Fine wines
When the September sunshine bathes whole slopes and their vines in golden light, we get a foretaste of next year’s scintillating wines. Italy boasts a rich wine culture, which the Romans even took over the Alps with them. Wine has always been deeply rooted in everyday Italian culture and is every bit as diverse as the different regions of Italy. Each vineyard has completely different characteristics. Despite cutting-edge technology, it still comes down to the ancient trio of soil (terroir), vines and tradition.
Growing regions
There is so much more to Italy than just Lugana, Prosecco and Chianti: the country is full of local specialities and grape varieties. Among the 850,000 hectares of vineyard there are both world-renowned individual estates and a host of small winemakers, some of whom only produce enough for their own consumption. It’s well worth going to tastings and visits to wineries can turn into real journeys of discovery. Each individual is encouraged to form their own view of the wines – their aromas, their flavours and how long they remain in the memory. After all, the diversity of grape varieties and tradition also reflects the people and their passion, resulting in special moments of great pleasure.
In the last few years there has been a small revolution: the focus has moved to quality rather than volume. Those regions that have long been known for making strong wines with a high alcohol content have performed particularly well. Modern winemaking has changed Sicily and brought forth fresh white and rosé wines. Sparkling Spumante from Franciacorta (Lombardy) is able to hold its own in comparisons with Champagne, red wines from Piedmont continue to be seen as some of the best in the world, and even a mass wine region such as Lazio is now producing some sleek wines.
Grape varieties
It’s not Primitivo that heads the list of most common grape varieties. First place is shared by Trebbiano (white) and Sangiovese (red) with around ten percent each, followed by the red varieties of Barbera, Merlot, Negro Amaro, Montepulciano, Primitivo and Dolcetto. The wide range of grape varieties together with changing soils, hours of sunlight, rainfall and microclimates all combine to ensure special moments of pleasure each year.
Legends
Tuscany has what is possibly Italy’s most famous wine region: nine communities between Florence and Siena form the heartland of Chianti Classico. At least 85 percent of the wine must come from Sangiovese grapes. White grapes used to be added to make the wine ready for drinking earlier.
With Barbaresco and Barolo, Piedmont has two of Italy’s best-known red wines. They share the Nebbiolo grape, one of the country’s oldest varieties. It delivers full-bodied wines that mature beautifully. Barbaresco and Barolo are often referred to as the “King and Queen” of Italian red wines. The latter is softer, perhaps even more elegant, thus a genuine queen.
Sassicaia: This wine has made it to Hollywood. In the comedy “Sideways” it marks the beginning of a great passion. Since 1968, Italy’s first pure Cabernet Sauvignon has been conquering the world and has fuelled a wine boom south of Livorno that has continued to this day.
Classification
For years, mass-produced wines and high-quality vineyards were almost irreconcilable opposites, driven by Italian wine laws that alongside Vino da Tavola (VdT, table wines with low quality specifications) used DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) and DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Granantita) to classify the two highest quality levels. Quantity restrictions ensured that only a few wineries were able to take advantage of these attractive designations. Unlike table wine, which makes up over 60 percent of production, these wines display their year of vintage as part of their marketing appeal.
