Best Italian wines

Italian wines are still largely unknown to most enthusiasts. We tend to stay at the beginning. Who hasn’t drunk a Lambrusco or a Prosecco? The wines with which we started our journey in the world of wine and accompanied pizza nights with friends and laughter.

For many, the next step comes in the shape of news, expensive, very expensive wines show up and are given exceptional ratings and, despite the price, we look for a way to taste them.

But Italy is much more than that, more than the simple wines with bubbles or extremely expensive wines like the Super Tuscans or the unbeatable Barolos. Italy is home to a large number of grapes, some native and others international, which produce countless styles of wines.

Let’s get to know Italian wines through its most important regions:

Situated between the Alps and the Po valley, bordering on the east with Austria and Slovenia and, on the west, with Switzerland and France, it has some of the most prestigious Denominations of Origin in the country.

 1.    TRENTINO- ALTO ADIGE: The predominant grape is the Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay, which produces fruity, light wines.

 2. FRIULI-VENEZIA GIULIA: Here and in neighbouring Veneto, you will find white and red wines, but Prosecco is without a doubt the region’s emblem. A sparkling wine, made with the Glera variety, it is undoubtedly a commercial success all over the world.

 3. VENETO: The cradle of two of Italy's best-known wines, the Soave and Valpolicella.
The grape of the former is Garganegra, a green variety. In the case of the latter, it is the Corvina, a red grape with which the Amarone della Valpolicella are made. They are produced using a method for drying the grapes before fermentation which helps concentrate the sugars and flavours.  The Amarone are known for their notes of ripe fruit, spices, chocolate and soft tannins.

 4. PIAMONTE: An area of great variation in altitude with volcanic soils where vines for the Nebbiolo, Barbera and Dolcetto wines are grown. All three are red wines.
One of the most famous wines in the world is produced in the region of Barolo, made with the Nebbiolo variety, which gives them tannins and acidity, essential for the long ageing that these wines need for them to be great. Next to it we find Barbaresco, here the Nebbiolo is  more direct and fruitier. Dolcetto d’Alba, where the Dolcetto offers wines of great colour and with lots of fruity notes.
Gavi, wines made with the Cortese variety, dry with citrus and floral aromas and with a great capacity to age well in a bottle.

Piamonte is also the home of the well-known Moscato d’ Asti, a sparkling wine made with  the Muscatel small berry,  Muscat Blanc, in the regions of Asti and Alba, all of them sweet sparkling wines of low alcohol strength.

 5. EMILIA- ROMAGNA: One of Italy’s most popular wines is from Modena, Lambrusco. This wine has some very peculiar characteristics. At first it was made using the traditional techniques from Champagne, but it quickly found its own method, the Charmat-Martinotti, which includes a first fermentation to obtain a base wine and a second, in steel tanks, to obtain the bubbles.   
There are dry, sweet, sparkling or still, young or aged, white, rosé or red Lambruscos…

The great success enjoyed by Lambrusco in the United States in the seventies meant that many producers opted for wines of lower quality and greater volume. However, a good Lambrusco is characterised by it aromas and flavours of blackberries, strawberries, cherries along with its light bubbles. At Consum we propose:

 -   Bautista Marti in its red or rosé version.

-    I Love Italy rosé.

The central part of Italy is crossed by the Apennine mountains, home to the vines planted on its hills and valleys, resulting in a style of varied wines.

 1.    TUSCANY: Land of great wines and breathtaking landscapes, home to the Sangiovese variety, the main grape of the Chianti denomination. They are meaty wines, aged for at least 12 months,  which, with time, develop meat and game aromas.
In southern Tuscany, you will find Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. These are the most important denominations. The coast is home to the “Super Tuscans”, wines made with international varieties, mainly Cabernet Sauvignon, and which reached worldwide fame and became the most expensive wines in the world.

 2. MARCHE AND ABRUZZO: They are on the Adriatic coast. The former is known for its Verdiccio whites and the latter for its Montepulcciano red variety.

In the south, the climate is warmer and drier, which means the wines are mature and full-bodied, but there are major differences depending on the zone.

 1.    CAMPANIA: It produces a wide variety of white and red wines with the Fiano, Greco, Anglianico varieties. It also produces sparkling wines and sweet liqueurs.

 2. BASILICATA: It can claim to have one of the best wines in southern Italy: the Aglianico del Vulture red. It also produces sweet muscatel white wines.

 3. CALABRIA AND PUGLIA: These regions produce a lot of grapes, Negroamaro, Primitivo… which are used for full-bodied wines or wines of great quality like Salice Salentino or Castel de Monte.

 4. SICILY AND SARDINIA: The islands produce wines with varieties like Syrah, Chardonnay, and, the most widespread, the Nero d’Avola. The wines of Etna arouse great interest. They are fragrant and high quality wines.
We cannot forget Marsala, a fortified wine famous for its long ageing.