With over 800 wine grape varieties, 20 uniquely designated winegrowing regions, and hundreds of years of winemaking history on the books, Italy’s wine scene is a glorious adventure from grape to glass.
While Italy has successfully planted the vast majority of the dominant international grape varietals, the country’s domestic vines are what offer the true flavor characteristics that have made Italian wines world-renowned for ages. With literally hundreds of wines produced in Italy annually, it is no wonder that selecting Italian wines can be a bit intimidating. Deciphering Italian wine terms and names, interpreting Italian wine labels, learning Italian wine classification systems, understanding regional grape growing zones, and discerning grape varietals that do not always fall into the “familiar” category are all part of the Italian wine adventure. ​Online Store!
Across Italy, winemakers expound on their particular terroir, and the significant role it plays in the end product – their wines. The extensive latitudinal range of the country permits wine to grow from the Alps in the north to almost-within-sight of Africa in the south. The fact that Italy is a peninsula with a long shoreline contributes moderating climate effects to coastal wine regions. Italy’s mountainous and hilly terrain provides a variety of altitudes and climate and soil conditions for grape growing.