Each year, it is not
uncommon for Italy to find itself at the top
of a number of wine-related lists, not the
least of which ranks it as the largest
producer, exporter and consumer of wine in
the world. This fact is all the more
impressive when you consider that Italy is
not a very large country - indeed it is less
than three-quarters the size of California.
Even considering the roughly 8 billion
bottles of wine it produces each year, the
country manages to stay true to wine styles
that go back four thousand years. As a
result, Italy not only has more local grape
varieties than any other country, but it
also has some of the most distinctive wines
on Earth.
One of the major
considerations with Italy's unique wine
style is the wide range of diverse cultures
that exist throughout its twenty wine
regions. Each of these cultures has a robust
sense of pride that translates directly into
wine making. At best, understanding Italian
wine is intimidating, at worst it seems all
but impossible.
Like
any journey of significance it's best to
take it one step at a time. While Italian
wine is both vastly complex and
inconsistent, there are some concrete
starting points.
First, let's take a look
at the general qualities of Italian wine:
Italian wines tend to be high in acidity
- This is because wine with a strong
showing of acidity tends to pair better with
food. No surprise then that the food
oriented cultures of Italy have opted for
wine that compliments their amazing
dedication to cuisine! This means white
wines tend to be crisp and red wines tend to
be firm.
Subdued, earthy aromas - One of the
overriding characteristics of Italian wine
is the touch of the land that one can smell
and taste in every bottle. The nose might
have hints of mushrooms, soil, minerals or
grass. These qualities are commonly referred
to as an earthiness that prevents the wine
from competing with food.
Medium Body
- Though there are some
excellent heavier wines in Italy (such as
Barolo), the majority are more medium bodied
in nature. Again, more suitable to the wide
array of food dishes that perform better
when not overwhelmed by a heaviness.
Distinctly Italian Grapes - While
Italy does grow most of the grapes found
throughout the world, it also has many, many
local varieties that are only grown in their
respective regions. Nebbiolo, for example,
is the grape used to make Barolo and is only
found in Piedmont and Lombardy. Because the
Italian climate is perfect for grape
growing, many varieties have evolved over
thousands of years to respond specifically
to one region. As such, it is
extraordinarily difficult to try and
transplant them to different countries.
Italian
Red Wines
Major Red GrapesThere are over twenty
major types of red grape varieties in Italy,
but we can start with what are arguably the
most important three:
Sangiovese (san joe VAE sae) - Planted in plenty
throughout the country, particularly in
Tuscany and Umbria, this is the major grape
of Chianti and the popular Super-Tuscan
wines. Medium in body, the grape typically
carries strong tannin, high acidity and
flavors of herbs and cherries.
Nebbiolo
(nehb
be OH loh) - Specific to the Piedmont
region, this grape makes two of Italy's most
notorious wines: Barolo and Barbaresco.
These wines are a shoe-in for anyone
building a cellar because they age
particularly well. The grape is full-bodied
with high acidity and strong tannin,
invoking flavors of strawberries, mushrooms,
tar and truffles.
Barbera (bar BAE rah) - This grape runs neck
and neck with Sangiovese as the most planted
in the country. It is a lighter grape with
little tannin and high acidity. The fruit
flavors tend to be more pronounced than in
other varieties and as such it is an
excellent summer red and great on its own.
Important Italian Whites
Pinot Grigio
(pee
noh GREE joe) - The Italian version of Pinot
Gris, this white grape has won widespread
acclaim all over the world. Though not as
rich as its French counter-part, it carries
flavors of peach with a high-acid, minerally
quality.
Trebbiano
(trehb bee AH
noh) - Though undeniably common in Italy, it
has also suffered from casual growing
habits. It is
primarily
known for producing inexpensive whites that
are crisp and bland. It is a wine that at
best pairs well with food, particularly
shell-fish, and rarely can be enjoyed on its
own.
Tocai
Friulano (toh KYE free
oo LAH no) - Fans of Pinot Grigio tend to be
pleasantly surprised by this grape. With
characteristic Italian crispness and
acidity, it can also carry rich and full
textures that are more complex than is
typical for whites. It grows primarily in
the Friuli region.
Verdicchio
and Vernaccia - These
grapes have some of the same body, crispness
and acidity as Trebbino, but with a bit more
spunk. Richer flavors and aromas including
hints of lemon and sea air are common. They
are typically un-oaked.
One could spend a lifetime
learning all there is to know about the
dozens of grape varieties grown in Italy,
particularly when you explore how they are
best paired with foods from their respective
regions. Further articles will explore some
of the rules governing wine production in
Italy, including how to sift your way
through wine labels, but having a
familiarity with the major grapes listed
above will form a firm foundation for
discovering the distinctive personalities of
Italian wine!
About The Author
Tynan Szvetecz is an editor for
http://www.savoreachglass.com,
an international wine directory that
is helping explore the spirit of
wine for a new generation.
The U.S. Tour Operators Association annual
survey shows that Italy is the world's top
vacation destination. This country really
has something for everyone. Italy's
attractions include secular and religious
sites spanning centuries if not millennia,
isolated villages and dynamic cities, ski
resorts, beaches, and world-class fashion.
And you will love its outstanding cuisine,
and their unique
wines,
what wines. Italy has an unmatched selection
of local grape varieties. Should you prefer
international grape varieties such as
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, you won't be
disappointed.
Are you aware that Italy is subdivided into
twenty regions? Each and every one is
different, and well worth touring. Some such
as Piedmont are world famous. Others such as
Bascilicata are almost never visited by
foreigners, or even by Italians themselves.
Italy can be divided into three major
sections: Northern Italy, sharing a border
with four European countries (France,
Switzerland, Austria, and Slovenia), Central
Italy, and the South, traditionally the
poorest part of Italy.
Northern Italy is composed of eight regions:
The Aosta Valley, Piedmont (whose capital is
Turin), Lombardy (whose capital is Milan),
Trentino-Alto Adige, Friuli-Venezia Giulia,
Veneto (whose capital is Venice),
Emilia-Romagna, and Liguria (whose capital
is Genoa). Central Italy is composed of six
regions: Tuscany (whose capital is
Florence), Umbria, The Marches, Abruzzi,
Molise, and Latium (whose capital is Rome).
Southern Italy is composed of six regions:
Apulia, Campania (whose capital is Naples),
Basilicata, Calabria, and the islands of
Sicily (whose capital is Palermo) and
Sardinia.
Each article will present a region and
several of its tourist attractions. We love
Italianwineand
food (as expressed in our series I Love
Italian Wine and Food), so we'll present
regional wines and foods of special
interest.
Because we'll be discussing regional wines,
let's briefly look at the Italian wine
classifications. These classifications will
also come in handy if you're an armchair
tourist and want to enjoy Italian wine at
home or in your favoriterestaurant.
Wine and Food Classification. In 1963 Italy
legally defined four wine classifications
that presumably help consumers choose their
wine. While most wine producing countries
have instituted official wine
classifications, arguably the Italian system
is the most controversial, possibly the most
abused, and probably the most ignored by the
wine producers themselves. Should you learn
a bit about them anyway? We think so.
VdT stands for Vino da Tavola, translated as
table wine. Table wines may be made from any
grape, or mixture of grapes, anywhere within
Italy. Usually they are quite ordinary, and
in Italy are often served directly from the
barrel. And yet on occasion VdT wines are
excellent and priced accordingly.
IGT stands for Indicazione Geografica Tipica,
which may be translated as Typical
Geographic Indication, in other words a wine
that typifies its specific location. This
classification specifies the wine's
geography but is silent about its
composition and production method. As for
the previous category, sometimes IGT wines
are excellent.
DOC stands for Denominazione di Origine
Controllata, which may be translated as
Denomination of Controlled Origin. Each and
every region has at least one DOC wine, but
some have dozens. A given DOC defines the
permissible grape or grape varieties as well
as numerous details about the grape growing
andwinemakingprocess.
About one fifth of Italian wine is
classified DOC or better. Such a statistic
should warn you that a DOC on the label is
no guarantee of quality. DOCG stands for Denominazione di Origine
Controllata e Guarantita, which may be
translated as Denomination of Controlled and
Guaranteed Origin. Please realize that this
letter G on the label is no guarantee of
quality. But you can expect to pay more for
a DOCG wine than for its less prestigious
DOC cousin.
Unlike most countries, Italy has gone to the
trouble to set up an extensive
classification system for food, all kinds of
food including olive oil, cheese, and even
fruit. Look for the term Denominazione
d'Origine Protetta, abbreviated as DOP,
which may be translated as Denomination of
Protected Origin. You'll have to decide on
your own if it's worth paying a bit more to
buy a certified orange.
Have you had enough of the generalities? It
is time to move on to the specific Italian
regions.
A
bout
the Author:
Levi Reiss has authored alone or with a
co-author ten computer and Internet books,
but to tell the truth, he would really
rather just drink fine French, German, or
other wine, accompanied by the right foods.
He teaches classes in computers at an
Ontario French-language community college.
His global wine website iswww.theworldwidewine.comand
his Italian wine website iswww.theitalianwineconnection.com.
Italian wine smells
by Nestler
I am often reminded by my
relations of the first family wedding that I
was allowed to go to as a six year old. My
much older cousin was getting married to a
beautiful Italian lady and of course her
relatives insisted upon Italian wine at the
reception.
I had been introduced to
wine with a lot of water in it as a baby
(presumably so I would go to sleep) but this
hadn't really awakened my sense of smell to
wine. One of the waitresses at the reception
in a marquee on an unusually pleasant
English day took a bit of a shine (in a
grandmotherly way) to this six year old and
I was quietly presented with a glass of
wine. "Italian", she said, "don't tell
anyone".
So I took a sniff at this
'adult' beverage and said to my 70 year old
neighbour "Italian wine smells, it's not
like the stuff I drink at home". My older
and much wiser great-uncle told me I was
correct. All wines smell, but some smell
better than others, and some do not taste
the same as they smell.
Well being thoroughly
baffled by this explanation I smelled it
again, (I wasn't quite brave enough to
actually drink it 'neat' yet despite my
bravado). My great uncle explained the
different smells to me. Strawberries,
slightly of wild herbs, a woody smell from
the barrels, a sort of blackberry whiff
there somewhere and so on. Taste it, he
said, don't drink it, just have a sip and
tell me what you think.
By this time my
trepidation at drinking 'neat' wine had
disappeared in my eagerness to try a taste
of what I could smell. The first sip was a
true experience. I suddenly transformed from
being a schoolboy into a wine connoisseur in
the space of a couple of seconds (or so I
thought at the time). Yes I can taste this,
yes I can taste that. Wow!
"Don't drink anymore of
that", my mentor told me. Have a sip of
water. Try a sip of this one and you tell me
this time what you can smell and taste. Oh
dear. Different colour!!
smells, so I told him what I smelled. It was
very different from the one I had tried
before, much crisper, sharper, more scent,
pine needles was it? Having obviously passed
the first test I was allowed to have a sip.
These are both made out of grapes? Why are
they so different?
Well it depends upon the
grape variety and the part if Italy it's
made. In the North they make very different
wines from those of the South. The soil they
are grown in varies from very good, to very
poor and the aspect (the facing direction to
gain the most sun) can change the character
of a grape and therefore the wine that can
be made from it. It's also a question of
keeping the very best grapes for the best
wines from a particular region.
My great uncle had me
spellbound with all this information and I
forgot to finish my wine. "Now you know a
bit about the care taken in making wine in
Italy you will sip it and enjoy it like I
do, rather than just drink it".
I could not resist "how do
you know so much about wine uncle?" "I've
lived and worked in a winery in Italy all my
life. I've owned it since my father died."
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Italy -
Musical Wines
by Eileen Ponte
We are off to Italy again
in a few weeks and I am going to be in the
Arezzo area for a few days at end of trip. I
will be on a mission while in Tuscany.... I
am to find a town called Montalcino where
there is a vineyard owned by a man who has
made a startling discovery and now being
studied scientifically. His grapes were not
growing as robustly as they should have been
for years so he tried an experiment. He
decided to pipe classical music to half of
his vineyard and the grapes responded by
growing large r, juicier and redder than
those not listening to music... It deserved
a closer look Montalcino is also home to the
famous Banfi wines .Banfi wines are
considered by the Italian to be the best in
Italy with only a small production of
certain kinds distributed to America. So
Montalcino is about 1 1/2 hours from Arezzo
but a lovely trip especially at harvest time
.Be sure to go to the musical vineyard
called Paradiso di Frassini on the way to
Montalcino from Buonconvento. According to
an acquaintance who lives there the grapes
prefer violins. The owner is Giancarlo
Cignozzi and he makes very interesting
wines, including one called " DO" (
musical--do, a doe ,a female deer...)
containing 12 varietals. An interesting note
is that this acquaintance ,Laura, states
that when the boss is not there, the workers
replace Vivaldi with Vasco Rossi and it does
not seem to do the wines any harm It has
become a very notable place so it is now
necessary to request and appointment to
visit. I will gladly give anyone the
necessary phone and fax numbers upon
request.
About the
Author:
I am a direct importer of
18 Kt and Platinum Italian Designer Jewelry
and Gifts so I am in Italy every 2-3 months
to buy and they are not available anywhere
else in the USA. My website can be found at
www.exeterjewelers.com.I have just put my
website up and am continually working to add
new items and improve it.I have become sort
of a local directory for all things Italian
especially in the area of Italian
travel.Recently,I received Italian
citizenship.
Like
any journey of significance it's best to
take it one step at a time. While Italian
wine is both vastly complex and
inconsistent, there are some concrete
starting points. 
primarily
known for producing inexpensive whites that
are crisp and bland. It is a wine that at
best pairs well with food, particularly
shell-fish, and rarely can be enjoyed on its
own.