Regional Wine History Index
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Abruzzo • Aosta Valley • Apulia • Basilicata • Calabria • Campania |
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1 |
Abruzzo produces just one DOCG and three DOC wines that, though they carry brand name such as Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, they used to be little known abroad. This is changing though, as of much of southern Italy the region is undergoing a gradual transition from bulk-wine production to bottled, boutique wines. |
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2 |
The Aosta Valley grapes and wines are primarily determined by the characteristic predominant soil composed of a rocky, gritty, semi-fertile mixture and by high altitude. Overall, the region’s wines are as singular as its dialects and traditions. |
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3 |
Apulia produces more wine than any other Italian region usually making up around 17% of the national total. It also competes with Sicily for first place as grape producer. For a long time much of the wine made here was shipped north to Turin were it was used to make Vermouth, or to France where it was used to give structure to French wines when the local harvest was either poor or insufficient. |
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4 |
Although Basilicata produces only one DOC wine, the quality of it is such that it ranks at the forefront among the best known and appreciated Italian reds. Aglianico, the name of the original grape, is a corruption of the word "Hellenic" or Greek. |
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5 |
As in other southern areas, the Greeks were the first to introduce many grape varieties and winemaking techniques to Calabria. The indigenous people became so adept in the art of vine cultivation and fermentation that soon the wines produced in the colony were considered better than the ones made in Greece. The area was then called Enotria or Land of Wine. |
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6 |
Records show that wine making has been going on in this region since the 13th century B.C. As much else in this region, traditionally wines are intended for immediate pleasure and consumption. This has led many to consider the local wines as second-class products, a thought strongly expressed by Burton Anderson in his 1990 "Wine Atlas of Italy", where he bluntly states that the noteworthy winemakers in the region could be "counted on one’s fingers". |
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7 |
The best Emilian wine is perhaps Lambrusco, a sparkling, joyous red made from grapes grown on high trellised vines in four DOC zones in the Modena, and Reggio Emilia provinces. Lambrusco is made for consumption within the year and very few consumers abroad have tasted the wine in its authentic dry style. Most exported Lambrusco is sweet and 'amabile'. Though both types count in historical traditions, the dry variety is considered the best match for the area's rich cuisine. |
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8 |
Though the wines produced in this region represent only two percent of the Italy's production, to some they are comparable in quality to wine produced in Piedmont and Tuscany, the two most celebrated wine producing regions of Italy. The main difference between the regions is that Friuli-Venezia Giulia wines are mostly white, though some exceptional red can be found as well. |
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9 |
Grape growing and wine making were well known to the Romans who produced excellent wines since Imperial times. The whites are the predominant variety — out of 25 DOC wines produced in the region, 20 are white. |
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10 |
At a first glance, the steep slopes of the Liguria coast does not seem very hospitable to most agriculture, including vines. Yet about one hundred different varieties of grapes are cultivated in this small strip of mountainous land sandwiched between Piedmont and the Mediterranean, bordered by France to the north and Tuscany to the south. |
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11 |
The Valtellina DOC zone, centered around the province of Sondrio, produces some of the most appreciated regional wines based largely on the local version of Nebbiolo, the Piedmont noble grape known here as Chiavannesca. The Valtellina Superiore DOCs, which are usually differentiated by the area where the grape was grown, are especially good. |
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12 |
The main regional white is the excellent Verdicchio, a dry characteristically flavored exceptional white, made from at least 85% of the grape with the same name. Both the Verdicchio di Jesi and the Verdicchio di Matelica DOC wines complement perfectly local dishes such as the Lumache alle Nove Erbe, snails cocked with nine aromatic herbs, and the Brodetto di Pesce, a bouillabaisse-like rich seafood stew that, though found all over the Adriatic coast, reaches its best expression here. |
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13 |
There are only three DOC wines produced in Molise — the Biferno, Molise and Pentro. |
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14 |
With 46 different DOC and four DOCG areas, Piedmont is the region that produces the largest number of best known, noble, and world-appreciated prize-winning wines, such as Barbera, Barolo, Barbaresco, Dolcetto, Nebbiolo, Grignolino, Malvasia and Asti Spumante among others. |
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15 |
A wine tour of Sardinia takes the visitor into a sensational journey of
pleasures that transcends the visitation of historical production places and
wineries. It is a journey that involves all the senses: perfumes, flavors
and colors of Sardinia beckon as one leaves the larger cities behind. The
full range of sensations have a deeper impact upon the first-time visitor,
or on the visitor who returns after a long absence. |
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16 |
Sicily has more vineyards than any of the other Italian regions competing with Apulia for first place as the largest wine producer. Yet, Sicilians consume less wine per capita than any other Italian. Though dessert wines account for about 90% of the total DOC production, we shouldn't disregard the several good reds and whites that are produced all over the island. |
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17 |
There are three grapes native to this region, one is the white Nosiola and the other two are the red Teroldego Rotoliano and the Marzemino. In addition to the native grapes, well known international grape varieties such as Chardonnay, Cabernet, Merlot, Moscato, Pinot Nero and Pinot Grigio, as well as Müller-Thurgau, are grown throughout the region. |
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18 |
Tuscany accounts for over thirty DOC and half a dozen of DOCG wines. In addition to the great, well-known and appreciated reds, the local production includes a few distinguishable whites, the most notable among them being, without doubt, the Vernaccia di San Gimignano. Other delicious whites include the Bianco d'Elba, from the Elba Island, Bianco di Pitigliano and Bianco di Val di Nievole. (Bianco in Italian means, "white"). |
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19 |
Though the wine production in Umbria is limited the quality is outstanding and includes the Orvieto DOC, one of the best known and appreciated Italian whites produced around the city with the same name. It is a blend of four to five grapes, primarily Procanico, known also as Trebbiano Toscano (40% to 60%), Verdello (15% to 25%), Grechetto, Canaiolo Bianco, known also as Drupello, and/or Malvasia Toscana for the remainder. |
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20 |
Veneto is among the foremost wine-producing regions, both for quality and quantity. The region counts over 20 DOC zones and a variety of sub-categories, many of its wines, both dry and Spumanti, are internationally known and appreciated. The three most well known DOCs are Bardolino, from the town with the same name and surrounding the shores of Garda Lake, Valpolicella, and Soave. |
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