The Best Articles on Italy Wine

I Love French Wine and Food - Reviewing The Reds

I recently finished a wine tour of Italy?s twenty administrative regions, briefly describing each region prior to tasting a representative wine with food, and at least one imported Italian cheese. I enjoyed this experience so much that I plan to repeat it, but only after doing something similar for France and perhaps a few other countries. I am happy enough with Italian wine to continue to drink it for the rest of my days, but there are other wine-producing countries out there, and other wines to drink. I am going to give you a bit of a report on the red wines I encountered on this wine tour, but only after a quick summary of Italian red wines, as if such an endeavor was possible. Look for a similar article on Italian white wines.

You wouldn?t be alone if you immediately think red when the subject of Italian wine is raised. In spite of extreme variations in climate, soil, elevation, and other geographical conditions, every single one of Italy?s twenty regions produces red wine. The percentage varies widely from 91 % in the southern region of Calabria to 16% in the central region of Latium.

The reality of Italy wine is more complex than first meets the eye. Who would have thought that Sicily, a southern Italian region if ever there was one, produces almost as much white wine as red wine? Considering that Sicily holds first place for Italian wine production that?s a lot of white wine. In fact, Sicily?s annual white wine production is greater than the total wine production of all but five Italian regions. But this article is about Italian red wines, not Italian white wines.

In chronological order we tasted a red wine from the southern region of Calabria, the central region of Latium, the northern region of Piedmont, the southern region of Sardinia, the central region of Abbruzzi, the northern region of Lombardy, our only ros? wine from the southern region of Apulia, the northern region of Trentino-Alto Adige, the central region of Tuscany, two Vino Novellos (new wines) one from the northern region of Trentino-Alto Adige and the other from the northern region of Veneto, the southern region of Sicily, the central region of The Marche, the southern region of Bascilicata, and finally the northern region of Piedmont while describing its neighboring region of the Aosta Valley. I was unable to find a wine from the Aosta Valley. I am in the process of tasting a Riserva (longer-aged) version of this last wine, and will write an article when I have finished it.

These sixteen wines varied in classification from basically unclassified table wines to IGT, DOC, and DOCG. In short, all Italian wine classifications were represented. IGT stands for Indicazione Geografica Tipica, which may be translated as Typical Geographic Indication, in other words a wine that typifies its specific location. DOC stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata, which may be translated as Denomination of Controlled Origin. DOCG stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Guarantita, which may be translated as Denomination of Controlled and Guaranteed Origin.

The wines varied in price from $8 to $38 but only three bottles cost more than $21. Their alcohol content varied from 11.5% to 15% but only one bottle exceeded 13.5%. The vintages varied from 1999 to 2006, with slightly more than half in the range 2002 to 2004. The grapes used varied widely, including both international and strictly Italian varieties. Some wines included multiple grape varieties, while others did not. And now for the question that you?ve been waiting for, what about the quality, and in particular the quality as a function of price? That too varied widely, there were both positive and negative surprises. We overpaid and there were definitely some bargains. Which was which? Read the articles.

A Short Italy Wine Summary

Great Coffee Is Like Fine Wine


To the true coffee connoisseur, the beans, roast and resulting aromas and flavors are not unlike fine wine. Rich, rewarding and full of flavor, good b...


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Recommended Italy Wine Items

Riedel 'O' Syrah/Shiraz Stemless Wine Glasses (Set of 2)


The Riedel Stemless O Wine Glasses are the newest revolution in glassware. Casual yet elegant these wine glasses are appropriate for fine wine enjoyment as well as casual sipping. The wine tumblers were shaped to fit into a dishwasher and fine-tuned to enhance the pleasure of your favorite wine varietals. In keeping with the Riedel glassware tradition these wine glasses have become the benchmark for stemless glassware. Made in Germany of lead-free crystal. Gift boxed in sets of 2. 5 3/8'H 21 7/8 oz.


Price: 24.90 USD



Headlines on Italy Wine

Puglia: Italy's heel has it all -- shh, except hordes of tourists (Miami Herald)

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 00:22:31 PDT
POLIGNANO A MARE, Italy -- Puglia has some of the brightest seas, most diverse art and architecture, most mouthwatering peasant cuisine and kindest people in all of Italy -- including strangers who will go out of their way to lead you to one after another stunning beach on impossibly lapis-lazuli waters.

"Fixing Europe's problems: 'less policies, more politics'

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 06:37:17 PDT
Fixing Europe's problems: 'less policies, more politics' As the European Parliament approaches the one-year countdown to the 2009 Elections, a leading academic has emphasised the need to put politics back into the European arena. Sebastian Bersick | Gudrun Wacker Great Expectations for Cross Strait Relations Ma Ying-jeou wins presidential elections SWP Comments 2008/C 06, April 2008, 4 pages Daniela Schwarzer | Isabelle Werenfels The Union for the Mediterranean: A Missed Opportunity The

WBW #45-Old World Riesling

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 07:50:53 PDT
Our host for this month's edition of the virtual tasting known as Wine Blogging Wednesday is Tim of Winecast. Tim has chosen a fabulous theme, one of my absolute favorite white wines, Riesling. However, his stipulation is that the wine must come from the "Old World." So choose a Riesling from Germany, Austria, or the Alsace region of France. He'll give you a little leniency if you want to go with Northern Italy, the Czech Republic, or Slovenia too. You can read all the details here. This month

Try A Taste of Napoli Without Leaving Seattle

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 10:39:22 PDT
While I’m traveling in Italy, here’s a suggestion of how you can have a little taste of what I’m enjoying — without having to leave Seattle. Check out one of the two locations of locally owned Via Tribunali. Via Tribunali serves up Neapolitan style pizza to discerning patrons hungry for thin, blistered crusts, sprinkled with coarse salt. The crusts are then of topped with a light layer of sauce, and then topped with an assortment of toppings. Some of the more popular toppings include: ga

$23.99] Bruno Rocca Barbara DAlba 2003 Free Shipping on 3 or more by Wines `Til Sold Out

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 11:09:20 PDT
Bruno Rocca Barbara Damp;amp;rsquo;Alba 2003 By Robert Parker2003 Bruno Rocca Barbera d`Alba A Barbera Dry Red Table wine from Alba,Barbera d`Alba,Piedmont,Italy Review by Antonio Galloni Italy Report GX Apr 2007 Rating: 90 Drink 2007 2013In recent years Bruno Roccaamp;amp;rsquo;s Barbera damp;amp;rsquo;Alba has been one of my favorite modernstyled wines. The 2003 shows remarkable balance for the vintage, with an attractive, perfumed nose and plenty of ripe fruit, toasted oak, licorice and choc


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