Italian Wine Regions

There are many Italian wine regions worthy of note. This is largely due to the fact that Italy has been producing wine longer than most other countries.

It is believed that the Etruscan and Greek settlers first began growing grapes within Italy far before the Romans. Once the Romans began to thrive, they began to build large vineyards. The Romans were well known all over the world for their excellent wines, and they turned this venture into a well oiled machine. Nearly two thousand years after the Romans existed, Italy still remains an important part of the wine world. Below, you will find a list of the most popular Italian wine regions.

There are approximately twenty different regions within Italy including the most popular ones such as Lombardy, Liguria, Piedmont, Veneto, Umbria, Lazio, Tuscany, Campania, Calabria, Sicily, and Abruzzo. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in Italy, there are more than 350 grapes that have been recognized. Some of those grapes include sangiovese, nebbiolo, montepulciano (not the town), barbera, corvino, moscato, pinot grigio, tocai friulano, If you happen to come across a bottle that has been labelled a “Super Tuscan,” you are in for a real treat.

Super Tuscans include any red wine that does not go by traditional standards. These bottles include various grapes that cannot be classified by the DOC. However, these wines are some of the best in the world, so if you get the chance to taste one do not pass it up! Hopefully, you now know a thing or two about those Italian wine regions. The sooner you can get out there and taste some of the bottles, the more knowledgeable you will become.

As you make your way through Italy by tasting various bottles, you will begin to see the difference that the area truly makes. While most people only think of the grape, the soil that a grape grows in is integral to the overall taste of the wine itself. Once you become familiar with the various regions, you can then chose a bottle based upon the tastes that you know so well.

It is a lot of fun to explore various Italian wine regions, so get started with a few bottles form the areas listed above. Any great wine store will have all of those that are listed, so you can try all that you like.