Italy contains some of the oldest wine producing regions in the world and currently has over a million vineyards. Italy has a diverse range of wines reflecting the diversity of the country. It boasts over 1000 varieties of wine using 300 varieties of grape. This is good news for a world where wine is becoming increasingly standardised. The quality of Italian wines is also extremely high, they rank among some of the world’s best wines. The vast majority of these are red wines. In addition to this, Italian red wines are very affordable, boasting some of the best value prices in Europe.
History of Italian Wines
Italian wines have an interesting history. Italy is one of the oldest wine producers in the world and wine production can be traced all the way back to Greek settlers in Italy long before the Romans. During the Roman Empire wine production was more organised and on a bigger scale. It was the Romans who began bottling the wine and many Italian wines still come in a similar round style. At this time Italian wine had a much stronger alcohol content and high acidity levels. Wine has an important role in Italian society, the Romans used to drink wine with every meal and today, wine is still one of the most popular drinks in Italy. Italian red wine used to have a strikingly different taste to modern day wine. It had an extremely high alcohol content as well as a high level of acidity. Consequently, it had to be watered down and was sometimes mixed with honey, herbs and spices and called ‘mulsum’. Italian wine has been refined over the years and is now shipped all over the world.
The Italian Classification System
Italy has a classification system to show the quality of the wine, it has four different classes. The first is Vino da Tavola, this is generally table wine and shows that the wine is from Italy. The appellation Indicazione Geografica Tipica denotes a wine that is produced in a specific region of Italy. Wines tend to be new and generally of a good quality, however, often do not comply with the same strict standards of old world wines. The DOC refers to more specific wine producing regions and are limited to specific grapes. The most prestigious wines fall under the DOCG classification. They are required to pass a blind taste test in addition to following very strict legal requirements.
Types of Red Wine With Regions of Italy
Italy is full of hills and mountains making it ideal for vineyards and all twenty of its regions are suitable for producing great wine. The North West of Italy produces some of the country’s top red wines. Barolo, made from the Nebbiolo grape, is possibly the highest regarded red wine in Italy. Barbaresco, which also lies within the North West region and is made from the Nebbiolo grape, is also of high quality and is usually slightly cheaper than Barolo.
The North East region produces some famous wines including Valpolicella, which is airy, light and easy to drink. Amarone della Valpolicella is also from this region but instead has a rich, full bodied taste with delightful flavours.
Tuscany, in Central Italy, produces some particularly famous wines produced from the Sangiovese grape. Cental Italy is home to Chianti wine, which is one of the most well known types of Italian wine abroad. It has a soured cherry and tobacco like taste. The quality of Chianti wines does vary, some wines can be fairly acidic and unpleasant which has slightly tarnished its reputation. Some wines in this region do not comply with all DOC rules but are still of excellent quality, they have been termed ‘SuperTuscan’ wines and are often pricier than other wines in the area.
The Southern region produces approximately 40% of the country’s wine. Southern Italian red wines are extremely good value and are of consistent quality. This is partly due to the warm climate which produces fruity and juicy wines. The Aglianico grape produces many popular wines, it produces a fruity and peppery flavour. Wines from this grape are slowly gaining more attention and may be a hit in the future.
Italian red wine is well regarded throughout the world. Wine has played an important role in Italian society for centuries and continues to be central to Italy in modern times. Barolo and Barbaresco grown in the North West region are some of the country’s most exquisite red wines. However, other regions also have a lot to offer, particularly wines made from the Sangiovese grape in central Italy and some of the more recent Southern Italian wines
