All About Italian Wines

** Please note: The majority of this guide was taken directly from the Italian pages on Wine Folly (winefolly.com). Wine Folly has a wealth of fantastic information about wine ​ and regions!** ● 20 Italian provinces ● 330 DOCs ● 350 Common varietals

Kings of Italian Wine: Barolo vs. Brunello Both wines need lots of aging time and both are age prior to release (3 years for Barolo and 5 years for Brunello).

Barolo Brunello di Montalcino

● 100% Nebbiolo ● 100% Sangiovese ● high tannin, age­worthy ● mid­tannin, age­worthy ● North­west Italy of Peidmont near ● Central Italy of Tuscany near Florence Milan ● preserved sour cherry, dried oregano, ● rose petal, cherry, raspberry sauce, aged balsamic, red pepper flake, cinnamon, white pepper, licorice, brick, fig, tobacco, espresso, leather leather, chocolate ­as aged ­as aged ● 60­90$ ● 40­65$ ● should be aged at least 3 years; 5 ● should be aged at least 5 years; 6 years for Riserva years for Riserva ● drink after 10­25 years ● drink after 10­25 years

● smells floral; pale color ● herbaceous, spicy and juicy; darker in ● astringent tannin and high acidity color ● age helps mellow ● high tannin (but not as much as ● pairs with game, veal, sweetbread, Barolo) porcini, truffle ● softens with age to show fig and ● focus on delicate flavor profiles and sweet tobacco fatty foods ● pairs with heavier red meats, tomato ● Others: barbaresco, nebbiolo langhe, dishes, olive oil/vinegar ● valtellina superiore ● focus on rich food and flavor ● vino nobile di montepulciano, rosso di montalcino, chianti classico riserva, montefalco rosso

Prosecco ● made in the region of Veneto, near Treviso north of Venice ● Glera grapes ● Tank method of production ● 121 calories 11% ABV ● 12­14$ ● melon, honeysuckle, cream, green apple, pear, tropical fruits, honey ● fruity, lighter bubbles, spritzy, weaker, sweeter, good with meats and fruity appetizers, asian dishes ● 2­4 atmospheres of pressure ● 1868­ first prosecco by Carpene Malvolti ● expensive regions: Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG and Colli Asolani DOCG

DOC­ Denominazione Di Origine Controllata ● 300 wine zones DOCG­ Denominazione Di Origine Controllata e Garantita ● 21 ­best zones, but only 15% of production ● brunello, nobile di montepulciano, (tuscany) barolo and barbaresco (piedmont) IGT ­ Indicazione Geografica Tipica ● 120 zones, lesser designation What do these zoning laws mean? ● strict government laws governing production started in 1960’s ● Tuscan white Vernaccia di San Gimignano in 1966 = 1st wine to receive designation ● 1971 backlash because stifled creativity, sassicaia was born (cab sav bordeaux style) ● Tignanello is another, chianti ­ these wines remained table wines ● govern production, permissible grape varietals, max yield per hectare, min degree of alcohol, system of growth/pruning, winemaking practice, pass chemical analysis ● IGT is much less strict

Alto­Adige ● north along alpine valley with 3,600 elevation; beautiful region ● chardonnay, pinot biancos, pinot grigios, traminers, sparking ● speak austrian, austrian names ● landlocked with river Adige; limestone with good drainage ● pinto grigio = pinto gris !!! ­crisp and mineral

Veneto ● leading wine producing area ● big biz philosophy so wines werent high quality ● soave, valpolicella, bardolino = easy drinking and cheap ● fertile lands, flatter ● Monte Lessini for Soave blended with garganega and trebbiano

Piedmont ● Region known for big burly wines like Barolo and Barbaresco, north west corner of Italy. ● Top wine making region, most DOC/DOCG zones ● Nebbiolo, Dolcetta and Barbera

Tuscany ● know world wide for great Italian wine ● Sangiovese bottled as Chianti ● Home of SuperTuscans, wines made with varietals not accepted under DOCG/DOC stipulations. Can only be considered table wine but are rare, fantastic and expensive. Usually blends like in Bordeaux with typical bordeaux varietals like Cab Sauv, Merlot.

NW Italy ● Piemonte ● Lombardy ● Valle d’Aosta ● Liguria

NE Italy ● Alto Adige ● Veneto ● Friuli

Central Italy ● Toscana ● Emilia­Romagna ● Marche ● Lazio ● Abruzzi ● Umbria ● Molise

Southern Italy ● Puglia ● Basilicata ● Sardegna ● Sicily ● Campania ● Calabria

Sangiovese A grape with many names planted throughout Italy. Sangiovese is the main grape of Chianti and Brunello di Montalcino in Toscana.

Nebbiolo A grape that is known for the age­worthy high tannin wines of Barolo and Barbaresco in Piemonte.

Barbera A dark­skinned grape producing wines with lower tannin & high acidity grown mostly in Piemonte, Italy.

Lambrusco A grape and also a region of Emilia­Romagna (and part of Lombardy) that produces a light bubbly red wine of the same name.

Montepulciano A grape grown commonly in Central and Southern Italy. Easily confused with vino Nobile de ​ Montepulciano which is actually Sangiovese from the city of Montepulciano in Toscana. ​ Montepuliciano d’Abruzzo is a dark rustic wine with full body, black pepper spice and high tannin.

Amarone A style of wine from Veneto made with a blend of grapes (Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara) that are partially dried to produce a richer, high alcohol wine with a hint of sweetness on the finish.

Valpolicella Ripasso della Valpolicella is a style of wine from Veneto made with three grapes: Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara. Produced by fermenting fresh juice with leftover pomice from Amarone winemaking to add richness.

Primitivo A grape from Southern Italy that is a close relative to Zinfandel.

Negroamaro A Southern Italian wine grape sometimes blended with Primitivo to add tannin and structure. Wines from Puglia that are dominantly Negroamaro include Salice Salento Rosso, Brindisi Rosso and Squinzano Rosso.

Pinot Grigio The most familiar zesty Italian white wine grape of French origin (Pinot Gris). It is actually a Pinot Noir mutant that is a pale red­gray colored grape. It is grown mostly in Alto Adige, Friuli and Lombardy, where it is known as Oltrepò Pavese.

Trebbiano aka Ugni Blanc. Trebbiano is Italy’s most planted white wine grape and is the same grape used to make Cognac and Balsamic Vinegar. Trebbiano is found as a blend in white wines all over Italy. It’s called Orvieto DOC in Umbria.

Garganega The white wine grape that makes up the majority grape in the regional wine called Soave (pronounced “Swah­vey”) in Veneto. Soave Classico DOC is often oaked in a style simliar to oaked Chardonnay with more almond­like aromas. Cortese The grape in the regional wine called Cortese di Gavi or just Gavi from Piemonte. A light citrus and floral high acid white wine in a similar style to Pinot Grigio or Chablis from France.

Verdicchio A zesty and slightly bitter white wine grape grown most notably in Marche. Also used in Soave where it is called Trebbiano di Soave (not the same as Trebbiano).

Fiano A Southern Italian white wine grape from Campania with floral, citrus and nutty aromas that’s commonly blended in white wines from the region along with Trebbiano. Fiano di Avellino DOCG is 100% Fiano.

Arneis A grape from Piemonte region most notable for the regional white wine Roero DOC.

Vermentino A grape from Sardegna and also cultivated commonly in Toscana. A Vermentino wine is a crisp white, often similar tasting to Sauvignon Blanc with more bitterness not unlike Grapefruit pith.

Moscato Moscato aka Muscat is a very aromatic grape most known for its sweet and bubbly version, Moscato d’Asti from Piemonte.