In ancient times, the Italian peninsula was commonly referred to as
enotria, or “land of wine,” because of its rich diversity of grape
varieties and many acres dedicated to cultivated vines. In more ways
than one, Italy became a gigantic nursery and a commercial hub
fortuitously positioned at the heart of the Mediterranean for what would
become western civilization’s first “globally” traded product: wine.
Italy’s prominence in the global wine industry has in no way diminished
despite millennia of history. The sun-drenched North-South peninsula
that extends from the thirty-sixth to the forty-sixth parallel embodies
pockets of geographical, geological, and climatic perfection between the
Upper Adige and the island of Pantelleria for the production of quality
wine. Italian tradition is so closely grafted to the vine that the good
cheer and easy attitudes associated with wine culture are mirrored in
the nation’s temperament.
The Italian Wine Revolution
Despite Italy’s long affinity with vitis vinifera, the Italian wine
industry has experienced an invigorating rebirth over the past three
decades that truly sets it apart from other European wine nations.
American baby boomers may still recall watery Valpolicella or Chianti
Classico in hay-wrapped flasks at neighborhood New York eateries, or the
generic “white” and “red” wines of Sicily’s Corvo. Wines like those
cemented Italy’s reputation as a quantity (as opposed to quality, like
in France) producer of wines sold at attractive prices. But as Italy
gained confidence during the prosperous post-war years in the areas of
design, fashion, and gastronomy, it demonstrated renewed attention to
wine. Thanks to a small band of primarily Tuscan vintners, Italy
launched itself with aggressive determination onto the world stage as a
producer of some of the best wines ever produced anywhere: Amarone,
Barolo, Bunello di Montalcino, and Passito di Pantelleria. Italian wine
information and experiences now sit amongst the most coveted wine
regions of the world.
Like a happy epidemic, modern viticulture and enological techniques
swept across the Italian peninsula throughout the 1980s and 1990s:
Vertical shoot positioning and bilateral cordon trellising in vineyards;
stainless steel, temperature-controlled fermentation, and barrique wood
aging in wineries. As profits soared, producers reinvested in
technology, personnel, and high-priced consultants and a modern Italian
wine revolution had suddenly taken place.
Italian Wine Terms
As it stands, Italy is the world’s second largest producer of wine
after France. Each year, one in fifty Italians is involved with the
grape harvest. And like France, Italy has adopted a rigorous controlled
appellation system that imposes strict controls with regulations
governing vineyard quality, yields per acre, and aging practices among
other things. There are over three hundred DOC (Denominazioni di Origine
Controllata) and DOCG (Denominazioni di Origine Controllata e
Garantita) wines today and the classifications increase to over five
hundred when IGT (Indicazioni Geografica Tipica) wines are factored in.
Thanks to this system, Italy’s fifty thousand wineries enjoy a
competitive advantage when it comes to the production and sales of
quality wines. These Italian wine terms allow consumers to understand
various levels of designation so they can make informed buying
decisions.
Italian Wine Grapes
Interestingly, there is a second wine revolution underway that promises
to unlock potential uniquely associated with Italy. It is the
re-evaluation and celebration of Italy’s rich patrimony of “indigenous”
grapes. (Because some varieties actually originated outside Italy,
producers often refer to them as “traditional” varieties instead.) These
are grapes—like Nero d’Avola, Fiano, Sagrantino, and Teroldego—that
only modern enotria can offer to world consumers. As a result, a rapidly
increasing number of vintners from Italy’s twenty winemaking regions
are banking on “traditional” varieties to distinguish themselves in a
market dominated by “international” varieties such as Merlot, Cabernet
Sauvignon, and Chardonnay.
Major Regions of Italian Wine
The North
The Italian Alps butt against the long expanses of the Po River plains
leaving tiny pockets and microclimates along the foot of the mountains
that are each linked to their own special wine. Starting in northwestern
Piedmont, Nebbiolo grapes form two tall pillars of Italy’s wine legacy:
Barolo and Barbaresco, named in the French tradition after the hilltop
hamlets where the wines were born. Like in Burgundy, the exclusivity of
these wines has a lot to do with winemakers’ battle against nature and
the wine’s extraordinary ability to age. Rare vintages like the stellar
1985 or 1990 Barolos are the darlings of serious wine collectors.
Further east, in the Veneto region, vintners follow an ancient formula
in which wine is made from raisins dried on straw mats. With its higher
concentration and alcohol, silky Amarone is Italy’s most distinctive
wine and can command record prices for new-releases. The Veneto,
Trentino, Alto Adige, and Friuli-Venezia Giulia are celebrated for their
white wines—such as the phenomenally successful Pinot Grigio. Italy’s
best sparkling wine is made in Trentino and the Franciacorta area of
Lombardy (known as the “Champagne of Italy”) under strict regulation
with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes.
The Center
With its cypress-crested hills and beautiful stone farmhouses, Tuscany
is the pin-up queen of Italian enology. The region’s iconic dreamscape
has helped promote the image of Italian wine abroad unlike no other.
Within Tuscany’s borders is a treasure-trove of excellent wines: Chianti
Classico, Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, San
Gimignano whites, Bolgheri and Maremma reds. Italy’s wine revolution
started here when storied producers like Piero Antinori worked outside
appellation regulations to make wines blended with international
varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon. These wines are known as
SuperTuscans and are considered par with the top crus of Bordeaux and
California.
Central Italy delivers many more exciting wines such as Sagrantino from
the Umbrian town of Montefalco, dense and dark Montepulciano from
Abruzzo, and white Verdicchio from Le Marche.
South and Islands
The regions of southern Italy, and the island of Sicily in particular,
are regarded as Italy’s enological frontier: Relaxed regulation and
increased experimentation promise a bright future for vintners and
investors alike. In many ways, Italy’s south is a “new world” wine
region locked within the confines of an “old world” wine reality. This
unique duality has many betting on its enological promise.
Campania boasts wonderful whites such as Fiano and Greco di Tufo that
embody crisp, mineral characteristics from volcanic soils. Its red is
Taurasi (“the Barolo of the south”) made from Aglianico. That same grape
makes Basilicata’s much-hyped Aglianico del Vulture. Puglia, the “heel”
of the boot of Italy, was mostly a producer of bulk wine, but holds it
own today among nascent wine regions with its powerhouse Primitivo and
Negroamaro grapes.
Sicily has shown keen marketing savvy in bringing media attention to
its native grapes like Nero d’Avola (red) and Grillo (a white once used
in the production of fortified wine Marsala) and has done a great job of
promoting the Italian south in general. Some of Europe’s most sensuous
dessert wines come from Sicily’s satellite islands, like the honey-rich
Passito di Pantelleria. The Mediterranean’s other big island, Sardinia,
is steadily working on its Cannonau and Vermentino grapes to raise the
bar on quality there.
As you taste through various regions of Italy you will come to
understand the Italian wine dictionary and what makes each region and
indigenous grape variety, so special.