10 Things to Know When Tasting Italian Wines

When you look at the twenty regions of Italy, it may all seem overwhelming in terms of the number of grapes grown and the even greater number of wines produced. We want to simplify that for you and have some general rules to consider when looking at the peninsula and the islands. With these few tips, you can start feeling like an Italian wine expert.

1. First and foremost, Italy makes all styles of wines from sparkling to still whites and reds, to rosé which is called Rosato in Italian. They also make many, sweet wines, and a wide range of spirits (we’ll save that for a different day)!

2. In terms of sparkling wines, some of the world’s most famous sparkling wines come from Italy including Asti Spumante, Prosecco, Franciacorta, Trento Doc, Alta Langa, Oltrepo Pavese, Lambrusco, to name most famous.

3. The country can also be separated into three macro areas: North, Central, and Southern Italy. In each of those three macro areas – one red grape variety is the most well-known. In the North, it’s Nebbiolo which makes great wines you may be familiar with and have tried such as Barolo, Barbaresco, Ghemme, and Gattinara. In Central Italy, it’s the reigning red grape Sangiovese. Think Chianti, Brunello, Morellino, Montecucco, and the Super Tuscans. In Southern Italy, it’s Aglianico, the King of making great wines in Campania such as Taurasi and Aglianico del Taburno, In Basilicata, the most famous red wine is Aglianico del Vulture.

4. For White wines, there are many famous ones made in the Northern areas of Alto Adige, Trentino, Veneto, and Friuli Venezia Giulia. Think of great Pinot Grigio wines, Pinot Bianco, Soave, and Lugana, among the others you’ve most likely sipped on from these areas. In the Center of the country, areas like Tuscany have wines such as Vermentino and Vernaccia di San Gimignano, while Umbria’s whites from Orvieto have been famous for decades in the USA. Southern Italian whites such as Fiano, Greco di Tufo, and Falanghina from Campania are also wines to remember and be sure to try, as well as Nero d’Avola or Grillo from Sicily and Vermentino or Cannonau from Sardinia.

5. Rosatos have been famous in Italy for decades as well and are not a modern fad. Great areas for Rosati include Abruzzo where they are called Cerasuolo, Puglia, and Lake Garda which are known as Chiaretto wines. Many sparkling wines are also made in a Rosato style.

6. Sweet wines have long been famous in Italy. Vin Santo from Tuscany, best enjoyed with Biscotti called Cantucci, Marsala from Sicily, Passito wines from the north such as Recioto della Valpolicella, Recioto di Soave or Recioto di Gambellara. Meanwhile, in Sicily, you can find the famed Passito di Pantelleria.

7. Each Italian region is distinct with its own traditions, grapevines, and specialties. Often regions that are neighbors often grow some of the same varieties such as Abruzzo and Molise or Campania and Basilicata. Get a good map of Italy and try to recognize the different names of the regions. Look at a map.

8. Italy’s three macro areas all have mountains, including the islands, and most, are also on the sea so that means that most regions have high inland vineyards and coastal vineyards as well which tend to grow different grapes. Umbria, which is known as the green heart of Italy, doesn’t touch the sea but has one of the largest lakes in Italy - Lago Trasimeno which helps keep the vineyards cool.

9. Italian wines are classified according to their denomination and geographical area. In Italy, the two principal denominations of origin are the denomination of controlled origin (D.O.C.) and the denomination of controlled and guaranteed origin (D.O.C.G.). These two denominations can be used or producers can use the European version of the nomenclature.

10. When tasting Italian wines, remember that Italians drink wine while eating food. Most Italian wines have a lot of acidities which make them good wines to pair with food. Acidity helps to offset both sweetness and savory notes in foods. Wine in Italy is an everyday affair, so drink like an Italian and travel using your wine glass.

Resources:
www.extraordinaryitalianwine.us
https://www.ice.it/en/markets/usa