Europe

Italy

The most fun wine country in the world - Sangiovese, Nebbiolo and thousands of native varieties served with pasta, pizza and passion.

Italy has more native grape varieties, more micro-terroirs and arguably more delicious wines than any country on earth. It also has the vineyard land to back it up - Italy vies with France as the largest wine producer in the world.

The essentials everyone should know: Sangiovese is the spine of Tuscany (Chianti, Brunello, Vino Nobile), Nebbiolo produces the hauntingly perfumed Barolo and Barbaresco of Piedmont, and the northern regions - Veneto, Friuli, Alto Adige - make Italy's finest white wines and Prosecco.

Italian wine is famously food-oriented. Even modest trattoria bottles are built to be drunk with food, which makes Italian wine one of the easiest gateways for newcomers and a lifelong interest for collectors of Barolo and Brunello.

🍷 Wine fact: Italy grows more than 500 authorised grape varieties - more than any other country - and has more than 400 official DOCs and DOCGs, yet only a small percentage of Italian wine is sold with an appellation label.

Continent

Europe

Grape varieties

500+ native

Signature grapes

Sangiovese, Nebbiolo, Barbera

Appellations

400+ DOC/DOCG

Wine Regions

All regions →

Tuscany

Central Italy, around Florence and Siena, stretching from the Apennines to the Tyrrhenian coast.

Piedmont

Northwest Italy, in the foothills of the Alps around the towns of Alba, Asti and Barolo.

Veneto

Northeastern Italy, from the Dolomites foothills to Venice and the Adriatic; the plain around Verona and Treviso.

Sicily

The largest island in the Mediterranean, at Italy's southern tip, dominated by Mount Etna.

Lombardy

Northern Italy, around Milan and the lakes

Abruzzo

Central-eastern Italy along the Adriatic, between the Apennines and the sea.

Campania

Southern Italy around Naples, from the volcanic slopes of Mount Vesuvius to the hills of Avellino, Benevento and the Cilento coast.

Cirò

Calabria, southern Italy, on the Ionian coast between Crotone and the hills of the Marchesato.

Notable Wines

All wines →

red

Tignanello

Tuscany · 2024 (representative vintage)

Tignanello is an red wine from Italy, in the Tuscany region (Central Italy, around Florence and Siena, stretching from the Apennines to the Tyrrhenian coast.), made principally from Sangiovese. The original Super Tuscan, first vintage 1971 — Sangiovese with oak and Cabernet lift.

$120–$200 est. retail

sparkling

Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore

Veneto · 2024 (representative vintage)

Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore is an sparkling wine from Italy, in the Veneto region (Northeastern Italy, from the Dolomites foothills to Venice and the Adriatic; the plain around Verona and Treviso.), made principally from Glera. The tank-method sparkling that put Prosecco (and Glera) on the global map, from the best DOCG hills.

$14–$25 est. retail

sparkling

Prosecco DOC Extra Dry

Veneto · 2024 (representative vintage)

Prosecco DOC Extra Dry is an sparkling wine from Italy, in the Veneto region (Northeastern Italy, from the Dolomites foothills to Venice and the Adriatic; the plain around Verona and Treviso.), made principally from Glera. The everyday Aperol-famous sparkler — fresh, fruity and uncomplicated, made across Veneto and Friuli.

$10–$18 est. retail

sparkling

Ca' del Bosco Cuvée Annamaria Clementi

Lombardy · 2024 (representative vintage)

Ca' del Bosco Cuvée Annamaria Clementi is an sparkling wine from Italy, in the Lombardy region (Northern Italy, around Milan and the lakes), made principally from Chardonnay. Franciacorta's most famous prestige cuvée — Italy's answer to Champagne, from Lombardy.

$90–$150 est. retail

red

Sassicaia

Tuscany · 2024 (representative vintage)

Sassicaia is an red wine from Italy, in the Tuscany region (Central Italy, around Florence and Siena, stretching from the Apennines to the Tyrrhenian coast.), made principally from Cabernet Sauvignon. The original Super Tuscan from Bolgheri — a Cabernet blend that rewrote Italian fine wine in the 1970s.

$350–$600 est. retail

red

Ornellaia

Tuscany · 2024 (representative vintage)

Ornellaia is an red wine from Italy, in the Tuscany region (Central Italy, around Florence and Siena, stretching from the Apennines to the Tyrrhenian coast.), made principally from Cabernet Sauvignon. The great Bolgheri Bordeaux-style blend, famed for its balance of Tuscan sun and Bordelais structure.

$280–$450 est. retail

Wine Styles

Winemaking History

· Grape growing in Italy dates back to the Etruscans and Greeks; the Romans turned wine into an empire-wide industry and planted vineyards across their territories.
· The modern appellation system was created in 1963, and Italian wine's international reputation was transformed in the 1970s and 1980s by the 'Super Tuscan' movement of Bolgheri and by pioneering producers in Piedmont.
· Today Italy leads the world in organic vineyard area and biodiversity, with small family growers protecting rare heritage varieties.

Buying Italy Wine

› Look for DOCG, DOC or IGT designations - they are quality-and-provenance markers, and the best value is often in the IGT category where winemakers experiment freely.
› Chianti Classico, Barbera d'Asti, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo and Nero d'Avola offer superb everyday drinking; Barolo, Barbaresco and Brunello are the age-worthy stars.
› Vintage matters less for everyday Italian wine than for fine Barolo; for top Piedmont and Tuscany bottles check regional vintage guides but drink young, fresh whites whenever you can.