Italy Part IV: Southern Italy

Southern Italy is more agrarian and less industrialized than the northern portion of the country, and it has been slower to develop infrastructure. Farther from the rest of Europe—geographically as well as culturally—it is also more isolated by mountains and seas. Although it is home to large cities, such as Naples and Palermo, and popular tourist destinations, such as the Amalfi Coast, the south has more poverty than, and over double the unemployment rate of, the rest of Italy. Some of its regions are not widely known outside the country, except perhaps to descendants of Italian immigrants who left those regions seeking opportunity.

During the unification of Italy in the 19^th century, the Risorgimento government was largely composed of northerners. The south was hurt by heavy taxation, high protective tariffs on northern industrial goods, and a mandatory seven years of military service, which had a particularly significant impact on the farm labor force in rural areas. As late as 1900, the illiteracy rate in southern Italy was 70%, 10 times higher than that of England, France, or Germany. More than four million Italians—over 10% of the national population—immigrated to the United States between 1880 and 1924, most of them from the rural south and the island of Sicily.

Yet despite its hardships, southern Italy has a long and rich history with viticulture and was likely one of the world’s earliest centers of vine domestication, after the Caucuses, Levant, and eastern Mediterranean. A 2017 archeological discovery of wine residue in terra-cotta jars inside a cave at Monte Kronio, in southwestern Sicily, suggests that winemaking in this area goes back 6,000 years.

The arrival of the Phoenicians and then the Greeks led to the expansion of vine cultivation. The Greeks reached southern Italy in the eighth century BCE and called this part of the peninsula Oenotria—“the land of trained vines.” They brought viticultural knowledge with them and enhanced the local wine-drinking culture, introducing both the alberello (bush vine) training method and the Greek symposium. The region along the coasts of southern Italy and its islands became known by the Romans as Magna Graecia, meaning “great Greece,” for its Greek settlers.

There are also Spanish and Arabic influences throughout southern Italy. The south can be a paradox: a melting pot of cultures resulting from centuries of rule by outsiders alongside fiercely independent regions with local identities, dialects, and customs.

Southern Italy is colloquially referred to as Mezzogiorno, Italian for “noon,” referring to the intensity of sunshine there at midday. Like the rest of Italy, the south has diverse climates and topography, from the colder, mountainous terrain high in the Apennines to gentler coasts and flatter plains. The two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea (Sicily and Sardinia) are also part of the south. Many of southern Italy’s wines and grape varieties are found only in their local areas, providing an exciting opportunity for exploration.

The Grapes and Grape Families of Southern Italy

Several key grape varieties of southern Italy—including Aglianico, Montepulciano, Zibibbo (Muscat of Alexandria), and Cannonau (Grenache)—are covered in the Introduction to Italy Expert Guide. Below are additional grapes and families that are important to southern Italy, while others are discussed in the regional sections that follow.

White Grapes

Greco: The Greco group, like the Malvasia varieties, is one of the most confusing sets of grapes in Italy. Many unrelated grape varieties in Italy were given Greek-sounding names—Greco, Grecanico, Grechetto—either because they were thought to be of Greek origin, or because they were used for wines made in the “Greek style” of air-drying grapes, concentrating musts by cooking, and adding resin or other flavorings.

The most important Greco grape of southern Italy, known simply as Greco, is found mainly in Campania and the volcanic soils of Greco di Tufo DOCG. It is late ripening and susceptible to vineyard diseases, with low vigor and productivity, and it is prone to oxidation and volatile acidity in the cellar. Its wines are ageworthy and complex, with full body, an oily texture, high acidity, and flavors of peach, pear, tropical fruit, and honey. It is not widely grown outside Campania and pockets in neighboring regions, such as Lazio and Puglia, but it is both heat and drought resistant and may be successful in warmer and water-challenged environments in the future.

The unrelated Greco Bianco, also called Greco di Gerace, is found mainly in Calabria and is genetically identical to Malvasia di Lipari and Malvasia di Sardegna. It is used for both dry wines and sweet passito wines. Greco Moro and Greco Giallo are white grapes grown mainly in Lazio, and Greco Nero is a red grape used in Calabrian blends.

Catarratto: Although grown almost exclusively in Sicily, Catarratto is one of Italy’s most planted white grape varieties. Named for the cataracts, or waterfalls, of wine it produces, Catarratto is a highly productive grape and has long been a dependable variety for making simple, quaffable Sicilian white wines and inexpensive, fortified Marsala.

Two main biotypes are often interplanted and are genetically identical but have separate entries in the Italian national registry: Catarratto Bianco Comune has higher sugar and lower acidity, and Catarratto Bianco Lucido has more-compact bunches and can be more refined. Producers often distinguish the latter by simply calling it Lucido. Both grapes are offspring of Garganega. Plantings have been in steady decline, but Catarratto still represents nearly one-third of the Sicilian vine area. Grown almost everywhere in the western and central parts of Sicily, Catarratto also plays a supporting role in Etna Bianco, adding fruitiness to Carricante’s minerality.

Carricante: Another variety named for its high production, Carricante derives its name from caricare, “to load”—as in loading up a cart or donkey with a large volume of grapes. Despite this reference to quantity, Carricante is considered one of the highest-quality, most ageworthy, and most complex Italian white grapes. It has low alcohol, high acidity, a lemon flavor, and pronounced minerality, with TDN-based flavors of petrol and kerosene, like those of some dry Rieslings.

Some producers harvest Carricante as late as possible to curb its high acidity, and malolactic fermentation is common as a softening method. Carricante tolerates climatic extremes, such as rain and humidity, and thrives at the higher elevations of Mount Etna, especially on the eastern slope, which is the coolest and rainiest side of the volcano.

Falanghina: One of the oldest varieties of Campania, Falanghina, along with Aglianico, is thought to be among the grapes used in the revered Falernian (Falernum in Latin) wines in ancient Rome.

There are at least two distinct Falanghina varieties: Falanghina Beneventana, which has more structure, alcohol, and floral character; and Falanghina Flegrea, which has fruitier flavors of peach, yellow apple, cherry pit, and apricot. These grapes have naturally high acidity and are generally co-planted in vineyards, and the resulting wines reflect characteristics of both. In addition to its primary home of Campania, Falanghina can also be found in Lazio and Puglia.

Fiano: One of Italy’s oldest and most ageworthy white grapes, Fiano was nearly extinct in the 1940s when it was revived by the work of the Mastroberardino estate. Fiano is late ripening and low yielding, and its thick skins can withstand rot and moisture in the cooler and rainier parts of Campania. It is versatile and site specific, yielding steely, smoky, ageworthy wines from volcanic soils, and lighter, fruitier wines for early consumption from sandier soils.

The typical Fiano has flavors of hazelnut, green apple, and pear, developing notes of beeswax and acacia honey with age, and tasters often identify a smoky, flinty character. Some producers use skin maceration to increase the aromatics, weight, and richness of the wine. Fiano is found in Campania, Sicily, Puglia, Molise, and Basilicata. The aromatic Puglian variety called Fiano Minutolo, or Fiano Aromatico, is unrelated.

Grillo: A natural crossing of Catarratto Bianco Lucido and Zibibbo, Grillo first appeared relatively recently in western Sicily, in the late 19th century. It is resistant to heat and drought but sensitive to sunburn, and it oxidizes easily. With high acidity and full body, Grillo is known for higher-quality Marsala production as well as crisp, herbal, dry white wines.

Winemakers generally favor reductive winemaking and are careful to preserve Grillo’s thiols and the resulting flavors of cassis, grapefruit, and passion fruit, which sometimes evoke comparisons to Sauvignon Blanc. There are two biotypes, Grillo Vecchio and Grillo Nuovo, the latter of which is more commonly planted, as it is less susceptible to millerandage. In addition to its presence in Sicily, Grillo can be found in Puglia, and some Rossese Bianco vines planted in Liguria have been shown to be genetically identical to Grillo.

Red Grapes

Frappato: An offspring of Sangiovese and half-sibling of Nerello Mascalese and Gaglioppo, Frappato is found primarily in southeastern Sicily, in the areas surrounding Vittoria, Ragusa, and Siracusa. It is very late ripening, withstands hot and dry conditions, and performs best in red, sandy calcareous soils, resulting in more fragrant wines. Frappato is less vigorous than other Sicilian varieties and is often pruned with the Guyot system to increase production.

Because Frappato is a reductive variety, winemakers generally use frequent pumpovers or rack-and-return to increase oxygen flow and avoid off-flavors. As a varietal wine, Frappato is pale colored, light bodied, and low in tannin, with flavors of strawberry, violets, and dried herbs. Refreshing and juicy, it can be served chilled. Frappato is a common blending partner with Nero d’Avola. In Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG, for example, it performs a softening role. Frappato is also grown in Puglia.

Nerello Mascalese: A natural crossing of Sangiovese and Mantonico Bianco, Nerello Mascalese is often compared to Sangiovese and Nebbiolo as one of Italy’s best and most refined red grapes. It is named for the Mascali plain, in northeastern Sicily, and it is the signature grape of Mount Etna, Faro, and other areas in northeastern Sicily. Thin skinned and large berried, Nerello Mascalese is late ripening and very vigorous; old, pre-phylloxera vines, which are prevalent in the area and produce less fruit, and the use of alberello training help limit yields.

Nerello Mascalese is light colored and high in tannin, with flavors of sour cherry, tobacco, aromatic herbs, and minerals. The higher altitudes of Mount Etna are key to its full phenolic ripening and development of floral finesse. At lower elevations where it is harvested earlier, the wines can have riper fruit but more vegetal and bitter astringency. Nerello Mascalese is also grown in western Sicily at much higher yields and authorized for Marsala production, and it can be found across the Strait of Messina in Calabria.

Nero d’Avola: Officially listed as Calabrese in the national registry, this red grape is more commonly called Nero d’Avola, named for the town of Avola, on the coast of southeastern Sicily. It buds early and ripens late (although two weeks earlier than Frappato), and it is planted primarily in warm, dry areas, including most of Sicily. Nero d’Avola tolerates heat and highly saline soils and retains acidity even in warm temperatures. It is often trained low to the ground to absorb heat.

Rich in anthocyanins, Nero d’Avola has the deepest color of the main Sicilian red varieties. There are many clones and biotypes that have adapted over the centuries to Sicily’s terroirs. Nero d’Avola wines generally have rich texture, ripe fruit, and salinity, with flavors of dark cherries and spicy and aromatic herbs. A range of varietal wines are produced, including some with new oak and sweet passito versions. In Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG, Nero d’Avola is blended with Frappato, elevating the blend’s richness, structure, and color.

Primitivo: One of the top five most planted red grapes of Italy, Primitivo is found primarily in Puglia, with some plantings in Campania. It is genetically the same as Zinfandel in California and Crljenak Kaštelanski, or Tribidrag, in Croatia, where it originated. Primitivo ripens unevenly within individual bunches, and it is one of the first grapes to be harvested in Italy (its Italian name refers to its early maturation).

Primitivo accumulates sugar easily and results in high-alcohol wines. Historically, the grape was used as vino da taglio, the “cutting wine” included in blends to boost body and alcohol in poorer vintages or lighter wines from the north. It suffered because of the European Union’s vine pull incentives in the late 20th century, when many of Puglia’s centenary Primitivo vines were removed. New plantings have been rebounding, however, based on the commercial success of Primitivo and Zinfandel, with an increase of nearly 40% in the first decade of the 21st century. Red and rosato wines are made, as are sweet passito and fortified wines.

Abruzzo

Located about halfway down the eastern side of the Italian peninsula, between the Apennines and the Adriatic Sea, Abruzzo—like its northern neighbor Marche—is a transitional region from north-central to southern Italy. The climate becomes more Mediterranean, Sangiovese gives way to Montepulciano, and the territory of the Etruscans and Papal States transitions into Magna Graecia. The ancient Greeks went as far north on the Adriatic coast as the city of Ancona, in the Marche.

Abruzzo was originally called Aprutium, named after the Praetutii, an Italic tribe that lived in the early city of Interamnia (modern-day Teramo). The wines of Abruzzo were well known during the Roman era. During the Middle Ages, the Medici bankers of Florence ruled over parts of Abruzzo. Some suggest these close ties were a reason for Sangiovese’s migration from the south to Tuscany, and for the connection between Abruzzo’s Montepulciano grape and the Tuscan town and Sangiovese-based wine region of the same name.

Abruzzo is mostly mountainous and hilly. It is one of the greenest parts of Europe, with much of the region forested and conserved as national parkland. The snowcapped mountains of the Gran Sasso d’Italia massif include the highest peak of the Apennines, Corno Grande, at over 2,900 meters (9,500 feet) above sea level, the highest point in Italy outside the Alps and Mount Etna.

The mezzadria system, in which sharecropper tenants farmed the land and split the profits with landlords, was common here until it was dissolved in the mid-20th century, and many farmers grew wheat, olives, cereals, and other crops in addition to wine grapes. Phylloxera significantly reduced vineyard land, and many people left rural areas to escape poverty and seek employment in new industries. Today, Abruzzo is a major contributor to Italy’s bulk wine production, and its wine industry is dominated by co-ops. Most of the region’s production is table wine, and less than one-third is at the DOP level.

Abruzzo has two DOCGs, seven DOCs (four of which cover nearly the entire region), and eight IGPs. Production has been increasing in recent years, with more than 3.1 million hectoliters (34.8 million cases) of wine made from 32,650 hectares (80,700 acres) of vineyards in 2022. The most planted grapes are Montepulciano (57%) and the Trebbiano varieties (29%), including both the common Trebbiano Toscano and the higher-quality Trebbiano Abruzzese.

Montepulciano

Montepulciano, Italy’s second most planted red grape, considered a workhorse variety, most likely originated in the mountainous Peligna valley of Abruzzo and plays a starring role in most of the region’s DOC/Gs. Because it accumulates sugar easily but its pip tannins ripen very slowly, colder, mountainous terroirs are preferred for achieving slow, even ripening and for avoiding unripe flavors. Montepulciano is planted nearly everywhere, however, including areas that are much warmer, and the wines range from simple and cheerful to concentrated and ageworthy.

The region-wide Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC requires a minimum of 85% Montepulciano, with some subzones requiring higher percentages or monovarietal wines. Two well-regarded subzones, Terre dei Vestini and Terre di Casauria, both in the province of Pescara, require at least 90% and 100% Montepulciano, respectively, along with higher minimum alcohol, lower maximum yields, and longer aging. Within Vestini is the important wine district Loreto Aprutino, home to one of Abruzzo’s iconic producers, Valentini.

Montepulciano d’Abruzzo has a maximum elevation of 600 meters (1,970 feet) generally, or up to 700 meters (2,300 feet) for vineyards with direct southern exposure. Riserva wines require a minimum aging of two years, with at least nine months in barrel, while some subzones have stricter aging requirements.

The Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Colline Teramane subzone was elevated to its own separate DOCG in 2003 and was recently renamed Colline Teramane Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOCG to emphasize the place rather than the grape variety. It covers a large area with clay-based soils in the northern province of Teramo. Wines must be made from a minimum of 90% Montepulciano, with the remainder exclusively from Sangiovese; in the broader DOC, several red grapes are allowed.

Colline Teramane requires lower maximum yields and higher minimum alcohol than the general DOC. The DOCG requires a minimum aging of one year, with at least two months in bottle; the Riserva level requires at least three years of aging, with one year in barrel and two months in bottle. Abruzzo’s most famous producers, Valentini and Emidio Pepe, eschew the DOCG and bottle their reds under Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC instead.

Montepulciano is high in anthocyanins, resulting not only in deeply colored red wines but also in a dark style of rosato that is more pale red than pink, obtaining its color with little or no maceration time on the skins. Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo DOC, named for this cherry color, is for rosato wines based on a minimum of 85% Montepulciano. A Superiore version requires at least 90% Montepulciano, with slightly higher minimum alcohol and aging.

Trebbiano

While Italy’s widely planted Trebbiano Toscano can be high yielding and indistinctive, lending itself to wines and products of process, such as vin santo, balsamic vinegar, and brandy, the unrelated Trebbiano Abruzzese is one of Italy’s highest-quality white grape varieties. The name of the grape, however, is not equivalent to the wine made in the region-wide appellation Trebbiano d’Abruzzo DOC, which can come from a minimum of 85% combined Trebbiano Toscano, Trebbiano Abruzzese, and/or Bombino Bianco, with up to 15% other authorized grapes.

Trebbiano Abruzzese has been mistakenly identified as Bombino Bianco, Passerina, and other varieties. Some producers estimate that only 20% of the so-called Trebbiano grapes grown in Abruzzo are truly Trebbiano Abruzzese, which is typically co-planted and blended with Trebbiano Toscano and Bombino Bianco. The variety has high acidity, but the acidity drops if the grapes are overripe. Pick timing is crucial and has been misjudged in the past when Trebbiano Abruzzese was mistaken for other white grapes or simply harvested along with them.

While Montepulciano performs best in cooler, mountainous terroirs, where longer hang times can be achieved, Trebbiano Abruzzese is better suited to the gently rolling hills closer to the coast, where there is more sunlight and less humidity. Although the DOC does not require it, some producers and iconic bottlings, such as Valentini’s Trebbiano d’Abruzzo and Tiberio’s Fonte Canale, focus exclusively on Trebbiano Abruzzese. When made well, it has delicate aromas of orchard fruits and white flowers, a creamy texture, and a mineral edge.

Other Regions of Abruzzo

Abruzzo DOC, which has the same boundaries as Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo, and Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, is an overarching DOC for a wide range of dry, sparkling, and sweet passito wines. Varietal wines from grapes such as Passerina, Pecorino, Cococciola, Malvasia, and Montonico are permitted to be labeled with the name of the grape variety before the DOC name (for example, Passerina d’Abruzzo DOC), giving the misleading impression that they have their own denominations. Sparkling wines made from native grape varieties using the tank method can be labeled Trabocco, an unofficial term trademarked by the consorzio and named for trabocchi, the fishing platforms at the end of piers that are common on the Adriatic coast.

In 2023, four DOCs—Abruzzo, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo, and Trebbiano d’Abruzzo—simultaneously launched new subzones, largely based on Abruzzo’s four provinces. They are Colline Pescaresi (Pescara province), Colline Teramane (Teramo province), Terre di Chieti (Chieti province), and Terre Aquilane or Terre de L’Aquila (L’Aquila province). There is an exception for Montepulciano d’Abruzzo because the name Colline Teramane is already used for a separate DOCG there. In Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, the Colline Teramane subzone is instead called San Martino sulla Marrucina, named for the commune of the same name. Other changes were also introduced, including adding Superiore and Riserva levels where they did not already exist, and making those levels exclusive to, and required for, the subzones. Abruzzo DOC also introduced a new rosato category, based on a minimum of 85% Montepulciano, making it a parallel to Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo.

Abruzzo received its second DOCG in 2019 when Tullum DOCG, also called Terre Tollesi DOCG, was elevated from a DOC. Tullum DOCG is near the coast of the southern Chieti province and focuses on varietal white wines made of Pecorino or Passerina, reds made of a minimum of 95% Montepulciano, and sparkling wines made of a minimum of 60% Chardonnay. A Riserva level for reds requires at least two years of aging, including six months in barrel. The DOCG has only 19 planted hectares. Two small DOCs also in the Chieti province, Ortona DOC and Villamagna DOC, require a minimum of 95% Montepulciano for their red wines, with Ortona also allowing whites based on the Trebbiano varieties.

Molise

Nestled between Piedmont, France, and Switzerland is Italy’s smallest and least populated region, Valle d’Aosta. Much of the region is too mountainous for viticulture, and Valle d’Aosta has the smallest wine production of any Italian region, with only 450 hectares (1,100 acres) planted, producing 19,000 hectoliters, or 208,000 cases, annually. Much of the production is by co-ops, such as Cave Mont Blanc and Caves Cooperative de Donnas. Wine labels may be written in Italian or French, and the region is known as Vallée d’Aoste by its French-speaking population.

At the crossroads of several European countries, Valle d’Aosta has a surprising array of French, Swiss, and Italian grape varieties for a region so small, and the wines are usually varietally labeled. There are three unofficial growing areas: Alta Valle, Media Valle, and Bassa Valle. The vineyards in the Alta Valle are at some of the highest vineyard elevations in Europe, up to 1,300 meters (4,300 feet) above sea level, with steep stone terraces. There is also a prevalence of old, ungrafted vines, as phylloxera never reached the high-altitude, cold mountain environment.

Valle d’Aosta has glacial morainic soils and deposits of granite, sand, and large stones. It has a continental climate, with a very large diurnal shift and significant luminosity, making ripening possible for red grapes, which make up nearly 60% of production. In the rain shadow of the Alps, the region is relatively dry, with low rainfall that is supplemented by snowmelt to provide water for viticulture. Low pergola training, locally called the topia system, is often used to protect grapes from hail and to absorb heat from the ground.

The region’s single DOC, Valle d’Aosta, follows the narrow valley of the Dora Baltea River as it flows through the mountains. There are no DOCGs or IGTs. The DOC authorizes many varietal wines and styles, and wines can be white, red, rosato, novello, spumante, vendemmia tardiva, and flétri, the local name for passito. There are seven official subzones. In the Alta Valle, in the northwest, in the high-elevation foothills of Monte Bianco, the subzone of Blanc de Morgex et de la Salle is for white wines of 100% Prié Blanc, or simply Prié, made in still, sparkling, and vendemmia tardiva styles. Prié Blanc is the oldest variety and the most planted white in Valle d’Aosta. It is able to tolerate the cold weather of the Alta Valle and yields light-bodied wines with high acidity and delicate floral flavors. Spumante wines must be traditional method, with a minimum of nine months on the lees.

To the southeast, in the Media Valle, the subzones of Enfer d’Arvier and Torrette are both focused on red wines of Petit Rouge, requiring a minimum 85% in the former and 70% in the latter. Petit Rouge is the most planted grape in Valle d’Aosta, with 20% of all plantings, and it tends to be planted at lower elevations because it is sensitive to sunburn. The wines are fruity and easy drinking, with flavors of red berries, alpine herbs, and wildflowers.

The subzone of Nus is known for white wines of 100% Malvoisie, the local name for Pinot Grigio. Passito wines of Malvoisie, as well as red blends of Petit Rouge and its offspring, Vien de Nus, are also authorized. Next to Nus, the subzone of Chambave also allows reds based on Petit Rouge but is more renowned for its Chambave Muscat, white wines made of 100% Moscato Bianco, which can be dry or flétri.

In the Bassa Valle, closest to Carema, in Piedmont, the final two subzones of Arnad-Montjovet and Donnas are focused on Nebbiolo. The former requires a minimum 70% and the latter 85% of the grape, which is here called Picoutener. Donnas also has a stricter aging requirement, with a minimum of 24 months, including 10 months in wood; for Superiore, it is a minimum of 30 months, with 12 in barrel.

Beyond the seven official subzones, many other grapes and varietal wines are authorized by Valle d’Aosta DOC.

Puglia

The boomerang-shaped, narrow region of Liguria hugs the coast between Provence, France, and the main part of the Italian peninsula. It’s a mountainous landscape, where the Alps and the Apennines meet, and the land suitable for agriculture is sparse. Ligurians developed their industry around ports and the ocean, and the Republic of Genoa was a merchant marine powerhouse from the 11th through 18th centuries. It was a political rival to Venice and Pisa, influential in shaping commerce around the Mediterranean and Black Seas.

The name Vernaccia was first used to describe a wine in Liguria in 1276. It likely came from either the Latin vernaculum, meaning “local,” or the village of Vernazza, in the Cinque Terre. Vernaccia was a popular Genovese wine in the Middle Ages, probably referring to a brand or style of wine rather than a grape variety, competing with the Malvasias of the Venetians. The name eventually spawned many imitators and was applied to many unrelated Italian grape varieties. (For the most common Vernaccias, see the Central Italy Expert Guide.)

Today, Liguria is second last in wine production among all Italian regions, with about 1,900 planted hectares (4,700 acres), producing 73,000 hectoliters, or 807,000 cases, of wine. Much of that wine is consumed by tourists in the seaside resorts of the Cinque Terre and the Italian Riviera. Liguria has eight DOCs and eight IGTs but no DOCGs. The capital city of Genoa essentially divides Liguria in half, with the Ponente in the west and the Levante in the east. The climate is Mediterranean, with the mountainous backdrop protecting vineyard areas from the cold northern winds and exposing grapes to the warm breezes of the sea.

Vermentino and Pigato

White grapes dominate in Liguria, and the most important is Vermentino, a variety that may have been part of the original Vernaccia blend. Vermentino and Pigato collectively make up 42% of the plantings in Liguria. While they are genetically identical grape varieties, they are two different biotypes that are generally planted in different areas. Pigato is typically planted in the higher hills of the western Ponente, and Vermentino is planted in the eastern Levante, which tends to be lower in elevation and closer to the coast. Some producers insist that they are two distinct grape varieties, despite identical DNA, as they perform differently in the vineyard and in the glass.

Vermentino’s origin is unknown, but it most likely spread to Liguria from Piedmont in the Middle Ages, as pilgrims traveled south along the Via Francigena and brought vines with them. The area with the greatest Vermentino plantings today is Sardinia, perhaps through its link with Liguria, as the island was once controlled by the Republic of Genoa.

Late ripening and tolerant to drought and salty winds, Vermentino performs best in seaside and coastal areas. Its wines are semiaromatic, herbal, and saline. It can be found in the varietal wines and white blends of most of the DOCs in the eastern half of Liguria, including Val Polcèvera, Golfo del Tigullio-Portofino, Colline di Levanto, Cinque Terre, and Colli di Luni, the latter of which straddles the border between Liguria and the Tuscan coast.

Pigato is derived from pigau, meaning “spotted” in the local Ligurian dialect. Planted in the western hills, it is generally impacted by a larger diurnal shift that enhances its aromatics. The wines can be creamier, waxier, and more textural than Vermentino but with the same salinity. Pigato is most commonly found in Riviera Ligure di Ponente DOC, which requires a minimum of 95% for varietally labeled wines.

Other Grape Varieties

The most planted red grape of Liguria, with 12% of vineyard area, is Rossese. It is found only in the western part of the region and is known by the name Tibouren across the border in Provence. It performs best on steep, mountainous slopes and in the marly-clay soils known locally as sgruttu. Rossese di Dolceacqua DOC requires a minimum of 95% of the grape, and its Superiore version requires a minimum of one year of aging. Rossese can also be found as a varietal wine and in the red blends of Riviera Ligure di Ponente DOC. The best examples of Rossese are light to medium bodied but have depth and concentration, with flavors of red currants, violets, and graphite.

Also in the western Ponente is Ormeasco di Pornassio DOC (Pornassio DOC), which authorizes red, rosato, and passito wines made of a minimum 95% Ormeasco, the local name for Dolcetto. Pornassio is recognized as a top site for Dolcetto, and the examples in Liguria tend to be more herbal and saline than the fruitier wines of the Piedmont. The rosato version is a local specialty known as sciactrà.

Sciacchetrà, not to be confused with sciactrà, is a sweet passito wine found in the Cinque Terre DOC of the Levante. It is a specialty of the Spezia province that is made by air-drying a blend of white grapes, including a minimum of 80% Bosco, Albarola, and/or Vermentino. Bosco is a rich, full-bodied, and phenolic variety, while Albarola, also known as Bianchetta Genovese, is lean, with high acidity.

International varieties in Liguria include Moscato Bianco and Grenache, known locally as Granaccia. Moscato is made into still, sparkling, and sweet passito or vendemmia tardiva wines in Riviera Ligure di Ponente DOC and especially its subzone of Taggia. Granaccia is found in the same DOC and is the main variety authorized in the subzone of Quiliano.

Campania

Lombardy, or Lombardia in Italian, is Italy’s most populous region. Its capital city of Milan is one of the commercial and economic centers of Europe. Lombardy, where the mountains and foothills turn into flatter plains, was historically less isolated and more connected to commercial trade and cultural exchange. A mix of populations moved through the Po River valley, including the Etruscans, Celtic tribes, and Romans, and it was part of a key trade route between the Mediterranean Sea and the alpine areas.

Lombardy is a large region with varied topography, including the mountainous alpine band in the north, the central foothills, and the flat plains across the south. Its climate is moderated by a series of glacier-carved lakes and tributaries of the Po River, with morainic soils and pebbly alluvial deposits from the mountains and rivers. It has a mix of native and international varieties, reflecting its history of cultural exchange, with Croatina the most planted grape at 17% of plantings, while Pinot Nero and Chardonnay come in second and third, respectively. Much of the region’s Pinot Nero and Chardonnay is used for traditional method sparkling wines. Lombardy has 5 DOCGs, 21 DOCs, and 15 IGPs, and the region produces 1.2 million hectoliters, or 13.4 million cases, of wine from approximately 23,400 hectares (57,800 acres) of vineyard area.

Valtellina

Farthest north in the mountains along the Swiss border, the Valtellina region, in the province of Sondrio, is home to famous ski resorts and spas. Some believe it is the place where Nebbiolo originated, as the grape was grown by Benedictine monks here as early as the 10^th century. The variety is known locally as Chiavennasca, and it makes up most of the wines of Valtellina’s overlapping denominations.

Valtellina’s vineyards are planted along the north bank of the Adda River, which begins in the Swiss Alps and flows from east to west before emptying into Lake Como. The rare east-west valley allows for southern exposures that are important for grape ripening. This is steep, mountainous terrain, and the vineyards are generally planted between 300 and 800 meters (1,000 and 2,600 feet) above sea level, with altitude a key factor in the luminosity and phenolic ripening of the grapes. The slope in some areas is as high as 70%, and Valtellina’s network of 2,500 meters (8,200 feet) of walled stone terraces allow for planting and harvesting. The large stones also capture and radiate heat, warming the vineyards and protecting them from frost.

The soils of Valtellina are schist, sandy-loam, alluvial deposits from the Adda River, with good drainage. They are low in nutrients and extremely acidic, with a low pH, compared with the alkaline soils of the Langhe. The topsoil is extremely thin, and, in some cases, soils need to be transported up hillsides by mule, small truck, or even helicopter. The low yields resulting from the content of the soil and the prevalence of old vines, averaging 50 years old, provide depth and complexity for this Nebbiolo of the Alps.

All three denominations require a minimum of 90% Chiavennasca. The wines of Valtellina Rosso DOC (Rosso di Valtellina DOC) are youthful, fresh, and intended for early consumption, requiring a minimum of six months of aging before release. The best selection of grapes generally composes the more austere, structured, and ageworthy wines of Valtellina Superiore DOCG, which became independent from the DOC in 1998. Superiore wines require a minimum of two years of aging, or three years if labeled Riserva, including a minimum of one year in wood.

Wines from the Superiore DOCG can be labeled with the name of one of five official subzones if the vineyards and bottling both occur there. From west to east, they are Maroggia, Sassella, Grumello, Inferno, and Valgella. The rare labeling term Stagafassli is for Valtellina Superiore wines that are bottled across the border in Switzerland; the wines can also be aged there but cannot qualify for Riserva or list a subzone.

Sforzato di Valtellina DOCG (or Sfursat di Valtellina in local dialect) is a dry passito wine in the style of Amarone. It became a DOCG in 2003, before its famous counterpart. The Nebbiolo grapes are dried on straw mats for about two months or more, and vinification cannot begin until December 1. The wine must reach a minimum alcohol of 14% ABV and must be aged for at least 20 months from April 1, with at least 12 months in barrel. Some producers choose to use a portion of partially air-dried grapes in their Valtellina Superiore wines as well, leading to a range of styles in the region.

Franciacorta

In the softer hillsides of central Lombardy near the city of Brescia, Franciacorta DOCG is Italy’s most famous denomination for traditional method sparkling wines. The name is derived from francae curtes, or “free courts,” as the Cluny monks declared this area free of taxation in the 11^th century. Although there are references to sparkling wine production in Franciacorta dating back to 1570, the region’s modern era began when Guido Berlucchi experimented with traditional method sparkling wines in the 1950s. He released the first Pinot di Franciacorta, a traditional method sparkling wine from Pinot Bianco, in 1961. Franciacorta became a DOC in 1967 and Italy’s first DOCG for traditional method sparkling wines in 1995. Its popularity has undoubtedly been helped by its proximity to Milan.

Franciacorta is an amphitheater of morainic hills bordered by Lake Iseo to the north, the Oglio River on the west, and Mount Orfano to the south. The sand and silt soils are deep and well draining, formed by the withdrawal of glaciers and deposits from the Alps. The area has a continental climate moderated by the proximity to the lake, and it has less of a diurnal variation and a milder climate than might be expected in a sparkling wine region. Franciacorta lies at about the 45th parallel—compared with Champagne, which is between the 48th and 49th—but the presence of Mediterranean vegetation, such as olive trees, underscores the climatic difference. The western side of the Franciacorta zone is generally warmer, as it is more protected from the cool winds that come from the Alps in the northeast.

Franciacorta has about 3,000 planted hectares (7,400 acres), and the wines can be made in 19 communes, the most important of which is Erbusco, where many of the major sparkling houses are based. Franciacorta is relatively small, with less than 9% of the vineyard area of Champagne. Like Champagne, the wines are based primarily on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, with Chardonnay making up more than three-quarters of plantings in Franciacorta and Pinot Nero about 17%. The third most planted grape here is not Champagne’s Meunier but Pinot Bianco, with about 3% of total plantings.

Until recently, these were the only three grape varieties authorized. As Franciacorta is a relatively warm region for sparkling wine production, the producers were among the first to consider how to adapt to a warming climate. Since 2017, the little-known white grape Erbamat has been authorized for up to 10% of the assemblage in most Franciacorta styles. Erbamat is very late ripening and maintains a laser-like acidity, contributing freshness and texture to a blend, but its neutral character does not disrupt the aromatics. It currently represents less than 1% of plantings, but producers believe it will be an important part of Franciacorta blends in the future.

The milder climate, relative to other sparkling wine regions, also has an impact on wine style and viticulture. Because of the ripe fruit character, in general less dosage is used. Zero dosage wines represented less than 3% of Franciacorta production in 2017 but increased to more than 5% in 2021. With less risk of rot and moisture, there is also an emphasis on organic practices. Barone Pizzini became the first certified organic Franciacorta producer in the early 2000s, and today the Consorzio Franciacorta estimates that more than 66% of vineyard area is either certified organic or currently in conversion to organic farming.

Franciacorta can include any amounts of Chardonnay and/or Pinot Nero, with a maximum of 50% Pinot Bianco and 10% Erbamat. It must be aged on the lees for a minimum of 18 months, with 25 months total aging. The rosé version must include a minimum of 35% Pinot Nero and requires a minimum of 24 months lees aging and 31 months total. Wines labeled with a single vintage, or millesimato, must be aged on the lees for at least 30 months, with 37 months total aging. Franciacorta Riserva wines require 60 months of lees aging, the longest of any sparkling wine denomination, with 67 months total aging. Some iconic bottlings are aged for much longer, such as Ca’ del Bosco’s Annamaria Clementi, which spends eight years on the lees before disgorgement.

Satèn is a style that distinguishes Franciacorta from other sparkling wine regions. It is a blanc de blancs, made of Chardonnay and a maximum of 50% Pinot Bianco. It is slightly less sparkling, with a maximum pressure of five atmospheres, and it can only be brut in style. The name comes from the Italian seta, meaning “silk,” referring to the silky texture. This style used to be known as crémant, but the name was changed to avoid confusion with the French sparkling wine category. Like the rosé, Franciacorta Satèn must be aged on the lees for a minimum of 24 months, with 31 months total aging.

Still red and white wines in the Franciacorta area are bottled as Curtefranca DOC, previously known as Terre di Franciacorta. The assemblage includes nearly the same set of grapes as the sparkling wines, with the addition of Bordeaux varieties. Whites must be a minimum of 50% Chardonnay and a maximum of 50% Pinot Bianco and/or Pinot Nero. Reds are blends based on a minimum of 25% Merlot, a minimum of 20% Cabernet Franc and/or Carmenère, and 10%–35% Cabernet Sauvignon. The wines can include the name of a single vineyard if they meet additional requirements for lower yields, higher minimum alcohol, and longer aging.

Other Sparkling Wine Regions

The Pavia province, in the triangle-shaped, southwestern tip of Lombardy, is nestled between Piedmont and Emilia-Romagna, nearly reaching Liguria. South of the Po River is a large viticultural area called Oltrepò Pavese. It was part of Piedmont in the 18th and 19th centuries and historically was a source for grapes destined for the sparkling houses in Piedmont and bulk wines in Milan. It is the largest volume area of Lombardy, with much of the production by co-ops. Though the region is farther south than Franciacorta, it is in the higher foothills of the Apennines and marked by a great diurnal variation. There are six DOCs that include the name Oltrepò Pavese, for a wide range of varieties and styles, but, most importantly, one DOCG for traditional method sparkling wine focused on Pinot Nero.

This is Italy’s largest vineyard area for Pinot Nero, with 3,000 of Oltrepò Pavese’s 13,800 hectares (7,400 of 34,100 acres) planted to the grape. Although a less well-known region, it has more Pinot Noir plantings than Alsace, Central Otago, or the Russian River Valley. Count Giorgi di Vistarino planted the first Pinot Noir in the Oltrepò Pavese after bringing vines from France in the mid-19^th century, and he made the area’s first traditional method sparkling Pinot Nero with the help of his friend Carlo Gancia, who had been making spumante in neighboring Piedmont. Pinot Nero is typically planted at the higher altitudes in the hills, while Croatina and other workhorse grapes are planted at lower elevations.

Oltrepò Pavese Metodo Classico DOCG requires a minimum 70% Pinot Nero, with the balance made up of Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco, and Pinot Grigio, for both white and rosé sparkling wines. Pinot Nero can appear on the label if it makes up at least 85% of the wine. The wines must be aged on the lees for a minimum of 15 months, or 24 months for vintage-dated wines. The additional labeling term Cruasé is a brand trademarked by the Consorzio Tutela Vini Oltrepò Pavese that can be used by association members for traditional method sparkling rosé with a minimum of 85% Pinot Nero.

Oltrepò Pavese DOC is an overarching denomination for a wide range of varietal wines and blends, including still, sparkling, and sweet styles. The whites include Riesling and Riesling Italico, while the reds and rosatos are based on Croatina and Barbera, along with other grapes, such as Uva Rara, Vespolina, and Pinot Nero. Five new DOCs were established in 2010 as independent denominations from Oltrepò Pavese for varietal Pinot Grigio, Pinot Nero, and Bonarda (the local name for Croatina), and for Buttafuoco and Sangue di Giuda, dry and sweet wines, respectively, based on Barbera, Croatina, and other red grapes. The region has not necessarily benefited from its proximity to Milan in the same way that Franciacorta has, but it has added to Italy’s dizzying number of DOCs, regardless of market relevance.

In the southeastern corner of Lombardy, Lambrusco Mantovano DOC is a continuation of the Lambrusco denominations for sparkling red wines just over the border in Emilia-Romagna. The DOC allows all the main Lambrusco varieties as well as several less familiar ones, including Lambrusco Viadanese, also called Lambrusco Mantovano, thought to originate here in the province of Mantova. The DOC has two official subzones: Oltrepò Mantovano and Viadanese-Sabbionetano. (For more on the Lambruscos, see the Central Italy Expert Guide.)

Lake Garda Area

The largest lake in Italy, Lake Garda, straddles the border of Lombardy and Veneto and is a popular holiday resort destination, given its location halfway between Milan and Venice. It was formed by glaciers during the last ice age, and the areas surrounding it have morainic soils and a temperate Mediterranean climate mitigated by the lake. There are several DOCs around the lake that are shared by Lombardy and Veneto.

Garda DOC is a large denomination on both sides of the lake for white, red, chiaretto (rosato), spumante, and passito wines made from a wide range of native and international varieties. It has a Classico subzone on the Lombardy side.

On the southern end of Lake Garda, also straddling Lombardy and Veneto, is Lugana DOC. It was the first DOC awarded in Lombardy, in 1967, and is focused on white wines of Turbiana, also known as Trebbiano di Lugana. The grape was long considered genetically identical to Trebbiano di Soave and Verdicchio, and it was recently renamed to avoid confusion with the other Trebbianos.

Lugana DOC covers five communes—four in Lombardy and one in Veneto. The Brescia province on the Lombardy side has more than 90% of the vineyard area, but the Verona province on the Veneto side has some of the largest commercial producers and the high-quality cru of San Benedetto di Lugana. The soils are clays of morainic origin, rich in calcareous materials, such as the local sea fossils. The area is influenced by mild, temperate breezes and the moderating impact of Lake Garda.

Dry, still white wines make up more than 95% of production. They can be more full bodied and have riper fruit than Verdicchio, perhaps owing to the Mediterranean climate of the lake area, but they have a similar freshness, crisp acidity, and green character of mint and fennel. Spumante and vendemmia tardiva versions are also allowed, and all styles require a minimum of 90% Turbiana. There are Superiore and Riserva levels, with higher minimum alcohol and longer minimum aging of one and two years, respectively, and some barrel-fermented examples with lees and oak aging are made.

Basilicata

Veneto, in northeastern Italy, is at the top of the Adriatic Sea, and its history is shaped by its proximity to water. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the Lombard invasions in northern Italy pushed many people to flee the mainland and take refuge on the small islands in the Venetian lagoon, which could be better protected. This led to the founding of the Republic of Venice—La Serenissima, “the most serene”—which lasted from the late 7^th century through the 18^th century. Venice was an economic and military powerhouse in the Middle Ages, with important commercial trading rights in the eastern Mediterranean, and, as its industries became successful, a wealthy merchant class was established.

The Genoans had Vernaccia, while the Venetians promoted Malvasia. Referring to a brand or style of wine rather than a single grape variety, Malvasia became incredibly popular for centuries and spawned many imitators. The name is most likely a corruption of Monemvasia, the port in the Peloponnese that was controlled by Venice and a major trading post for the wine industry. Eventually the wines of Monemvasia could not keep up with the increased demand in northern Europe, and the Venetians began producing wines on Crete as well. This commercial trade in the “Greek style” of sweet wine—air-drying the grapes, concentrating the musts by cooking, and using other methods that would help the wines withstand a long sea journey—was a predecessor to the passito, recioto, and torcolato styles of Italy.

Today, Veneto maintains its dominance in the wine trade and is Italy’s top-producing region, driven by the popularity of Prosecco and Pinot Grigio in global markets. Veneto has about 97,500 hectares (240,800 acres) of vineyard land, producing 11.9 million hectoliters, or 132 million cases, of wine annually—more than South Africa, Germany, or Portugal. It has 14 DOCGs, 29 DOCs, and 10 IGPs. More than three-quarters of Veneto’s wine is at the DOC/G level.

Valpolicella

Just north of the city of Verona and the Adige River is the wine region of Valpolicella, home to several of Veneto’s most important denominations for Corvina-based red wines. Winemaking in the area likely dates back more than 2,000 years and is attributed to the Rhaetian people, an alpine tribe whose wines were praised by ancient Greeks and Romans. A recent archeological discovery revealed that mosaic tiles underneath a vineyard in the village of Negrar are likely from a Roman villa where wine was produced in the second or third century CE.

Valpolicella’s vineyards are grown on the slopes of the pre-alpine Lessini Mountains, generally planted between 150 and 500 meters (490 and 1,640 feet) above sea level. Small rivers, or progni, start high in the mountains and flow in a north-south direction, creating parallel valleys with various microclimates. The soils are composed of red and brown calcareous material and volcanic tuff outcrops, known as toar, on the hillsides, and alluvial deposits from the Adige River and Lessini Mountains in the lower areas. The foothills are dotted with marogne, the stone walls used to mark vineyard boundaries.

When Valpolicella DOC was established, in 1968, its boundaries were greatly expanded. There is now a Classico subzone in the historic Valpolicella growing area on the western side of the denomination, covering the five communes of Sant’Ambrogio di Valpolicella, Fumane, San Pietro in Cariano, Marano, and Negrar. The subzone in the center of the denomination is called Valpantena, and the eastern side of the denomination is known as Valpolicella Est or allargata (meaning “widened” or “expanded”) where it partially overlaps Soave. While the Classico subzone is home to most of the major producers—such as Allegrini, Masi, Quintarelli, and Bussola—Valpolicella Est has become famous largely because of Dal Forno Romano, in the eastern Illasi valley.

There are climatic differences throughout the large growing area. The Lessini Mountains form a natural barrier sheltering the Classico subzone from cold winds blowing from the north, creating a warmer microclimate. The Classico subzone is farthest west and closest to Lake Garda. Even within the region, the relative proximity to the lake is a major factor, with temperatures in western communes, such as Sant’Ambrogio di Valpolicella, as much as 4 degrees Celsius (7 degrees Fahrenheit) higher than those in eastern parts of the Classico subzone, such as Negrar.

While the dry Valpolicella reds are generally fresh and lively, there are several other styles that originated within the DOC but were elevated to their own separate denominations in 2010. These include the famous Amarone della Valpolicella, the sweet wine Recioto della Valpolicella, and the extremely popular category of Valpolicella Ripasso, all of which benefit from Corvina’s suitability for air-drying in the dry breezes and humidity of the Lake Garda environment.

All four of the Valpolicella denominations must include 45%–95% Corvina and/or Corvinone, along with 5%–30% Rondinella. Up to 25% of other red grapes can be used, with no single variety exceeding 10%. Traditional blending partners, although not required, include Molinara, Oseleta, Croatina, Dindarella, Spigamonti, and international varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

Corvina, the main grape of Valpolicella, has a thick, resistant skin that not only makes it suitable for air-drying but, according to Ian D’Agata, makes air-drying “an absolute necessity” for it to reach adequate sugar and alcohol levels. Corvina is sensitive to humidity, botrytis, and sunburn, so it is typically trained in the pergola veronese system, a horizontal canopy that shades the grapes and raises them high off the ground, providing good aeration and sun protection. Corvina is a reliable producer and performs best in dry, well-exposed hillside sites. It contributes the signature red cherry flavor to Valpolicella blends.

Corvinone is adaptive in the vineyard and can be grown on both hillsides and flatter land. It has larger clusters and brings tannin and structure, which Corvina can lack, to a blend. It can perform better in warmer vintages than Corvina and may play an increasing role with climate change; since 2019 it has been authorized to make up to 95% of the blend (the same amount as Corvina) in all Valpolicella-based wines, up from a previous maximum of 50%.

Rondinella, required in the blends, is an offspring of Corvina. It adds an herbal character to Valpolicella wines and is especially important in the sweet Recioto della Valpolicella wines, as it accumulates sugars very easily. Molinara is a lighter red grape that can add freshness, salinity, and lively acidity, and it can help soften heavier wines. Oseleta is a scarce grape that was resurrected by Masi in the 1980s; even in very small amounts, it can add tannic power and structure to a blend.

Recioto has its roots in either retico, an ancient wine of the Rhaetian people produced around the hills of Verona, or acinaticum, a sweet wine from raisinated grapes that was praised by the Roman statesman Cassiodorus in the sixth century CE as “a meaty liquid, a beverage to be eaten rather than drunk.” By the 16th and 17th centuries, the Republic of Venice lost control of many of its ports in what is today Greece through a series of wars with the Ottoman Empire, and it could no longer dominate the trade in sweet wines from the eastern Mediterranean. Unable to rely exclusively on imports, the Venetians began looking inland to make their own sweet wine.

For both Recioto della Valpolicella and Amarone (a style developed much later), the grapes are harvested earlier than for regular Valpolicella so that they maintain their acidity throughout the appassimento process. The grapes are set to dry in a room called a fruttaio for several months before fermentation, concentrating the sugars and flavors. The grapes may be on traditional bamboo racks, stacked in wooden crates, or hung from the ceiling, all of which permit airflow and ventilation for drying. Both the location of the fruttaio and the length of the appassimento process can influence whether the grapes are infected by botrytis, as grapes in higher elevations farther away from humidity and those dried more quickly are more likely to avoid the noble rot. Some facilities use fans to increase ventilation, and others rely on more modern technology, such as temperature and humidity controls. The vinification cannot occur before December 1, but in practice the drying period typically lasts between 100 and 120 days, during which time the grapes can lose between 40% and 50% of their original weight before they are pressed.

Recioto della Valpolicella DOCG requires that grapes achieve at least 14% potential alcohol through drying, and the minimum acquired alcohol in the final wine is 12%. At least 2.8% potential alcohol must remain, translating to approximately 50 grams of residual sugar per liter, while some bottlings are considerably sweeter.

Amarone, meaning “big bitter,” originated in the mid-20^th century and is essentially a less sweet version of Recioto della Valpolicella. The legend is that it was developed accidentally when barrels of recioto were left unattended and allowed to ferment all the way to dryness. The style can be traced back to the Cantina Valpolicella Negrar in the 1930s. The first to purposefully make a dry “recioto Amarone” was Bolla, with a bottling of the 1950 vintage in 1953. Bertani, Masi, and others released Amarone wines in the late 1950s, and this new category became a commercial success and one of Italy’s most popular luxury wines.

Like Recioto della Valpolicella, Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG stipulates that dried grapes must achieve a minimum of 14% potential alcohol, but, in this case, the wines are fermented to complete or near dryness and the final alcohol must also be a minimum of 14% ABV—not difficult to achieve, as bottlings reaching 16% and 17% are not uncommon. There is a maximum of 9 grams of residual sugar per liter for 14% alcohol wines (reduced from 12 grams per liter in 2019) and a sliding scale that allows slightly more residual sugar in increments as alcohol increases: an additional 0.1% grams per liter of sugar for each 0.1% increase in alcohol up to 16%, and 0.15% grams per liter for every 0.1% in alcohol above 16%. The Normale wines must be aged a minimum of two years and the Riserva wines a minimum of four years before release. No barrel aging is specified, but producers use a wide range of vessels, from large Slavonian botti to new French barriques.

Amarone styles vary greatly by producer, based on the assemblage, oak usage, amount of residual sugar, length of the appassimento process, development of botrytis, and other factors. Like Champagne, Amarone is a wine of process, and winemaking choices make an imprint. Some producers emphasize structure and acid, while others emphasize opulence and richness. Botrytis, which can reduce acidity and increase the levels of glycerol in the wine, might be avoided or encouraged. The Amarone category has benefited from the wide range of available options, from artisanal, ageworthy bottlings to inexpensive, commercial examples in grocery stores.

After Amarone or Recioto della Valpolicella has finished fermentation and is racked into a new container, the remaining grape skins can be used for an additional style of wine: ripasso, meaning “repassed.” The leftover pomace, which has some remaining sugars, is added to a young Valpolicella wine to start refermentation—something akin to the traditional governo in Tuscany. The ripasso process provides additional body, tannin, and alcohol as well as some of the richness, complexity, and raisinated fruit character of Amarone but at a lower price point for the consumer.

Masi launched its Campofiorin wine in 1967 and was the first to include the word ripasso on the label, eventually registering the term as a trademark in 1988. Other Valpolicella producers protested and used other labeling terms to describe the process, such as rigoverno and doppia fermentazione. In 2006, the right to use the ripasso term was granted, and a separate DOC for the style became independent from the Valpolicella DOC in 2010. The Valpolicella Ripasso category became a huge success, and production more than tripled in just six years, from 7.5 million bottles in 2007 to 25 million in 2013.

Several techniques emerged as Valpolicella producers sought to meet the surging demand for ripasso, especially as this style was dependent on the limited production of Amarone and Recioto della Valpolicella. When Amarone grape pomace is used to make Valpolicella Ripasso, it still contains a portion of Amarone wine that can be blended in (up to 15%) when used for the second fermentation. In some cases, the grapes are not previously used, and they are partially dried for about a month—essentially a shortened version of Amarone’s appassimento process. Or, the wine is made using a combination of fresh and dried grapes, with about 70% crushed and fermented normally and about 30% dried and added to the base wine to start a second fermentation. As long as the wine is put in the same tank with Amarone pomace for a few days, it meets the requirement for Valpolicella Ripasso.

Valpolicella Ripasso DOC mandates that the used grape skins have a remaining potential alcohol of at least 0.5% and contribute between 10% and 15% of the volume of the final wine. The refermentation must last a minimum of three days, the wine and pomace must belong to the same producer, and the volume of ripasso created by the process cannot be more than twice the volume of the Amarone or Recioto della Valpolicella obtained from the same must. The final minimum alcohol is 12.5% for Valpolicella Ripasso wines and 13% for Superiore. All Valpolicella Ripasso wines must be aged for a minimum of one year before release.

Additional updates made to the various disciplinari in 2019 require that the vines intended for Amarone and Recioto della Valpolicella must be a minimum of four years old and allow basic Valpolicella wines to be bottled under screw cap.

The Veneto Side of Lake Garda

Just west of Valpolicella on the shore of Lake Garda is the Bardolino region, which sits on glacial morainic soils. The red wines, made using a blend of grapes similar to that of Valpolicella, are generally lighter and fruitier. In addition to red wines, Bardolino DOC allows novello wines using carbonic maceration (in the style of Beaujolais nouveau), spumante wines, and rosato wines labeled as chiaretto. Meaning “the little light one,” chiaretto has been a hit for Bardolino and other producers around Lake Garda.

All Bardolino styles require 40%–95% Corvina (locally called Cruina) and/or Corvinone, including a maximum of 20% Corvinone, an obligatory 5%–40% Rondinella, and a maximum of 20% other grapes, including up to 15% of Molinara and up to 10% of any other single variety. Like Valpolicella, Bardolino’s original boundaries were expanded, and there is a Classico subzone that includes the historic lakeside growing area. For red wines only, three new subzones were approved in 2021, retroactive to the 2018 vintage: wines can be designated from the crus of La Rocca, Montebaldo, and Sommacampagna. Wines labeled with one of the three new subzones require a minimum of one year of aging—the same aging requirement as the separate Bardolino Superiore DOCG, which has been all but forgotten by producers.

Just south of Bardolino is the white wine denomination of Custoza DOC, whose name was changed in 2022 from Bianco di Custoza. Still, spumante, and passito wines are made. They must be blends featuring a minimum of 70% combined Cortese, Friulano, Garganega, and/or Trebbiano Toscano, with no single variety composing more than 45%. The remaining 30% can include Pinot Bianco, Chardonnay, Riesling, Riesling Italico, Malvasia, or Manzoni Bianco. The wines are not very well known, but Custoza is a source of pleasant white wines for Lake Garda tourist resorts and European export markets.

Soave

East of Verona and overlapping the eastern portion of Valpolicella is Soave, home to one of Italy’s most famous white wines. The Garganega grape, among Italy’s oldest, represents 88% of the plantings in the region. Grapes have historically been cultivated in the hillsides between and to the north of the two villages of Soave and Monteforte d’Alpone, where a volcanic outcropping rises to 400 meters (1,300 feet) above sea level. Like the familiar story in Valpolicella and Chianti, when Soave DOC was established, in 1968, its boundaries were significantly expanded to include flatter plains and more fertile soils. Soave’s reputation suffered; the region was perceived as emphasizing quantity over quality and flooding export markets with inexpensive white wine. Most Soave wines are still exported, with only 16% consumed in Italy.

Soave DOC requires a minimum of 70% Garganega, a maximum of 30% combined Trebbiano di Soave (the local biotype of Verdicchio) and Chardonnay, and a maximum of 5% other white grapes. Many top bottlings are monovarietal Garganega or use Trebbiano di Soave as the only blending partner. Sparkling versions are authorized but rare.

Quality-minded producers are primarily focused on the DOC’s Classico subzone, which includes the historic growing area of lower volcanic hillsides around the towns of Soave and Monteforte d’Alpone. A second subzone, Colli Scaligeri, includes hillside areas throughout the DOC but outside the Classico subzone and is hardly used in practice. The creation of a separate Soave Superiore DOCG, in 2001, was ostensibly an attempt to improve quality, and while it mandated slightly higher minimum alcohol and lower maximum yields, it did not limit production to the Classico subzone and has been largely ignored by producers.

Garganega vines are typically trained in the traditional pergola veronese system, its shaded canopy allowing grapes to ripen more slowly, with lower sugars and higher acids, and to retain the compounds that are important to the aromatic expression of Garganega.

Soil type is especially important in the Soave Classico subzone. The western part, in the commune of Soave, includes more calcareous marls with higher limestone content, producing wines that are more refined, delicate, and intensely floral. The eastern part, in the commune of Monteforte d’Alpone, contains volcanic soils rich in basalt and tuff, and its wines tend to be more powerful, structured, and spicy. The different elevations and aspects of steep hillside vineyards give producers many options.

Pieropan released one of the first single-vineyard Soave wines, Calvarino, in 1971, and it helped restore the reputation of Soave as a region capable of serious, ageworthy wines. Beginning with the 2019 vintage, Soave DOC has instituted 33 unità geografiche aggiuntive (UGAs), or “additional geographical units,” placing an even greater emphasis on crus and terroir-driven wines. The best Soaves are steely and ageworthy, with flavors of cherry blossoms, almonds, ripe fruit, and hay.

Recioto di Soave DOCG is a denomination for sweet passito wines within the same boundaries and with the same assemblage as Soave. It was formerly part of Soave DOC but elevated to its own separate DOCG in 1998. Like Recioto della Valpolicella, the grapes must be dried to a minimum potential alcohol of 14% and producers often use grapes infected with noble rot, but Soave has a higher minimum residual sugar of 70 grams per liter. A sparkling version of the sweet wine is also authorized.

Other Wines of Central and Eastern Veneto

On the eastern border of Soave in the Vicenza province is the smaller region of Gambellara, which produces Garganega-based wines in styles similar to those of its neighbor. With only about 200 hectares (500 acres) planted, compared with Soave’s 5,300 (13,000 acres), most of the Garganega vines in Gambellara are planted on the volcanic hillsides, as the flatter plains overlap with the Prosecco region and tend to be used for the commercially popular Glera instead.

Gambellara DOC requires a minimum of 80% Garganega, along with a maximum of 20% Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco, and/or Trebbiano di Soave. A Classico subzone covers nearly the entire denomination, with slightly lower yields and higher minimum alcohol, and is broken up into the subzones of Faldeo, Taibane, Monti di Mezzo, San Marco, Creari, and Selva. Spumante and vin santo styles are also authorized, and the sparkling versions are the only ones to include Durella as an authorized grape. Recioto di Gambellara DOCG is for passito wines based on 100% Garganega. For recioto wines, a spumante version is also authorized, and classico here refers to the classic style of recioto, not a historic subzone.

In addition to the many recioto wines, the other famous sweet, dried-grape wine of the Veneto region is torcolato, and it can be found primarily in the Vicenza province around the commune of Breganze. Torcolato comes from the Italian torcolare, meaning “to twist,” as the grape clusters are wound together with twine and suspended to dry. Breganze DOC torcolato wines must be made of 100% Vespaiola (locally called Vespaiolo), which has high acidity to balance the sweetness. The wines are delicately floral, with flavors of honey and ripe tropical fruit. Maculan is the key producer. Breganze DOC also allows a wide range of red, white, and sparkling wines from native and international varieties.

Two neighboring denominations focus on the white Durella grape, the “toughness” of the name (duro/dura) referring to either its thick skins or high acidity. Lessini Durello DOC takes advantage of that high acidity for sparkling wines, which must be a minimum of 85% Durella and can be made either with the tank method or, if labeled Riserva, with the traditional method. Monti Lessini DOC allows varietal Durella dry or passito wines, white blends featuring a minimum of 50% Chardonnay, and varietal Pinot Nero. Note that Durella is the grape variety and Durello is the wine.

The Raboso family of grapes is featured in Friularo di Bagnoli DOCG, also called Bagnoli Friularo DOCG, south of Padua, and Piave Malanotte DOCG, east of Treviso. Both wines are a majority Raboso Piave, also called Friularo, blended with its offspring Raboso Veronese. The Raboso varieties are aromatic, with flavors of black fruits, and Raboso Piave has especially high acidity and aggressive tannins. Piave Malanotte requires that the wine contain 15%–30% dried grapes, which help soften the tannins, and Bagnoli Friularo allows vendemmia tardiva and passito versions. Piave Malanotte DOCG became separate from the overarching Piave DOC in 2010 and Bagnoli Friularo DOCG from Bagnoli di Sopra DOC in 2011.

Also south of Padua, Colli Euganei Fior d’Arancio DOCG was elevated to a separate denomination from Colli Euganei DOC in 2010 for wines based on Moscato Giallo, which can be dry, sweet, sparkling, or passito. Varietal Moscato wines from Colli Euganei DOC are based not on Moscato Giallo but on its parent, Moscato Bianco.

International Grape Varieties

After the end of the Republic of Venice, Veneto was part of the Austrian Empire under Habsburg rule for the first half of the 19^th century. Given its location at the crossroads of trade and various European cultures, it is not surprising that international grape varieties have long been important in this part of northeastern Italy. Bordeaux varieties were first planted in Veneto in the 1830s, and after phylloxera struck they began to take on more importance, especially in the central and eastern parts of Veneto. Merlot is the top-planted red grape in Veneto, which has more than a third of Italy’s total Merlot plantings.

Among red grapes, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Carmenère, Pinot Nero, and other varieties can be found here in varietal wines or blends. More than 80% of Veneto’s production is white wine, including Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and the ubiquitous Pinot Grigio. Veneto has 38% of Italy’s Pinot Grigio, much of it destined for exports and grocery stores. For a long time, these were bottled as delle Venezie IGT, coming from anywhere in a large swath of northeastern Italy, covering all of Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia and the Trentino province of Trentino-Alto Adige. The designation was upgraded in 2017 to delle Venezie DOC, which is Italy’s second largest producing DOC behind Prosecco. While other styles are authorized, virtually all the wine is varietal Pinot Grigio delle Venezie, blended from the flatter lands across the Po River valley.

Veneto has several other denominations that focus on international varieties, such as Colli Berici DOC, near Vicenza; Colli Euganei DOC, near Padua; and Montello Asolo DOC, near Treviso, all for red, white, and sparkling wines. Wines simply labeled Cabernet are often blends of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc and can also contain Carmenère. Montello Rosso DOCG was carved out from Montello Asolo in 2011 and is specifically for Bordeaux blends based on 40%–70% Cabernet Sauvignon; 30%–60% Cabernet Franc, Carmenère, and/or Merlot; and up to 15% other red grapes. It has yet to gain popularity, producing about 210 hectoliters annually from 6 planted hectares (15 acres).

As in Tuscany, many Veneto producers making premium red wines using international grape varieties choose to bottle them under the IGT banner instead. Some of the most renowned “Super Venetians” bottled as Veneto IGT include Giuseppe Quintarelli’s Alzero, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot, aged in a combination of French and Slavonian oak; and Maculan’s Palazzotto Cabernet Sauvignon and Crosara Merlot, both aged in French barriques. Several Valpolicella producers use Veronese IGT to make wines that are more experimental than the Valpolicella DOCs allow, such as Allegrini’s La Poja, which is made of 100% Corvina.

Prosecco

The behemoth of Veneto, in both vineyard area and production, is Prosecco. Covering all of central and northeastern Veneto, and all of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Prosecco is Italy’s top-producing DOC by far, and the world’s top-selling sparkling wine by volume, bypassing Champagne in 2013 and continuing to surge since then.

Until recently, Prosecco was the name of both the region and the grape, most likely taking its name from the town of Prosecco, on the Friulian coast near Trieste. The earliest documented written reference is in a 1382 petition by the people of Trieste asking to become part of the Habsburg domain, seeking protection in exchange for promising their local Prosecco wine to the duke of Austria. The grape variety has been named Glera since 2009 to comply with European Union rules allowing Prosecco to be protected as a named geographic appellation. Two related varieties, Glera Lunga and the more common Glera Tondo are often co-planted and blended together in Prosecco wines.

The earliest modern sparkling Prosecco wine was produced in 1873 by Antonio Carpenè, who also established Italy’s first enology school, in Conegliano, in 1876. These early Proseccos were made using the traditional method, a style that likely persisted until the 1930s. The French chemist Edme-Jules Maumené designed the first rudimentary autoclave, in 1852, and the method was refined for commercial use and patented by the Asti winemaker Federico Martinotti, in 1895, using wooden tanks. It was later adapted by the French agronomist Jean-Eugène Charmat, who first used newly available stainless-steel tanks in 1907. This Charmat method, known by Italians as the metodo Martinotti (Martinotti method), is the most common one used in Prosecco today.

Unlike Champagne and traditional method sparkling wines that use neutral grape varieties and obtain much of their character through yeast autolysis and the winemaking process, wines made using the tank method retain more of the base wine’s flavor. Wines in tank spend less time on the lees, and there is a greater ratio of wine to lees in a tank than in a bottle, which leads to an emphasis on the fruity and floral character of the lightly aromatic Glera rather than an emphasis on autolytic character. It is also less labor intensive to manage one large tank than multiple bottles, without steps such as riddling and disgorgement, allowing a lower cost that has helped Prosecco’s rise in popularity.

Prosecco DOC requires a minimum of 85% Glera, and the remaining 15% can be Verdiso, Bianchetta Trevigiana, Chardonnay, Perera, Glera Lunga, Pinot Bianco, Pinot Grigio, and/or Pinot Nero. Verdiso is prized for its high acidity and Perera for its fruit-forward, pear-flavored aromatics. Still (tranquillo) wines are rare but authorized. Nearly all Prosecco is frizzante or spumante and made with the Martinotti method. Sweetness levels can range from brut nature to demi-sec, but most wines have some residual sugar and fall into extra dry and dry categories.

Additional styles are allowed, such as rifermentazione in bottiglia, and a bottle-fermented wine may have a velatura, or a veil of haziness. Wines labeled with the phrase sui lieviti (on yeasts) or col fondo (with the bottom) are made in a style similar to a pét-nat, in which the lees remain in the bottle without riddling or disgorgement, producing a rustic, cloudy, more autolytic style of Prosecco.

A new category debuted in 2020 and has helped Prosecco cement its domination in the world of bubbles: rosé Prosecco. These wines must be spumante and contain 10%–15% Pinot Nero vinified as a red wine and added to the base of a minimum of 85% Glera. All rosé Prosecco must be vintage-dated, and sweetness levels can range from brut nature to extra dry. Prior to 2020, many Prosecco producers made pink sparkling wines, but they could not carry the Prosecco name and were labeled as vino spumante.

The new style helped increase the output of Prosecco DOC from about 3.5 million hectoliters in 2018 to nearly 4.8 million hectoliters in 2022. Of the more than 53.2 million cases produced in 2022, 11% of them were rosé. So far, sparkling rosé is only allowed in the basic Prosecco DOC.

The Prosecco DOC area is so large—covering 556 communes in nine provinces—that it is difficult to generalize about climate or quality level. It is mostly continental, with some influence from the Alps and the Adriatic Sea. Most of the land is flat and fertile, producing high-yielding, simple, quaffable wines. There are two official subzones for wines from the municipality of Trieste and the province of Treviso—which are also large areas, with Treviso alone covering 95 communes—and wines from these areas can be labeled with the names Trieste and Treviso, respectively.

Prosecco wines begin to have more specificity at the DOCG level. In the hills rising from the flatlands in the northwestern portion of the Treviso province are two separate denominations: Asolo Prosecco DOCG and Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG. In both, still and frizzante wines are authorized, but the spumante wines—the vast majority of what is produced—all qualify for the Superiore designation. Of the two DOCGs, Asolo Prosecco is the smaller contributor for sparkling wines, and it overlaps the part of Treviso that is better known for red wine production. But sparkling wine production here is increasing, and Asolo may become more significant in the future.

The most important denomination for quality production is Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG, which covers the most historic Prosecco growing area, first delineated in the 1930s. It surrounds the towns of Valdobbiadene in the west and Conegliano in the east and is bounded by the Piave River to the southwest. It is the sixth largest producing DOC/G in all of Italy, the second largest for sparkling wine, behind Prosecco itself, and the second largest DOCG behind Chianti. It was responsible for about 8.7 million cases of DOCG-level Prosecco in 2022. The labeling can be confusing, as the use of the words Superiore and Prosecco are optional for sparkling wines, as is the name of the full denomination, since wines may be labeled simply Valdobbiadene or Conegliano if they come from within one of those two communes.

The historic growing area around these two towns is in a series of hills running east-west, ranging from 50 to 550 meters (160 to 1,800 feet) in altitude, in some cases dramatically steep, with a gradation of up to 60%. The foothills have formed a hogback ridge through erosion of one side over time, and the unique geological formation allows airflow that is important for preventing moisture and rot as well as thickening grape skins through wind influence. The Dolomites block cold winds from the north and help prevent spring frosts, and the flat plains and Venice lagoon bring warmer breezes from the south. There is an inversion layer, as cool air from the top of the hills drains down into the valleys, and the midslopes of the hills retain warmth. This heat and sun exposure is important for grape ripening and enhances the expression of aromatic compounds in Glera.

The western side of the region, near Valdobbiadene, is cooler and steeper at higher altitudes, where the wines tend to be more floral and perfumed, while the eastern side near Conegliano is warmer and lower, and the wines tend to be fuller bodied and spicier. The soils in Valdobbiadene are mostly marls and conglomerates, with excellent drainage on the steep slopes, while those in Conegliano are mainly morainic or clay. The two towns have been linked together historically, as producers often blended Prosecco from these zones to achieve balance. The hills were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2019.

Within the DOCG, there are 43 rive, or geographic designations, that can appear on labels for spumante wines (but not sui lieviti). Rive refers to hillside vineyards or riverbank slopes, but these are larger areas or districts—more like contrade or MGAs. Of the 43 rive, 12 are for entire communes and 31 are for frazioni, which are neighborhoods or hamlets within a commune. To qualify for the rive designation, the wine must be hand-harvested and vintage-dated, with lower maximum yields of 13 tons per hectare (5.3 tons per acre) and a higher minimum alcohol of 11.5% ABV. Machine harvesting would be impossible even if it were not prohibited, as these slopes are typically among the steepest and most labor intensive, requiring 700 or more hours of work per hectare, compared with 120 hours or less for flatter vineyard land. Some of the highly regarded rive include Col San Martino, Colbertaldo di Vidor, Farra di Soligo, Ogliano, Pieve di Soligo, and Soligo.

The most famous and exceptional site of the Prosecco area is Cartizze, covering 107-hectare (265-acre) site near the town of Valdobbiadene, first mentioned in writings as the ancient winegrowing locality of Caurige as early as 1362. Cartizze is highly regarded and until recently was the most expensive vineyard land in Italy, surpassed only by Barolo in 2017. The slope here is extremely steep, with an average gradation of 35% and the steepest areas at a gradation of more than 60%. Cartizze faces directly south, with a great amount of warmth and sun exposure. The grapes are typically harvested two weeks later here than in the rest of the appellation to maximize ripeness and sugar accumulation. Cartizze can be divided into three unofficial subzones: Cartizze Alto, with the highest and steepest vineyards, at about 230 to 320 meters (750 to 1,050 feet) above sea level; and Cartizze Est (east) and Cartizze Ovest (west) below, at between 180 and 230 meters (590 and 750 feet). Cartizze Alto receives more wind exposure and more direct sunlight. Because of the inversion layer, it is slightly warmer, as the cold air sinks to the bottom of the slopes, with buds breaking earlier in Cartizze Alto than they do in the lower portions. Even with such high ripeness levels, the grapes still maintain high acidity because of the vineyards’ elevation and diurnal shift.

The Cartizze wines are especially powerful and full bodied, and they are usually in the dry range, with 17 to 32 grams of residual sugar per liter. This sweetness is well balanced by the richness of fruit and perfume. They have the lowest maximum yields of 12 tons per hectare (4.9 tons per acre), and the same minimum alcohol of 11.5% ABV as the rive wines. Superiore di Cartizze must appear on the label. There are more than 100 growers with small plots averaging about 1 hectare (2.5 acres) each in Cartizze. Bisol owns the largest share of Cartizze, and other key producers are Adami, Col Vetoraz, Le Colture, and Villa Sandi. Of all 2020 Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG production, about 1.4% was Superiore di Cartizze and 2.6% from the rive.

Calabria

The northernmost Italian region, bordering Austria, is the autonomous alpine region of Trentino-Alto Adige. The area was part of the Habsburg monarchy and Austro-Hungarian Empire through World War I and was not annexed by Italy until 1919. The region still has close cultural ties to Austria, especially in its northern province, Alto Adige, also known as Südtirol (South Tyrol), where German is the primary language. The southern province, Trentino, is wedged between Lombardy and Veneto, and the population here largely speaks Italian.

The alpine region was one of the early centers of winegrowing for the Rhaetians and the Etruscans, and the Adige River allowed for the expansion of viticulture as people moved across the valley. Archeological findings indicate that the wine culture began at least 2,400 years ago. Wine was culturally important in the Middle Ages, as vineyards in the area supplied wine to monasteries and the nobility in what is now southern Germany. Trento, the regional capital, was an important center for Christianity at this time, as leaders of the Catholic Church converged here from across Europe in the 16^th century for the Council of Trent, in response to the Reformation.

Vineyards in this mountainous area are planted at elevations of up to 1,000 meters (3,300 feet) above sea level, and the climate is continental, with both alpine and Mediterranean influences. The Alps block the cold winds from the north, and the Adige valley opens in the south to the warmer breezes from Lake Garda and the Mediterranean Sea. Even at a northern latitude, the summers are among the hottest in Italy during the daytime, with wide diurnal shifts and cool nighttime temperatures. The high altitudes, south-facing slopes, large diurnal shifts, and long growing season provide freshness, acidity, and phenolic grape ripening.

The soils are extremely diverse, with calcareous chalk and limestone soils near the Dolomites and volcanic porphyry, glacial moraines, quartz, slate, and mica in other sections. While more than 70% of the region’s output is white wine, the range of soils, luminosity, and warmth allows for a diversity of grapes, from fresh whites to bold reds.

Compared with other Italian regions, Trentino-Alto Adige has a relatively simple DOC system, with no DOCGs, nine DOCs, and four IGTs. It is known for high-quality, varietally labeled wines made from a wide range of native and international varieties, 84% of which is at the DOC level (the third highest percentage in Italy, following Piedmont and Valle d'Aosta). Trentino-Alto Adige produces 1.3 million hectoliters, or 14.7 million cases, of wine annually, from about 15,800 planted hectares (39,000 acres).

The top-planted grape variety is Chardonnay, with 22% of plantings, followed by Pinot Grigio (19%) and Schiava (9%). Other varieties that have been planted in the region since at least the 19^th century include Pinot Nero, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Carmenère, Pinot Bianco, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Müller-Thurgau, Sylvaner, and others. Kerner is a high-quality cross of Riesling and Schiava Grossa. Grüner Veltliner is known here simply as Veltliner. Gewürztraminer is called Traminer Aromatico, but it is not necessarily from the local town of Tramin (Termeno).

More than 70% of the wine produced in Alto Adige and more than 90% in Trentino is from co-ops, many of which are very high quality, such as the well-regarded Cantina Terlano, established in 1893. The region’s vineyards are extremely fragmented, with many growers owning very small plots passed down through generations, and co-ops have made winemaking at scale possible.

There are two large, overarching DOCs for white, rosato, red, sparkling, and sweet wines: Alto Adige DOC, or Südtirol DOC, in the north and Trentino DOC in the south. Many varietally labeled wines and dual-variety blends fall into these two denominations, and each has several subzones.

Alto Adige

Alto Adige DOC covers the winemaking areas of the northern province, surrounding the provincial capital of Bolzano (Bozen). The three subzones of Colli di Bolzano, Meranese, and Santa Maddelena specialize in varietal Schiava, also known locally as Vernatsch, and require a minimum of 85% of the Schiava varieties. The light-bodied, light-colored wines have high acidity, flavors of red berries and sweet almond, and savory qualities. The Santa Maddelena subzone, in the hillsides northeast of Bolzano, is especially renowned for Schiava, and the wines are typically blended with a small percentage of Lagrein, providing a more full-bodied expression.

The additional subzones of Alto Adige DOC are Terlano, Valle Isarco, and Valle Venosta. German names are often used here; for example, Valle Isarco becomes Eisacktal (the German suffix -tal means “valley”). The northern Valle Isarco is one of the coolest areas of the region and is known for white wines, including Kerner, Sylvaner, and Müller-Thurgau. Four of its communes are allowed to produce Klausner Laitacher, a red blend featuring any proportions of Schiava, Pinot Nero, Lagrein, and/or Portoghese (Portugieser). The valley is home to the Abbazia di Novacella (Kloster Neustift in German), a historic monastery producing wine since 1142 and one of the world’s oldest active wineries.

Lago di Caldaro DOC, or Kalterersee DOC, is another well-known area for varietal Schiava, just south of the town of Bolzano. Like the Alto Adige subzones, it requires a minimum of 85% of any of the Schiava varieties. The DOC was expanded to cover additional lands farther south in Trentino and has a Classico subzone covering the historic growing area closest to the lake.

After Schiava, the second most planted native red grape in Alto Adige is Lagrein. Compared with the lighter reds of the region, it is deeply colored, full-bodied, and tannic, with a darker black fruit profile. The grape is late ripening and thrives in the warmer areas around Bolzano, where the gravelly soils store and radiate heat and allow it to ripen effectively. Lagrein may appear as a varietal wine in several DOCs in both Alto Adige and Trentino, and blends can be labeled with dual-variety names, such as Cabernet-Lagrein or Lagrein-Merlot. It comes in a range of styles, with the reds often labeled dunkel or scuro and the rosato version called kretzer. New oak is used for some premium examples. Like Barbera, Lagrein does extremely well in warmer vintages.

Trentino

Farther south, in Trentino DOC, the subzone Castel Beseno is for varietal Moscato Giallo, which can be made in dry, passito, or vendemmia tardiva styles. The subzones of Isera and Ziresi are for varietal Marzemino, a medium-bodied, high-acid red with herbal and bitter flavors. Isera has soils of tufa and basaltic rocks rich in manganese, while Ziresi is rich in calcareous clay and alluvial deposits, in an area where the Adige River makes a sharp turn and exposes the vineyards to intense sunlight. The remaining subzones of Sorni and Valle di Cembra are for a range of white and red wines.

The entire province of Trentino is included in the massive, multiregional delle Venezie DOC, shared with Veneto and Friuli. Valdadige DOC, or Etschtaler DOC, is another wide-ranging, multiregional DOC for white, rosato, red, and frizzante wines; it extends through the Adige valley in Alto Adige, Trentino, and a northwestern section of Veneto. It is more often used by producers in Trentino for varietal wines and blends, as producers farther north would be more likely to use the brand of Alto Adige DOC instead.

Among Trentino’s most important grapes is the native red grape Teroldego. It’s an ancient variety most likely present in vineyards in Trentino since the 15^th century, and it is the parent of Lagrein and Marzemino. Teroldego is deeply colored and fruity. Its soft tannins and fruity aromas are suited to novello wines, and Trentino producers are focused on complex, ageworthy wines, with flavors of pomegranate, licorice, and fresh herbs. Elisabetta Foradori is the most well-known specialist in Teroldego, and her powerful Granato bottling, from 70-year-old vines, helped spotlight the variety.

The most renowned site for Teroldego is Campo Rotaliano, a flat plain with alluvial deposits of sand, gravel, and pebbles. It is backed by steep, vertical walls of Dolomitic limestone, which absorb and radiate heat from the sun during the day and funnel cool breezes at night. Teroldego Rotaliano DOC requires 100% Teroldego, and the wines can be made in rosé (kretzer) or red (rubino) styles. Superiore wines have a minimum alcohol of 12% ABV, and Riserva wines require a minimum aging of two years.

The native white grape Nosiola takes its name from nocciola (“hazelnut”), likely because of the color of the grapes when dried and the variety's nutty aromas. It is grown primarily in the picturesque Valle dei Laghi, between Lake Garda and Trento, where the warm breezes and humidity from the lakes are ideal for air-drying grapes. Trentino vino santo (note the vino rather than vin) requires a minimum of 85% Nosiola and must be aged for a minimum of three years, or four years for Superiore.

Trento DOC

International grapes are used for the traditional method sparkling wine denomination Trento DOC, usually written as Trentodoc for marketing purposes and to distinguish it from Trentino DOC. It is the only traditional method region high in the mountains, with vineyards planted at up to 900 meters (3,000 feet) above sea level. The soils of the Dolomites are rich in limestone and silica and have excellent drainage. The high elevation provides a wide diurnal shift, with the mountains releasing cold air into the valleys at night.

Giulio Ferrari made the first traditional method sparkling wine in Trentino, in 1902, and was the first to plant substantial Chardonnay vineyards in the area. The Trento DOC Institute was formed in 1984, and the DOC was established in 1993. The wine can be made with any proportions of Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco, Pinot Nero, and/or Pinot Meunier. It must spend a minimum of 15 months on the lees for spumante and rosato, 24 months for millesimato, and 36 months for Riserva. Except for the Riserva wines, which can be only brut nature or brut, the wines can be at any sweetness level up to dolce. The region is cooler than Franciacorta, and a bit more dosage is typically used to balance the grapes’ high acidity.

Sicily

In the northeastern corner of Italy, bordering Austria and Slovenia at the top of the Adriatic Sea, is the autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, often called simply Friuli. At a crossroads of Europe, it was a historic part of the Roman Empire—“Giulia” refers to Julius Caesar—and later the Republic of Venice and the Habsburg monarchy. This has been a border area throughout history and has a mix of Latin, Germanic, and Slavic influences. Central Friuli became part of Italy with unification in 1866, but the area around the Gulf of Trieste remained the subject of military conflicts and border disputes for nearly another century. The region’s capital city of Trieste, one of the most important commercial ports of Europe, did not become part of Italy until 1954.

After the fall of fascism and World War II, it took nearly a decade to decide on the border between Italy and Yugoslavia—a border so arbitrary that it reportedly split some farms and vineyards in half, with one side Italian and the other side Yugoslav. Today, many producers have vineyards on both the Italian side and the Slovenian side. The regions often have parallel names on the two sides of the border: Collio Goriziano becomes Goriška Brda (collio and brda both mean “hills”), and Carso becomes Kras.

In the 1960s, winemaker Mario Schiopetto traveled throughout Europe and brought German innovations in vinification and viticulture back to Friuli. He was at the forefront of Friuli’s modern white wine revolution, employing techniques such as cold fermentation, selected yeasts, stainless-steel tanks, and a focus on cellar hygiene for a style of clean and fruity wines. Other producers took a Burgundian approach in the 1980s and used new French barriques for richer wines that gained international acclaim.

Given Friuli’s proximity to Eastern Europe, it is not surprising that, at the turn of the century, producers such as Josko Gravner and Stanislao “Stanko” Radikon looked to the ancient winemaking practices of the Caucasus. Through their efforts, Friuli became known as a leader in amphora-aged, skin-contact orange wines. Today, Friuli offers a wide range of wines and styles, with many international varieties as well as native grapes unique to the region and rescued from near extinction by dedicated producers.

Viticulture is restricted to the southern half of Friuli, as the northern portion is generally too cold and mountainous. Wine regions are in the alpine foothills and the flatter plains, with many rivers providing moderating influences. The region receives a combination of cool mountain air and warm Adriatic currents. Friuli has the highest precipitation of any Italian region, with more than 1,000 millimeters (39 inches) of rainfall annually. Viticulture is made possible by the region’s gravelly and well-draining soils. On the hillside slopes, the most prized soil is ponca, a friable sedimentary rock with alternating layers of marl and sandstone.

Friuli-Venezia Giulia has 4 DOCGs, 12 DOCs, and 3 IGPs. It produces 2.2 million hectoliters, or 24.5 million cases, of wine from about 28,500 hectares (70,400 acres) of planted vineyards. It contributes to the large quantities of wine in the multiregional Prosecco and delle Venezie DOCs but is also known for varietal wines and blends from international and native grape varieties. The region has the highest proportion of white wine (86%), recently surpassing the neighboring Veneto, and its top-planted grape varieties are Pinot Grigio, Glera, Merlot, and Friulano.

Seven of the DOCs include the name Friuli, including the overarching regional denomination Friuli (Friuli-Venezia Giulia) DOC, which was approved in 2016 with the aim of raising the region’s profile. Friuli DOC allows white and red blends and varietal wines that are also authorized in other denominations, but it uniquely allows for sparkling Ribolla Gialla. It covers the entire southern half of Friuli where viticulture takes place and encompasses the other denominations.

Friuli Colli Orientali

The most important quality wine denominations are in the hills near the Slovenian border, on both sides of the Judrio River (the former border between Austria and Italy). Northwest of the river in the Udine province, Friuli Colli Orientali DOC allows white, red, and sweet wines from a wide range of native and international grape varieties and blends, with several official subzones for more specific styles.

The northernmost subzone is Refosco di Faedis, which requires a minimum of 85% Refosco Nostrano, also called Refosco di Faedis. This red grape is the softer, more refined of the Refosco-named varieties. At the southern end of the denomination is the subzone of Rosazzo, featuring two varietal wines: Ribolla Gialla di Rosazzo and Pignolo di Rosazzo. Ribolla Gialla performs well in the heat and in the well-draining ponca soils, and, with its thick skins, can be harvested later in the season and withstand threats from weather. The red grape Pignolo is closely associated with its “grand cru” of Rosazzo. Pignolo is the most full bodied of the Friuli reds and one of the most tannic reds in all of Italy, often needing years of bottle age.

The Rosazzo subzone of Friuli Colli Orientali should not be confused with Rosazzo DOCG, which was elevated to its own denomination in 2011. The DOCG is for white blends featuring a mandatory 50%–60% Friulano, 20%–30% Sauvignon Blanc, and 20%–30% Pinot Bianco and/or Chardonnay, along with up to 10% Ribolla Gialla and 5% other white grapes. The wines must be aged a minimum of 18 months. The “Super Whites” are often barrel fermented.

The easternmost part of Friuli Colli Orientali is the subzone of Prepotto, which features the varietal red wine Schioppettino di Prepotto. The wines are medium bodied, with high acidity and a rotundone character, offering refined flavors of black fruits and pepper. Schioppettino had nearly disappeared in the 1970s and was brought back through the work of Dina and Paolo Rapuzzi, the founders of the Ronchi di Cialla estate, who planted Schioppettino even though it was not an officially recognized grape variety at the time.

The subzone of Cialla is a hamlet within Prepotto and is a monopole of Ronchi di Cialla. It is an east-west valley that is the coolest, windiest, rainiest part of Friuli Colli Orientali, and grapes here are generally harvested about two weeks later than in the rest of the denomination. Ronchi di Cialla is known for not only Schioppettino but also Picolit, Ribolla Gialla, and other native varieties. Ronchi in Friulian dialect is the plural of ronco (hillside, terraced vineyard), a word commonly seen on Friulian wine labels.

Picolit is a white grape variety historically associated with the areas of Rosazzo and Cialla, but its passito wines now fall under Colli Orientali del Friuli Picolit DOCG, established in 2006, with the same boundaries as the entire Friuli Colli Orientali DOC. A fashionable sweet wine centuries ago, the style was resurrected through the work of the Perusini family at Rocca Bernarda. Picolit is one of Italy’s most ancient grapes, closer to a wild vine, as it is unable to self-pollinate. It has small (piccolo) clusters and few berries, and through the appassimento process it becomes even more concentrated. The DOCG wines must be a minimum of 85% Picolit, unless coming from the subzone of Cialla, which requires 100%. They are aged for a minimum of one year, or two years for Cialla and four years for Cialla Riserva.

At the northern tip of Friuli Colli Orientali is Ramandolo DOCG, another former subzone for sweet white wines elevated to DOCG status in 2001. This is one of the coldest parts of Friuli, but the town of Ramandolo is sheltered by the rocky walls of Mount Bernadia, which radiate heat and reflect sunlight, helping ripen the grapes. The passito wines must be 100% Verduzzo Friulano, known here as Verduzzo Giallo, a tannic white variety suitable for air-drying, producing rich wines with flavors of sweet almond, honey, and tropical fruit.

Collio Goriziano

To the southeast, across the Judrio River from Friuli Colli Orientali, in the Gorizia province along the Slovenian border, is Collio Goriziano (Collio) DOC. It allows a wide range of white and red wines from native and international varieties, but three-quarters of its production comes from four white grapes: Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc (here called Sauvignon), Ribolla Gialla, and Friulano. Influenced by its ties to Austria on this side of the river, Collio has a longer history of quality winemaking than Colli Orientali and is where some of Friuli’s best-known producers—such as Venica & Venica, Schiopetto, Gravner, and Radikon—are based.

The territory is nearly all hills, arranged in a semicircle, and the DOC has a minimum elevation of 85 meters (280 feet). It is generally sunnier than Colli Orientali, with wines showing more weight and extract, but there is great variability in slopes, aspects, exposures, and wind currents, creating numerous microclimates. While there are no official subzones, numerous communes and unofficial subzones of Collio are recognized for their differences.

Oslavia, in the far eastern part of Collio bordering Slovenia, is the sunniest part of the denomination, with vineyards at about 150 to 180 meters (490 to 590 feet) above sea level and dry winds from Slovenia and the Adriatic Sea. It is a region especially known for Ribolla Gialla, and the higher elevation and large diurnal shift produce wines with strong aromatics and perfume. Oslavia is where the orange wine movement was born. When hail hit Oslavia in 1996 and destroyed entire vineyards, Gravner experimented with his limited crop. He was pleased with the skin-macerated wines and was soon joined by Radikon and La Castellada in developing a unique style associated with this small corner of Friuli.

The commune of San Floriano del Collio is just north of Oslavia in the higher hills, at about 250 meters (820 feet) above sea level, the highest elevation in Collio. It is known for Ribolla Gialla, Friulano, and Sauvignon, and the wines are livelier and fresher than elsewhere in the denomination.

Cormons is the largest town in Collio and sits at the base of Mount Quarin, at a lower altitude where the foothills meet the plains. Although Friulano is grown throughout Friuli and Veneto, it thrives in the wetter, richer soils of the Cormons area. Once known as Tocai Friulano, its name has been shortened because of the protected status of Hungary’s Tokaj region. The grape variety is identical to Sauvignonasse and Sauvignon Vert of South America and is known as Tai elsewhere. The wines are rounder and fatter than other Friuli whites, with lower acidity and savory flavors of almonds, herbs, and white flowers. It’s the most common house wine of the osterias and trattorias in Friuli. Mario Schiopetto, based in the commune of Capriva, bottled the first varietal Tocai, as he labeled it at the time, in 1965.

Dolegna del Collio is the northernmost commune of Collio and closest to the Alps. It is the coolest and rainiest part of the denomination and most suited to aromatic white grape varieties, such as Sauvignon, Pinot Bianco, and Ribolla Gialla.

Other Regions

South of Collio DOC and across the Isonzo River, in the Trieste province, is Carso (Kras) DOC, which sits on a narrow limestone plateau between the Adriatic Sea and the Slovenian border. The red clay soils of Carso are iron rich and nutrient poor, and the DOC allows white and red wines from a wide range of native and international varieties. Whites include Malvasia Istriana, an intensely aromatic and mineral grape made in a dry style, and Vitovska, a light-bodied, zippy white wine that is grown primarily in Carso.

The signature red grape of Carso is Terrano, and wines from the Classico subzone must include a minimum of 85% of the variety. Terrano is a relative of Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso and does well on Carso’s iron-rich soils. It is known for searingly high acidity, strong minerality, and flavors of violets and black fruit.

The flatter alluvial plains include the rainy and gravelly Friuli Grave DOC, which is responsible for more than half of all Friuli wine production, much of it table wine. Farther south is the warmer, drier, and sunnier Friuli Isonzo DOC, shielded from the cold northern winds and rain; the wines produced here are rich and powerful. The coastal Friuli Aquileia DOC, on the Adriatic Sea, is less well known today but was an important wine center of ancient Rome.

Sardinia

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Read the Introduction to Italy Expert Guide

Read the Central Italy Expert Guide

Compiled by Michael Markarian (June 2023)

Edited by Stacy Ladenburger