds, Piedmont also produces one
of the world's most frivolous and fun-filled white wines: sweet, fizzy Moscato
d'Asti.
Puglia
This southern
Italian region forms the heel of the boot that is 'kicking little Sicily'. It's
a fertile region: ideally suited for grape growing, it is responsible for a
staggering 15% of Italy's total wine production. With a focus on volume
production, quality here has traditionally been pretty dire, but things are now
looking up. Especially worth seeking out are new wave reds from the Primitivo
(aka Zinfandel) and Negroamoro.
Sicily
This large, hot Italian island is better
known abroad for its organized crime than its wine, so it may come as a
surprise to discover that it is responsible for around 12% of Italy's total
wine production each year. As with so many southern regions with a thirsty
local population, the traditional focus has largely been on quantity rather
than quality. With domestic wine consumption going down, however, producers are
beginning to look at improving the quality of their wines for export markets,
and there are now some interesting wines being made -- look out for new wave
reds from the classy Nero d'Avola grape, and modern whites from Inzolia or
Catarratto.
Tuscany
In this land
of rolling hills, olive groves and well-to-do British holidaymakers, the red
grape Sangiovese is king. Forget the images of wicker-coated bottles of cheap
Chianti: Tuscany is now making some of the best red wines in Italy. Look for
Chianti Classico from a good producer, Brunello di Montalcino (expensive,
classy, long-lived wines from a special clone of Sangiovese), Vino Nobile di
Montepulciano (another special clone of Sangiovese from Montepulciano) or any
of the 'Super-Tuscans' (expensive, modern styled premium wines usually made
from non-local grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot). Whites play
second fiddle to reds here, although examples from the Vernaccia grape can be
interesting.
Umbria
Land-locked
in central Italy, Umbria is best known for producing desperately dull Orvieto,
which totally dominates wine production here. However, the reds from the
Torigano subregion are better.
Veneto
This prolific north-eastern region
produces more than a tenth of all Italian wine. It includes the wine zones of
Valpolicella, Soave, Piave and Bardolino. Although much of the wine produced is
inexpensive and unmemorable, the best Valpolicellas from a small band of
top-notch producers are among Italy's most interesting and compelling red
wines. |
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