BIANCHI

Arneis A crisp and floral variety from Piemonte, which has been grown there since the 15th century.

Catarratto Common in Sicilia. This is the most widely planted white variety in Salaparuta.

Fiano Grown In Puglia. Wines from this grape can be described as dewy and herbacious.

Garganega This grape produces Soave, a crisp, dry white wine from the Veneto.

Malvasia Bianca A musty white from all over Italy.

Moscato From Piemonte, it is used in the slightly sparkling (frizzante), semi-sweet Moscato d'Asti. Not to be

confused with moscato giallo and moscato rosa, two varietals that are grown in Trentino Alto-Adige.

Nuragus Southern Sardegna. Light and tart.

Pigato A grape variety from Liguria. Highly acidic.

Pinot Grigio Crispy, clean and delicate. Some can be character-less, due to the early year harvesting to meet

commercial demands.

Ribolla Gialla Grown in Friuli. Very Musty and sometimes tropical.

Tocai Friulano A relation to Sauvignon Blanc, from Friuli, full of peachiness.

Trebbiano This is the most widely planted white varietal in Italy. It is grown throughout the country, Especially in Abruzzo and Lazio.

Verdicchio Found in the Marche region. The name comes from "verde" (green). They are noted for their high acidity and characteristical nut flavour with a hint of honey.

Vermentino Found in North Sardegna and the Coastal regions of Toscana and Liguria. Notes of freshness.

Passerina Produces Sparkling or Passito.

Pecorino A bold white wine. Strong sugar content highlights the alcohol percentage, which is always higher than 13°, a good body and highly acidic. ROSSI

Aglianico Considered the "noble varietal of the south," grown in Campania and Basilicata. Thick skinned and spicy,

the wines are often both rustic and powerful.

Barbera Grape of Piemonte and Southern Lombardia. Barbera were once simply "what you drank while waiting for

the Barolo to be ready." Aged Barbera gets the name "Barbera Superiore" (Superior Barbera), sometimes

aged in French barrique becoming "Barbera Barricato", and intended for the international market. The wine

has bright cherry fruit, a very dark color, and a food-friendly acidity.

Corvina Along with the varietals rondinella and molinara, this is the principal grape which makes the famous wines

of Veneto: Valpolicella and Amarone. Valpolicella has dark cherry fruit and spice. After the grapes undergo

passito (a drying process), the wine is now called Amarone, and is extremely high in alcohol (16% and up)

and full of raisin, prune, and syrupy fruits. Some Amarone wines can age for 40+ years. Amarone di

Valpolicella was awarded DOCG status in 2009.

Dolcetto It grows with Barbera and Nebbiolo in Piemonte. Flavours of concord grape, wild blackberries and herbs permeate the wine.

Malvasia Nera From Piemonte. A sweet, perfumed wine, sometimes elaborated in the passito style.

Montepulciano Not to be confused with the Tuscan town of Montepulciano; it is mostly planted on the opposite coast in

Abruzzo. This variety offers silky plum-like fruit, friendly acidity, and light tannin. More recently, producers

have been creating a rich, inky, extracted version of this wine, a sharp contrast to the many inferior bottles

produced in the past.

Nebbiolo The most noble of Italy's varieties. The name (meaning "little fog") refers to the autumn fog that blankets most of Piemonte where Nebbiolo is mainly grown, and where it achieves the most successful results. A

difficult grape variety to cultivate, it produces the most renowned Barolo and Barbaresco, made around

Cuneo, along with the lesser-known Sforzato, Inferno and Sassella made in Valtellina, Ghemme and

Gattinara, made near Vercelli. Powerful with a bouquet of wild mushroom, truffle, roses, and tar.

Traditionally produced Barolo can age for fifty years-plus, and is regarded by many wine enthusiasts as the

greatest wine of Italy.

Negroamaro The name literally means "black and bitter". A widely planted grape with its concentration in the region of

Puglia, it is the backbone of the Salice Salentino: spicy, toasty, and full of dark red fruits.

Nero DʼAvola A lesser known variety internationally, this grape from Sicilia is gaining attention for its plummy fruit and

sweet tannins. The quality of Nero d'Avola has surged in recent years.

Sagrantino From Umbria, planted on 250 hectares, the wines produced from it (either blended with Sangiovese as

Rosso di Montefalco or as a pure Sagrantino) are world-renowned. Inky purple, with rustic brooding fruit

and heavy tannins, these wines can age for many years.

Sangiovese The pride of Toscana. The wines are full of cherry fruit, earth, and cedar. It produces Chianti (Classico), Rosso di Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino, Rosso di Montepulciano, Montefalco Rosso, and many

others. Sangiovese is also the backbone in many of the acclaimed, modern-styled "Super-Tuscans", where

it is blended with Bordeaux varietals (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc), aged in French

oak barrels, resulting a wine primed for the international market in the style of a typical Californian

cabernet: oaky, high-alcohol, and ripe.