Understanding Italian Wines

History of Italian Wine

With a wine history dating back more than 4,000 years and a climate ideally suited to viticulture, Italy is one of the most diverse winemaking countries in the world. By the time the Greeks first came to southern Italy, wine had long been a part of everyday life. Grapes were so easily cultivated they named the country Oenotria, meaning the land of wine

Second in the world only to France, Italy has consistently been a world leader in wine production. Let’s run through the main types of Italian red and white wines:

MAJOR ITALIAN RED WINES

Italian red wines bring up the image of grape-stomping parties that provide fun for the whole village. Fortunately, you don’t have to press the grapes yourself to enjoy a bottle of good Italian red wine. The major reds are described in the following list:

• Amarone: Lusty, full-bodied wine from partially-dried Corvina grapes, in the Veneto region. Dry and firm wine, but its ripe, concentrated fruitiness suggests sweetness. Needs rich, savory foods or flavorful cheeses.
• Barbaresco: Similar to Barolo, from the same grape in a nearby area, but generally a tad lighter in body and slightly more approachable. Drinks best at 8 to 15 years of age, depending on the producer.
• Barbera: Varietal wine produced mainly in the Piedmont region. Dry, light- or medium-bodied, with intense berry flavor, mouth-watering acidity, and little tannin. Particularly versatile with food. Many of the best wines are from the Alba or Asti zones.
• Barolo: Dry, full-bodied, magisterial wine from Nebbiolo grapes in the Barolo area of Piedmont. Has complex aromas and flavors of strawberries, tar, herbs, and earth, as well as a firm, tannic structure. Drinks best at 10 to 20 years of age, depending on the producer.
• Brunello di Montalcino: Full-bodied, intense, concentrated wine from Sangiovese grapes grown in the Montalcino zone of Tuscany. Dry and quite tannic, it drinks best when it’s at least 15 years old.
• Chianti: Very dry, medium-bodied, moderately tannic wine with lovely tart-cherry flavor, mainly from Sangiovese grapes grown in the Chianti area of Tuscany. “Chianti Classico” is often the best. Some wines are good young; wines labeled riserva, and pricier wines, are generally more concentrated and age-worthy.
• Lambrusco: Most commonly a sweet, fizzy wine with delicious, grapey flavors. Made from Lambrusco grapes usually in the Emilia-Romagna region. Dry and sparkling styles also exist.
• Montepulciano d’Abruzzo: Generally medium-bodied and flavorful with red fruits and a slightly vegetal note. Lighter examples are smooth and easy to drink; the best wines are concentrated and denser in texture. From the Montepulciano grape, in the Abruzzo region.
• Primitivo is a dark-skinned grape very similar to the US Zinfandel known for producing inky, tannic wines, particularly Primitivo di Manduria and its naturally sweet Dolce Naturale variant. A classic Primitivo wine is high in both alcohol and tannins, intensely flavoured and deeply coloured. 
• Salice Salentino: Dry, full-bodied wine from Negroamaro grapes in part of the Puglia region. Generally has somewhat intense aromas and flavors of ripe, plummy, baked fruit, and rich, dense texture. Suitable with robust foods.
• Valpolicella: Medium-bodied wine mainly from Corvina grapes in the Valpolicella area of Veneto region. Dry, lean, and only moderately tannic, with more or less intense cherry aromas and flavors. Some versions, such as single-vineyard wines, are particularly good.
• Vino Nobile di Montepulciano: Medium-bodied, dry, and lean, with red cherry flavor, similar to Chianti but slightly fuller. Made from Sangiovese grapes in Montepulciano, in the Tuscany region.

MAJOR ITALIAN WHITE WINES

Italian white wines come in varieties that run from sparkling and sweet to smooth and fruity to crisp and dry. The following list describes each of the major Italian white whites:

• Asti: Sparkling wine made from Moscato grapes around Asti, in Piedmont. Deliciously sweet, low in alcohol, with pronounced fruity and floral flavors. Usually non-vintage, but freshness and youth are essential to its quality.
• Frascati: From the Frascati area, south of Rome, and mainly Trebbiano grapes. Dry or slightly off-dry, light-bodied, and un-oaked with crisp acidity and subdued flavor.
• Gavi: Dry, medium-bodied wine from Cortese grapes in the Gavi area of Piedmont. Typically crisp and un-oaked (sometimes slightly oaky) with delicate notes of honey, apples, and minerals.
• Moscato: is the Italian name for the Muscat family of grapes. Muscat grapes are numerous; the most notable varietals include Moscato Giallo, Muscat of Alexandria, Orange Muscat as well as Red, White and Brown Frontignan varietals. Muscat varietals are one of the worlds most commonly grown grapes. They are not only used in the production of wine but also for the production of raisins. Moscato refers to the Italian style of using Moscato Giallo, creating a lightly sparkling wine that adheres to strict alcohol content and production techniques. Generally served as a dessert style, though can be used as an aperitif. In Australia, the Moscato name is used for lighter, sweeter wines that have lower alcohol content.

• Orvieto: A generally medium-bodied wine made mainly from Grechetto grapes around Orvieto, in the Umbria region. Dry, crisp, with flavors of pear and apple and a pleasantly bitter finish.
• Pinot Grigio: Generally light-bodied, dry, and crisp, with subdued aromas and flavors and no oakiness. Made from Pinot Gris grapes, usually in Northeastern Italy. Wines from Collio or Alto-Adige DOCs (controlled origin denomination) are usually the best.
• Soave: From the Soave zone in the Veneto region, made mainly from Garganega grapes. Generally dry, crisp, un-oaked, and light- or medium-bodied, with subdued flavors of pear, apple, or peach.
• Verdicchio: Dry, medium-bodied, crisp white with minerally flavor and a sea-air freshness. From Verdicchio grapes in the Marche region.
• Vermentino: is a light-skinned wine grape variety, primarily found in Italian wine. It is widely planted in Sardinia, in Liguria primarily under the name Pigato, to some extent in Corsica, in Piedmont under the name Favorita, and in increasing amounts in Languedoc-Roussillon. The leaves are dark green and pentagona

To completely understand Italian wines you will need to know the appellation system, which is mostly shown as an initial on the wine or in the description. It may give you a concept of quality but the system is renowned for its inconsistencies, so ultimately drink what you like rather than judge a wine by the initials attached to the bottle.

The Italian Wine Classification System

(similar to the French appellation system) is made up of four categories:

• Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) – A notable difference for wines is that DOCG labelled wines are analysed and tasted by government–licensed personnel before being bottled. To prevent later manipulation, DOCG wine bottles then are sealed with a numbered governmental seal across the cap or cork. Wines labelled DOC or DOCG may only be sold in bottles holding 5 litres or less.
• Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) –  DOC is the designation of a wine and/or food product given by the Italian government to ensure quality and authenticity. It is a system which was introduced in 1963 to protect both the producer and consumer. There is no Government guarantee at this level wine which is the 2nd highest rating.
• Indicazione di Geografica Tipica (IGT) – is the third of four classifications of wine recognised by the government of Italy. Created to recognise the unusually high quality of the class of wines known as Super Tuscans, IGT wines are labeled with the locality of their creation.
• Vino Da Tavola (VdT) – wines under VdT now consisted of bottles of wine without mentioning the grape type and vintage, and therefore there were very few quality requirements for these wines. Often to be considered “Italian table wines”.