Discovering Italy the Wine Regions

Italy, the Wine Regions

We are gearing up to share with you our amazing 21 days discovering Northern Italy.

In late September and early October of last year, we spent 3 weeks exploring Northern Italy. While we were there, we explored some of Northern Italy’s famous cities. Driving through the countryside, we stopped and met with vignerons. We sipped wines, amazing wines and often were able to speak with the people who grew the grapes and made the wines. Our senses were wide awake, tasting foods unique to each small region.

Oh, and the beauty! Ancient castles, green rolling hillsides, and villages, each with a church whose bell told us what the time was.

We traveled from Milan to Lake Garda and, of course, visited all the Northern Italian cities that I know from Shakespeare: Verona, Venice, Padua, Mantua, and Florence.

Our visit finished in the astoundingly beautiful cities of the Cinque Terre.

We will be sharing all of this with you. Including in-depth visits with Winemakers, overviews of regions, and of course, the wines.

Stay tuned for our video series, as well as the story behind each of these regions. (You know I am ready to fill you in on all the geeky stuff!)

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Abruzzo

Abruzzo is a region in the central part of Italy on the Eastern Coast. It sits just south of Marche and just north of Molise. From east to west the region runs from the Adriatic Sea to the Majella Massifs and the Gran Sasso Massif, which is the second-highest mountain in Italy outside of the Alps. These massifs are part of the Apennine mountains. 30% of the region is Nature preserves.

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Basilicata

This region is almost landlocked, with just a tiny bit of coast on the Tyrrhenian Sea. This mountainous region is one of the smallest wine-growing regions in Italy. It is known for its Aglianico grown on the volcanic soils of Mount Vulture.

Calabria

The toe of the boot, this region is known for the red Gaglioppo grape and the white Greco Bianco, both made into wines for the Cirò DOC.

Campania

This is the region around the city of Naples on the western coast of Italy. Here you will find the Taurasi DOCG, a red wine made from Aglianico. Soils here are volcanic from Mt. Vesuvius. If you are looking for white wine in the region, you will find Greco di Tufo.

Emilia Romagna

Famous for its Lambrusco, this region is shaped like a triangle and nearly stretches from one coast to the other. Taking in much of the Po River Valley, this is also the home of balsamic vinegar from Modena, Prosciutto di Parma, and Parmigiano Reggiano.

Friuli Venezia Giulia

In the northeast corner of Italy, in the region of Fruili-Venezia Guilia (free-OO-lee Ven-NET-see-uh JOO-lee-uh), often now just referred to as Friuli. Bordered to the North by Austria, east by Slovenia, south to the Adriatic Sea, and West to the Veneto, this region is a cultural mash-up with influences from the neighboring countries as well as Croatia, which is less than 30 km as the crow flies, over the border in Slovenia.

Lazio

Lazio (or Latium) is a place that visitors to Italy flock to. It is the Italian region that sits at the knee of the boot, with Italy’s most famous city, Rome.

Liguria

This little crescent of land on the west coast of Italy includes the city of Genoa and the 5 cities of Cinqueterre. Vermentino is grown here and pairs beautifully with Ligurian pesto. You also find the heroic agriculture of the vineyards of Cinqueterre, where they make the rare sweet wine Sciacchetrà

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Lombardy

The northern Italian region that is home to Milan and Lake Como. Perhaps its most famous wine is the sparkling Franciacorta, but there is so much more to this region. You find Nebbiolo in Valtellina, the sweet Moscato di Scanzo, Rosé in Valtènesi, the white wines of Lugana, and Lambrusco from Mantova, just for a start.

Marches

Le Marche is a region on the east coast of Italy on the Adriatic Sea. This region is in the central part of Italy. With 180 kilometers of coastline, the rest of the region is mountains or hills. The region has over a dozen rivers descending from the Apennines providing water for agriculture and vineyards.

Molise

South of Abruzzo and north of Puglia, you find the impoverished region on Molise. As far as wine goes, this is a pretty obsure region. Only 2% of the wine made in the region is of DOC level. You will find the red grapes Montepulciano and Sangiovese as well as white grapes, Pinot Grigio, Tintilla, Aglianico, and Falanghina.

Piedmont

Also known as Piedmont, this is the home of Barolo, Barbaresco, and Asti. You find Nebbiolo, Barbera, Dolcetto, and Grignolino growing in this northwest corner of Italy.

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Puglia

Puglia, Italy, the heel of the boot. This long fertile region is surrounded on three sides by water. To the east is the Adriatic Sea, to the south and west the Ionian.

Sardinia

Sardinia is the 2^nd largest island in the Mediterranean, sitting west of mainland Italy and south of the French Island of Corsica. Pristine is the word you hear to describe the water here, and the coastal beaches are a magnet for tourists.

Sicily

This is the ball that the boot of Italy kicks. This is the home of Mt. Etna and one of the largest wine-producing regions in Italy.

Trentino-Alto Adige

We are in Northern Italy. The northern edge of the region borders Austria. In fact, the Alto Adige portion of the region used to be part of Austria and is also known as Südtirol. You might also see the region referred to as Trentino-South Tyrol.

Tuscany

A magical region for movies, with its rolling hills covered in vineyards and rolling fog. Here is the land of Chianti and the Marema where the Super Tuscan movement began.

Umbria

This region landlocked in North Central Italy, is the Green Heart of Italy. It is best known for the Orvieto DOC which makes wines of Grechetto and Trebbiano. Umbria is also known for its forests and foraged foods.

Valle d’Aosta

Italy’s smallest region sits on the border with France and Switzerland. In this alpine region you often hear French spoken. Vineyards here are on steep south-facing slopes. This is another region where you find Nebbiolo, here called Picotendro.

Veneto

Ah, the land of Prosecco, Valpolicella, Soave, that takes in those Shakespearian towns of Padua, fair Verona, and of course, Venice.