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Italy has one of the most varied, complex and interesting wine industries in the world. Over thousands of years wine has been drunk as the natural accompaniment to a meal, and in some of the poorer areas instead of a meal, so it is steeped in tradition that only in recent years has lived an extraordinary change.

Italy's glowing reputation with wine is due not only to the fact that it produces and exports more than any other country but that it offers the greatest variety of types, ranging through nearly every color, flavor and style imaginable. Italian producers have moved rapidly to the forefront of world enology, improving techniques to create wines of undeniable class in every region, north and south. Their wines derive not only from native vines, which represent an enormous array, but also from a complete range of international varieties.

It is easy to lose ones way in the innumerable varieties of wines and grapes produced all over Italy, whose range in taste is really amazing. In general red wines still predominate over whites except in the North East. Wines are not usually distinguished by grape variety but by name. For example Chianti is made mainly from Sangiovese grapes but this is not mentioned on the label. Often on the back label you will now find grape variety and serving suggestions to help you match the wine to your food.

WINE CLASSIFICATION

The way Italian classification of wines could look is more or less that of a pyramid with the D.O.C.G. wines at the top, while descending towards the base, you can find D.O.C. and I.G. wines and also the so-called table-wines.

D.O.C.G. - Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita. D.O.C.G. stands for “Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita” (controlled and guaranteed origin), a category reserved for elite wines whose quality is guaranteed by the Italian authorities.
These wines can be sold only in bottles not exceeding a certain size and each bottle bears a seal of guarantee. DOCG is awarded to wines of outstanding reputation with a DOC of at least five years.
The number of DOCG’s will always be extremely limited and actually in this category there are 25 wines: Acqui or Brachetto d'Acqui, Albana di Romagna, Asti, Barbaresco, Bardolino Superiore, Barolo, Brunello di Montalcino, Carmignano, Chianti, Chianti Classico, Franciacorta, Gattinara, Gavi or Cortese di Gavi, Ghemme, Montefalco Sagrantino, Ramandolo, Recioto di Soave, Sforzato di Valtellina or Sfursat di Valtellina, Soave Superiore, Taurasi, Torgiano Riserva, Valtellina Superiore, Vermentino di Gallura, Vernaccia di San Gimignano, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.

D.O.C. - Denominazione di Origine Controllata. D.O.C. is the acronym for “Denominazione di Origine Controllata”, literally meaning controlled denomination of origin. It means that a wine with this mark on the label has been produced in a specified area and has been aged and bottled in accordance with existing regulations and under strict control by the Italian authorities.
DOCs are defined by the geographic area of production for each wine, the grape varieties that can be used, the minimum alcohol content, the color, the basic sensory characteristics, the maximum yield, maturation (in wood or otherwise and possibly in sealed tanks) and specifications for aging. Today, more than 300 wines have qualified for DOC status since the system was introduced in Italy in 1963. And the authorities in the sector continue to approve new production codes, although not at the pace of earlier years. The DOC law has resulted in a substantial improvement in the quality of Italian wines. It has encouraged producers to invest in land and equipment, to conduct or sponsor research and to compete with the finest wines of other producing countries.

I.G.T. - Indicazione Geografica Tipica. I.G.T. stands for “Indicazione Geografica Tipica” . Wines with this mark are charachterized by a geographic indication related or not by other mentions (vineyards, enological typologies, etc.). The production areas are normally vaste, the production discipline relatively descriptive. Actually there are 116 wines in this category. 

Vino da Tavola. The Italian term “Vino da tavola” means, literally, table-wine. In reality, it refers to wines without appellations or ordinary wines. For U.S. Customs, the appellation or denomination is of no interest; the level of alcohol in the wines is the determining factor. Below 14 degrees, it is a table wine; above, it is a dessert wine. In the Italian sense of the term Vino da tavola, is a non-denomination. There are no regulations for the category beyond those imposed by health, safety and fiscal authorities, which are of general application. On their labels the grape variety, year and name of the area of production can be omitted. Table wines are identified by the colour, the farm name or the mark.

LABELS

Labels must carry the wine's generic name and status (DOCG, DOC, IGT, Vino da tavola), the producer's name and location, alcohol by percentage of volume, as well as the net contents in millilitres (with an "e" as an EEC approved measure). DOCG wines must also carry a paper strip seal of guarantee at the top of the bottle.
As well as the obligatory information, other indications may be supplied, at the wine producer's discretion: wording permitted by the regulatory bodies of wine production like Classico and Riserva, invented names for the wine or bottle numbers. More detailed information may be given on the label on the back of the bottle, which is not obligatory but which is often used to complete the visual aspect of the bottle. In this case, information about the grapes used, how the vineyard has been cultivated, the name of the sub-zone of production and directions for serving and storing the wine may be supplied.

REGIONS AND WINES

Piedmont and North West: the five regions of north-central and northwestern Italy produce about 20 percent of Italy's total wine but account for more than a quarter of the DOC. Piedmont produces great red wines, with full bodied Barolo and Barbaresco, at the top, followed closely by strong Nebbiolo, soft Dolcetto and bitter-sweet Barbera. Although predominantly a red wine region it is also the home of Asti and Asti spumante the sweet sparkling white and the tasty Gavi. Emilia-Romagna had been a leading exporter of sweet and bubbly Lambrusco, but lately growers have been concentrating on distinctive wines from the hills such as Albana and Sangiovese di Romagna.
Lombardy does boast a major concentration of Nebbiolo wines for the DOC reds of the mountainous Valtellina and spreads of Chardonnay and Pinot wines for sparkling wines of Franciacorta and Oltrepò Pavese.
The wines of Valle d'Aosta often have French names, Petit Rouge, Gros Vien, Blanc de Valdigne, for instance, due to the Savoyard history of the region. Liguria favors the local Rossese, Pigato and Vermentino, while working with its own version of Dolcetto, known as Ormeasco.

Veneto and North East: The three northeastern regions, known collectively as the Tre Venezie or simply the Venezie, set the pace in Italy in the crafting of modern wines from a great range of varieties both native and international.
Veneto leads the way, after recently replacing Apulia and Sicily as the largest producer of wine among the 20 regions, while increasing its leadership with DOC, due in great part to the Verona trio of Soave, Valpolicella and Bardolino.
In Trentino-Alto Adige red wines still prevail, dominated by the ubiquitous Schiava or Vernatsch, though the more distinguished Teroldego, Lagrein and Marzemino hold their own against Cabernet, Merlot and Pinot Nero. White varieties have gained prominence there, led by Chardonnay, the Pinots, Sauvignon and Gewürztraminer.
In Friuli imported varieties, such as Merlot, Cabernet, the Pinots, Chardonnay and Sauvignon, share vineyard space with the local Tocai, Prosecco, Verduzzo, Refosco, Schioppettino, Ribolla Gialla and Raboso, not to mention the DOCG Ramandolo.

Tuscany and the centre:The six regions from central Italy produce about 20 percent of the nation's wine and account for about 20 percent of the DOC or DOCG.
Tuscany is famous for its reds, Brunello di Montalcino, considered the best Italian wine, rivaled only by Barolo, Chianti, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Chianti is produced in 7 zones of which Chianti Classico is the original and most prized area, between Florence and Siena.
Chianti Riserva has to be aged at least 3 years in oak and be at least 12°.
Further South you will find some interesting whites like Verdicchio from Marche, Orvieto from Umbria, Frascati from Lazio, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo (Abruzzo) and Biferno from Molise.

South and islands: The six regions of Italy's south take in the "sunwashed" vineyards that prompted the ancient Greeks to nickname their colonies "Oenotria", the land of wine. From Hellas they brought to Magna Græcia vines which are still planted today, under such names as Aglianico, Greco, Malvasia, Gaglioppo and Moscato.
Several of Italy's most impressive red wines for aging originate in the south, led by Campania's DOCG of Taurasi and south Apulia powerful wines such as Primitivo di Manduria DOC, the early ripening variety of Salento which is related to California's Zinfandel. Though it once served primarily as a blending wine, Primitivo from a new wave of producers has shown undeniable class. Among the many DOCs of Salento, Salice Salentino stands out for its robust red and refined rosé, though wines from such appellations as Squinzano, Brindisi, Alezio and Copertino can show unexpected elegance.
White wines have also come forth such as Greco di Tufo or Fiano di Avellino (Campania), Locorotondo and Castel del Monte (Apulia), Bianco d’Alcamo or Moscato di Noto (Sicily).
There has been a welcome trend to upgrade the quality and status of the traditional sweet wines, such as Moscato and Malvasia, as well as Sicily's fortified Marsala and Sardinia's Vernaccia di Oristano.
Major wineries from elsewhere in Italy have been investing in the south, where the climate permits consistent quality from year to year to offer wines of premium class.

“In vino veritas” - WINE AS A CULTURE

Wine is usually drunk during meals because it complements the taste of what we eat. It is an essential element of the Mediterranean diet, but to Italians wine has always been more than a mere beverage or nutrient.
Good wine satisfies the senses with its color and texture, its aromas and flavors, those unique features sometimes referred to as aesthetic or artistic qualities.

Wine also plays a role in social life, since it is habitually consumed in the company of others. When shared around a table, it relaxes us and creates a sense of well-being while inspiring thought and conversation.
Its appeal to the senses, combined with the way it inspires the human spirit, have elevated it to noble status. Wine has been an element of civilization for ages in Italy and other European countries, one of the most sacred symbols in the Roman Catholic religion, a daily staple for dynasties of kings as well as generations of peasants.

To taste a bottle of Italian wine is a gastronomic experience that puts in contact with an entire world of traditions and wine art. . . cin cin!