The Best Italian Wines

ITALIAN WINES

Italy is a world leader in the production of wines, especially quality wines. It is difficult to talk about a definitive ranking because in Italy the tendency of wine producers is to continuously improve, day after day and even the rankings we often see new wines come to the fore.

HOW TO MOVE AMONG ITALIAN WINES

Entering the world of Italian wines is a rich and enjoyable experience, which however requires a good guide.

Italy is one of the major producers of fine wines, often linked to a DOC or DOCG. (The letters DOC or DOCG on an Italian wine label mean Denominazione di Origine Controllata, and Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita, the latter superior to the first. They refer to government guarantees of the wines’ origins.)

THE BEST

Among the most important areas of Italian wine production, the Langhe in Piedmont, the Valpolicella in Veneto, the Chianti Classico, Montalcino and Bolgheri in Tuscany deserve a mention, where in addition to these prestigious denominations the Supertuscans are also produced, a category much appreciated both in Italy and abroad. However, all Italian regions boast noteworthy wine productions, such as Sicily, Sardinia, Trentino Alto Adige and Friuli Venezia Giulia, to name a few.

There are many Italian wines and vines appreciated in Italy and in the world, mostly red: one can not start from Brunello di Montalcino and Chianti Classico, both from Tuscany, from Barolo and Barbaresco, from Piedmont, but there are fewer wines universally known, which are often in the top positions in the rankings of the best Italian wines in the world.

It would be worth to list ALL the wines by region, of course, but as a starting point, below is a general list with the most notable wines for each region.

A GENERAL LIST BY REGION

(Underlined are my favorites)

Valle Aosta Wines – The Enfer d’Arvier and the Moscato di Chambave

Wines of Piedmont – Barolo, Barbaresco and Gattinara

Wines of Liguria – Cinque Terre and Rossese di Dolceacqua (I recently bought a bottle of Sciacchetrá, and I shall write about this expensive wine as well)

Lombardi Wines – Franciacorta and Valtellina

Wines of Trentino Alto Adige – The Gewurztraminer Alto Adige and the classic Trento

Wines of Veneto – Amarone della Valpolicella and Conegliano Valdobbiadene – Prosecco

Friuli Venezia Giulia wines – Collio Sauvignon and Collio Ribolla Gialla

Wines of Emilia Romagna – Lambrusco di Sorbara and Albana di Romagna

Tuscan Wines – Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino and Bolgheri Superiore

Umbrian wines -The Montefalco Sagrantino and the Torgiano

Marche wines – Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi and Rosso Piceno

Lazio Wines – The Upper Frascati and the Cesanese del Piglio

Abruzzo Wines – Montepulciano d’Abruzzo and Trebbiano d’Abruzzo

Wines of Molise – Il Biferno and Pentro

Campania Wines – Taurasi and Fiano di Avellino

Wines of Puglia – Castel del Monte and Salice Salentino

Wines of Basilicata – Aglianico del Vulture, the undisputed protagonist of the region

Calabrian Wines – Il Cirò and the Greco di Bianco

Sicilian Wines – Red Etna and Virgin Marsala, but I want to add also Nero D’Avola who is getting a lot of attention lately, see: Nero D’Avola got its “Route”

Sardinian wines – Vermentino di Gallura and Cannonau di Sardegna