| Type of Wine |
Italy (Other)
: There are dozens of grape varietals grown in Italy so no wonder they produce such a broad range of most exquisite wines. Some of the most cultivated red varieties are Nebbiolo, Aglianico, Sangiovese, and Barbera, while Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon are also popular. Among whites, you're likely to find Pinot Grigio, Trebbiano, or Vernaccia varietals.
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| Varietal |
Barbera
: The country of Italy is a viticultural paradise, teeming with some of the world’s most popular grape varietals. Among this plethora of quality grapes is Barbera; once regarded as rather ordinary partly because it was so widely planted. In fact it was one of the most common Piemontese grapes and used as the everyday drinking wine on Italian dinner tables. However, “No grape has known such a dramatic upgrade in its fortunes and image in the last 20 years than Barbera in Piemonte, north-west Italy,” states the great Jancis Robinson.
Barbera vines have grown in the Piedmont region of Monferrato for centuries, where it is thought to have originated. It was traditionally used to make inexpensive, easy drinking everyday wines and grown and sold in bulk for blending. At the beginning of the twentieth century, it was the third most planted red grape in Italy with 20, 524 hectares covering the hills of Italy. The total amount of hectares grown in Italy is diminishing; however, where the quantity of vines is lessening, the quality of wine is on the rise. Barbera is encountered in both blended wines and varietals and the latter are becoming increasingly common as Italy continues its move towards varietal labeling.
The vigorous, adaptable vines of Barbera can grow in a myriad of soils from calcareous clay to limestone to sand and can withstand hot climates. Although the majority of Barbera is planted in Piedmont, it can be found in numerous appellations of Italy, including Emilia-Romagna, Puglia, Campania, Sicily and Sardinia. Because of its heat tolerance, it has also traveled beyond its native homeland, landing in South Africa, Australia, Argentina and California and is responsible for high quality wines in each of these countries. The thick-skinned, dark purple berries of Barbera grow on rootstocks that have no known incompatibilities making this feat even more possible.
Barbera d’Asti and Barbera d’Alba remain the quintessential wines of Italy, hailing from the towns of Asti and Alba. These locations have placed Barbera on the map of varietal driven markets around the world, influencing their “New World” counterparts. The wines made from Barbera are juicy, relatively light bodied despite its deep, bold purple color and is extremely drinkable due to its refreshingly high acidity, low tannins and moderate alcohol. This once common table wines has been elevated to a new standard and is being recognized as one of the great varietals of Italy, alongside the esteemed Sangiovese and Nebbiolo.
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| Country |
Italy
: Italy is renowned as one of the world’s greatest gastronomic havens; from certified Prosciutto di Parma to the sea-side seafood eateries on the island of Sicily. However, this epicurean experience could not possibly be as hedonistic without the ethereal combination of the country’s plethora of fine wines. It seems unfair that a nation should be able to boast, both, some of the world’s greatest cuisine as well as its greatest wines. Italian wine is one of the most sought after in the world, and has become the second most produced in the world, behind only France.
Stretching an impressive 736 miles from northern Italy to the peninsula’s southern tip, the country’s geography generates an enormous array of topography, climate and soil structure. This is an extremely important quality of its winegrowing and making industry which lays claim to nearly 550 different grape varietals, which all desire their own necessities, in terms of terroir and climate.
The still red wines of Italy truly characterize the nation’s vast and expansive terroir; Nebbiolo dominates Piedmont, where Barolo and Barbaresco reign king and queen of the region’s production. Hailing from Brunello di Montalcino in Tuscany, the rockstar Sangiovese grape has become synonymous with greatness. Vin Santo sweet wines have taken on a mighty feat of competing with the glorious wines of Sauternes, and of course, Prosecco. Prosecco, located in Trieste (northeast Italy) and its creation of luxuriously effervescent styles of wine has become Italy’s answer to Champagne. The Glera grape variety, which has become synonymous with the name Prosecco, is the main ingredient and is beloved in the appellation where the village of Prosecco’s name has become world renowned.
The blurred boundary between Italy and the countries of Slovenia and Austria, where German influence still resonates through Friuli wines. The prevalence of Riesling and other such grape varietals is high in this region and have become extremely popular on today’s market.
With nearly 702,000 hectares of grapevines covering the massive and diverse landscape, Italy’s annual average of 48.3 million hectoliters of wine production is second only to France in terms of volume and Spain in terms of hectares of vines. The country is vast and overwhelming when it comes to the culinary arts, but perhaps even this is overshadowed by its production of some of the world’s most sought after wines, whether the omnipresent Chianti to the highly collectible and sought after Amarone della Valpolicalla.
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