About Wine: Italy

Abruzzo
In a nation of myriad appellations, the Abruzzi offers wine drinkers rare and refreshing simplicity. There are only two DOCs and precious few unclassified wines of note in a region that is two-thirds mountains and one-third hills with highly favourable natural conditions for grapevines. Growers favour the predominant Montepulciano and Trebbiano, source of their two regional DOCs, while growing some highly productive vines (the region has Italy 's highest average yields) for table wine and table grapes and experimenting in a so far unconvincing way with outside varieties.

Campania
The ancient Romans considered Campania Felix to be the "non plus ultra" of wine regions. They favoured the vineyards along the coast north of Naples where Falernum, the most treasured wine of the empire, was grown. They also lauded the wines of Vesuvius and the hills of Avellino. The Greeks, too, recognised the privileged nature of the place, introducing vines which still stand out today in Aglianico and Greco.

Campania's viniculture fortunes had been declining for decades as growers left the land and a majority of producers ignored DOC. But there have always been exceptions, none more conspicuous than the trio of classified wines - the red Taurasi and the white Fiano di Avellino and Greco di Tufo - all grown in the hills east of Naples.

Emilia-Romagna
Emilia-Romagna's wines might be considered northern Italy 's odd lots, different on the whole from the neighbor’s, often facile in style, but nearly always refreshingly individualistic. As the hyphenated name reveals, the region consists of two distinct sectors which coincide more or less at the capital of Bologna.

To the west lies Emilia with its prosperous small cities strung like jewels along the ancient Emilian Way - Modena , Reggio, Parma , Fidenza, Fiorenzuola, as far as Piacenza . The premier wine here is Lambrusco, in frothy shades of purple to pink, made from grapes grown on high trellised vines mainly in the flatlands south of the Po . Lambrusco is produced at the rate of about 50 million bottles a year in the four DOC zones around Modena and Reggio, though few consumers abroad have tasted these wines in their authentic style. Even in Emilia's hills, along the Apennine range to the south, the wines are often "frizzante," made from Malvasia, Trebbiano and Ortrugo into easy, fun-loving whites, or from Barbera and Bonarda into zesty reds of more flavor intensity than Lambrusco. East of Bologna lies Romagna , decidedly diverse from Emilia but equally prolific. The plains of the Po basin between Ferrara and Ravenna are noted for fruit, vegetables and ultra-high-yield vines, most of which are sources of blending wines. The hills south of Imola, Faenza , Forlì, Cesena and Rimini are known for DOC wines, primarily from the native Albana, Sangiovese and Trebbiano.

Friuli Venezia Giulia
The compact region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia , which borders on Austria , Slovenia and Croatia , is the realm of Italy 's new-style white wine. Drawing from worthy native varieties and the noblest of the international array, Friulians have applied studied vineyard techniques and avant-garde oenology to the production of highly distinctive whites, as well as some eminently attractive reds.

Nearly all the wines included in the seven DOC categories are varietals. Usually about 49% of Friuli 's total production is DOC, but whether or not wines are classified they tend to be reliable. Only the Grave del Friuli zone, which produces nearly 20 million liters a year to stand with the top ten DOCs in volume, is big by national standards.

Lazio (Latium)
Rome's region is intrinsically lined to white wine - to Frascati and Marino and the other golden-hued "bianchi" of the Castelli Romani and to the fabled Est!Est!!Est!!! from the northern Latium town of Montefiascone . These wines, which are based almost exclusive on various types of Malvasia andTrebbiano, were traditionally "abboccato", mouth filling, though not so sweet as they overwhelm the flavor of food. They were easy, everyday wines not designed to last long or travel far.

The introduction of low temperature processing and sterile filtration have transformed their personalities into dryer, crisper, lighter, more durable wines with a propensity to travel that has opened up new commercial horizons. Still, with only the occasional exception, the whites of Latium are pleasantly fleshy and fruity, wines that go enticingly well with a great range of foods but are not the sort to be laid away or fussed over.

Lombardia (Lombardy)
Among Lombardy 's numerous industries wine does not rank high on the list. The citizens of this most populous and well-to-do region seem increasingly disposed towards industrialized versions of agriculture rather than to the more taxing and less profitable hand crafting of fine wines. Also, in a territory that is about half fertile plains and more than a third mountains and lakes, those gentle hills of the sort suited to vines do not abound.

Good wines are made in the provinces of Bergamo, Mantova and even Milano, but the prize for quality and variety goes to Brescia, which boasts 7 of the region's 13 DOCs: Botticino, Capriano del Colle, Cellatica, Franciacorta, Lugana, Riviera del Garda Bresciano and San Martino della Battaglia. From the shores of Lake Garda come Lugana (which can compare with fine Soave Classico) and the distinctive "rosso" and "chiaretto" of Riviera del Garda that can match the best of Valpolicella and Bardolino. The sturdy reds of Botticino and Cellatica and the smooth Tocai of San Martino have admirers as well.

Marche (Marches)
Verdicchio is the plenipotentiary for the wines of this pleasant Adriatic region, whose devotion to whites should not obscure the worthiness of its reds. The Castelli di Jesi DOC zone, covering a vast tract of hills west of the port of Ancona, is the home of the Verdicchio that made an early impression abroad in its green amphora bottle.

The region's other white wines, such as Bianchello del Metauro and Falerio dei Colli Ascolani, are usually light and zesty, also invariably good with seafood.

The red wines of the Marches are based chiefly on Sangiovese or Montepulciano - sometimes blended, sometimes not. The most important, in terms of volume, is Rosso Piceno, dominated by Sangiovese. It comes from a DOC zone covering nearly the entire eastern flank of the region stretching from the Superiore area between Ascoli Piceno and the sea north through the coastal hills to Senigallia.

Molise
This overlooked region, which was long an appendix of the Abruzzi , gained official status in wine in the 1980s with the DOCs of Biferno and Pentro. The undeniable aptitude for vines on the sunny hillsides between the Apennines and the Adriatic, indicates that Molise's wines could match those of neighboring Abruzzi, Apulia or Campania with time, though the evidence in bottle is scarce so far. The soil in the region's hills and the mild Adriatic climate seem to provide a favorable combination. The estates of Masseria Di Majo Norante with DOC of Biferno and the table wines of Ramitello are setting examples for others to follow as Molise strives for a viniculture identity of its own. Most other wine seems to be consumed locally, which explains why Molise has the smallest percentage of classified wines in its total.

Piemonte (Piedmont)
Piedmont is esteemed above all for its red wines, the regal Barolo and Barbaresco in the forefront. But the best known of the region's wines is the white, sweet, bubbly and widely adored Asti Spumante.

Practically all of Piedmont's classified wines derive from native vines. Still, among DOC wines at least, whites are equally prominent. First comes Moscato d'Asti, the base of Asti Spumante. With an output surpassing 50 million liters annually, it ranks second in volume to Chianti among Italy 's classified wines. An established star among dry whites is Gavi from the native Cortese grape.

Italy's westernmost region with borders on Switzerland and France , Piedmont is hemmed in by Alps and Apennines, which explain why its name means "foot of the mountain." Though it ranks only seventh among the regions in total production, in every other way Piedmont is a giant of wine. It has the most DOC-DOCG zones with 38 (taking in 43 distinct types of wine) and the most vineyards dedicated to classified production. For craftsmanship, respect for tradition and devotion to native vines in their historical habitat, the Piedmontese have no rivals in Italy.

Sardegna (Sardinia)
The island's vines tell a story of their own, frequently with a Spanish accent. The Mediterranean stalwarts are there in the various clones of Muscat and Malvasia, but several other varieties are practically unique in Italy, such as Cirò, Cannonau, Nuragus, Monica, Torbato and Vernaccia di Oristano.

Sardinia's major vineyard area is the Campidano, the fertile plains and low, rolling hills northwest of the capital and major port of Cagliari. The varieties grown there - Cirò, Malvasia, Monica, Moscato, Nasco and Nuragus - carry the name of Cagliari in their denominations.

Sicilia (Sicily)
Contrasts are not the least of those things in which Sicily abounds. So perhaps it is not surprising that this ancient island boasts one of Italy's most modern wine industries of that a region noted chiefly in the past for strong and often sweet amber Marsala and Moscato has rapidly switched the emphasis toward lighter, dryer wines - whites and reds.

Marsala, which was devised by English merchant traders nearly two centuries ago, has remained Sicily 's proudest wine despite decades of degradation when it was flavored with various syrups and sweeteners. Recently it has enjoyed a comeback with connoisseurs, who favor the dry Marsala Vergine and Superiore Riserva with their warmly complex flavors that rank them with the finest fortified wines of Europe.

Toscana (Tuscany)
Florence's region has shifted its stance in the last couple of decades from a complacent supplier of flask Chianti to the nation's most creative producer of premium wines. Tuscany 's revolution began in Chianti and the central hills around Siena but quickly spread to take in the coastal zones that were not previously noted for vineyards.

Much of the progress has come with classical reds, as illustrated by the fact that four of Italy's nine DOCGs are here - Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Chianti and Carmignano. But growing success with other reds (including the stylish table wines sometimes called "Super Tuscans") and a new breed of whites has enhanced the region's reputation.

Chianti, still the dominant force in Tuscan viniculture, has ranked as the most Italian of wines for decades. This is partly because it is the most voluminous and widely sold classified wine, but also because it has a personality that cannot be pinned do cover a vast territory of central Tuscany. In these often rugged hills variations in soil and climate contribute as much to the individuality of each authentic estate wine as do producers' quests for a personal style. These variations may be confusing, but for consumers who persist Chianti offers some of the best quality for value in wine today.

Umbria
Umbria has long been renowned for white wine, thanks mainly to the historical prominence of Orvieto. But evidence grows that the hills of the "green heart of Italy" have an aptitude for a multitude of varieties, white and red, native and foreign.

Orvieto was once the most celebrated of Italian whites as a semisweet or "abboccato" wine, praised by the popes, princes, and painters who sojourned in the hill town north of Rome with its splendid Cathedral and sweeping views of the Umbrian landscape. But as tastes changed Orvieto has been modified from a soft, golden wine into a pale, pure, crisp creature of the technology of soft-crushed grapes and free-run musts processed at low temperatures.

Veneto
Venice's region is Italy's leader in the production and commerce of classified wine. A major share of the DOC (which represents about 225 million bottles a year) consists of the Verona trio of Soave, Bardolino and Valpolicella. There are three general areas of premium production: the western province of Verona in the hills between Lake Garda and the town of Soave; the central hills in the provinces of Vicenza, Padova and Treviso; the eastern plains of the Piave and Tagliamento river basins along the Adriatic coast northeast of Venice.

Verona's classic wines are bona fide natives. Soave, from Garganega and Trebbiano di Soave, is usually dry and still, though spumante and sweet Recioto versions are also prescribed. Third after Chianti and Asti Spumante in volume among classified wines (with some 50 million liters a year), Soave has long been Italy's most popular DOC wine abroad.

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