thumb|upright=0.7|Tuscan [[Chianti in a traditional ]]

Italian wine () is produced in every region of Italy. Italy is the country with the widest variety of indigenous grapevine in the world, with an area of under vineyard cultivation, as well as the world's largest wine producer and the largest exporter . Contributing 49.8 million hl of wine in 2022, Italy accounted for over 19.3% of global production, ahead of France (17.7%) and Spain (13.8%); the following year, production decreased by 11.5 million hl, and Italy was surpassed by France.

The origins of vine-growing and winemaking in Italy has been illuminated by recent research, stretching back even before the Phoenician, Etruscans and Greek settlers, who produced wine in Italy before the Romans planted their own vineyards. The Romans greatly increased Italy's viticultural area using efficient viticultural and winemaking methods.

History

thumb|left|[[Vineyard Landscape of Piedmont: Langhe-Roero and Monferrato|Vineyards in Langhe and Montferrat, Piedmont, the official name of a UNESCO World Heritage Site comprising "five distinct wine-growing areas with outstanding landscapes" and the Castle of Grinzane Cavour in the region of Piedmont, Italy]]

Vines have been cultivated from the wild Vitis vinifera grape for millennia in Italy. It was previously believed that viticulture had been introduced into Sicily and southern Italy by the Mycenaeans, as winemaking traditions are known to have already been established in Italy by the time the Phoenician and Greek colonists arrived on Italy's shores around 1000–800 BC. However, archeological discoveries on Monte Kronio in 2017 revealed that viticulture in Sicily flourished at least as far back as 4000 BC — some 3,000 years earlier than previously thought. Also on the peninsula, traces of Bronze Age and even Neolithic grapevine management and small-scale winemaking might suggest earlier origins than previously thought. Although unpalatable to adults, it was customary, at the time, for young people to drink wine mixed with a good proportion of water.

As the laws on provincial viticulture were relaxed, vast vineyards began to flourish in the rest of Europe, especially Gaul (present-day France) and Hispania. This coincided with the cultivation of new vines, such as biturica, an ancestor of the Cabernets. These vineyards became so successful that Italy ultimately became an import centre for provincial wines.

Italian appellation system

thumb|[[Denominazione di origine controllata|DOCG and DOC labels on two Italian wine bottles]]

In 1963, the first official Italian system of classification of wines was launched. Since then, several modifications and additions to the legislation have been made, including a major modification in 1992. The last modification, which occurred in 2010, established four basic categories which are consistent with the latest European Union wine regulations (2008–09). The Italian Ministry of Agriculture (MIPAAF) regularly publishes updates to the official classification. The categories, from the bottom to the top level, are:

  • Vini da tavola ("table wines"). At the lowest level are table wines (VdT). VdT wines are mandatory to include on the label the production batch, the volume of the container, the bottler's data, the place of bottling and vinification (if different places take place), the alcohol content, the gasification (if existing), the phrase "contains sulphites" only if the threshold of 10 mg/L of sulfur dioxide is exceeded. It is primarily grown in Basilicata and Campania to produce DOCG wines, Aglianico del Vulture Superiore and Taurasi.
  • Barbera: the most widely grown red wine grape of the Piedmont and southern Lombardy regions, the largest plantings of Barbera are found near the towns of Asti, Alba, and Pavia. In the Asti region, Barbera grapes are used in making "Barbera d'Asti Superiore", which may be aged in French barriques to become Nizza, a quality wine aimed at the international market. The vine has bright cherry-coloured fruit, and its wine is acidic with a dark colour.
  • Corvina: along with the varieties Rondinella and Molinara, this is the principal grape which makes the famous wines of the Veneto: Valpolicella and Amarone. Valpolicella wine has dark cherry fruit and spice. After the grapes undergo passito (a drying process), the wine is now called Amarone, and is high in alcohol (16% and up) and characterized by raisin, prune, and syrupy fruits. Some Amarones can age for 40+ years and command spectacular prices. The same method used for Amarone is used for Recioto, the oldest wine produced in this area, but the difference is that Recioto is a sweet wine.
  • Dolcetto: a grape that grows alongside Barbera and Nebbiolo in Piedmont, its name means 'little sweet one', referring not to the taste of the wine. Flavours of concord grape, wild blackberries, and herbs permeate the wine.
  • Malvasia nera: red Malvasia variety from Piedmont. A sweet and perfumed wine, sometimes pronounced in the passito style.
  • Montepulciano: not to be confused with the Tuscan town of Montepulciano, it is the most widely planted grape on the opposite coast in Abruzzo. Its wines develop silky plum-like fruit notes, friendly acidity, and light tannins.
  • Nebbiolo: the noblest of Italy's varieties. The name (meaning "little fog") refers to the autumn fog that blankets most of Piedmont where Nebbiolo is chiefly grown, and where it achieves the most successful results. A difficult grape variety to cultivate, it produces the most renowned Barolo and Barbaresco, made in the province of Cuneo, along with the lesser-known Ghemme and Gattinara, made in the provinces of Novara and Vercelli respectively, and Sforzato, Inferno and Sassella made in Valtellina.
  • Negroamaro: the name literally means 'black bitter'. A widely planted grape with its concentration in the region of Puglia, it is the backbone of the Salice Salentino.
  • Nero d'Avola: this native varietal wine of Sicily has dark fruit notes and strong tannins.
  • Primitivo: a red grape found in southern Italy, most notably in Apulia. Primitivo ripens early and thrives in warm climates, where it can achieve very high alcohol levels.
  • Sagrantino: a rare native of Umbria, as of 2010, it is planted on only . Montefalco Sagrantino and Montefalco Rosso wines can also age for many years.
  • Sangiovese: it is most notably the predominant grape variety in Chianti and Chianti Classico, and the sole ingredient in Brunello di Montalcino. Sangiovese is also a major constituent of dozens of other denominations, such as Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Rosso di Montalcino and Montefalco Rosso, as well as the basis of many of the "Super Tuscans", where it is blended with three of the Bordeaux varietals (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc) and typically aged in French oak barrels, resulting in a wine primed for the international market in the style of a typical California cabernet: oaky, high-alcohol, and a ripe, fruit-forward profile.

Other major red varieties are Cannonau, Ciliegiolo, Gaglioppo, Lagrein, Lambrusco, Monica, Nerello Mascalese, Pignolo, Refosco, Schiava, Schioppettino, Teroldego, and Uva di Troia.

Super Tuscans

<!-- This section is linked from Chianti -->

thumb|left|200px|[[Tuscany|Tuscan wine]]

The term Super Tuscan (mostly used in the English-speaking world and less known in Italy) describes any wine (mostly red, but sometimes also white) produced in Tuscany that generally does not adhere to the traditional local DOC or DOCG regulations. As a result, Super Tuscans are usually Toscana IGT wines, while others are Bolgheri DOC, a designation of origin rather open to international grape varieties. Traditional Tuscan DOC(G)s require that wines are made from native grapes and mostly Sangiovese. While sometimes Super Tuscans are actually produced by Sangiovese alone, they are also often obtained by (1) blending Sangiovese with international grapes (such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Syrah) to produce red wines, (2) blending international grapes alone (especially classic Bordeaux grapes for reds; Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc for whites), or (3) using one single international variety.

thumb|right|Poggio Amorelli, a typical winery of [[Chianti (region)|Chianti region]]

right|thumb|Tignanello, one of the early Super Tuscans

Although an extraordinary amount of wines claim to be "the first Super Tuscan", most would agree that this credit belongs to Sassicaia, the brainchild of marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta, who planted Cabernet Sauvignon at his Tenuta San Guido estate in Bolgheri back in 1944. It was for many years the marchese's personal wine, until, starting with the 1968 vintage, it was released commercially in 1971.

In 1968 Azienda Agricola San Felice produced a Super Tuscan called Vigorello, and in the 1970s Piero Antinori, whose family had been making wine for more than 600 years, also decided to make a richer wine by eliminating the white grapes from the Chianti blend, and instead, adding Bordeaux varietals (namely, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot). He was inspired by Sassicaia, of which he was given the sale agency by his uncle Mario Incisa della Rocchetta. The result was one of the first Super Tuscans, which he named Tignanello, after the vineyard where the grapes were grown. What was formerly Chianti Classico Riserva Vigneto Tignanello, was pulled from the DOC in 1971, first eliminating the white grapes (then compulsory in Chianti DOC) and gradually adding French varieties. By 1975, Tignanello was made with 85% Sangiovese, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Cabernet Franc, and it remains so today.

, typically from Basilicata and Apulia regions, also starts as a cooked must but is not fermented, resulting in a sweet syrup suitable for the preparation of sweets and soft drinks. In Roman times it was known as sapa in Latin and epsima in Greek, the same names that are often used for it, respectively, in Italy and Cyprus.

See also

  • History of Chianti
  • List of Italian DOC wines
  • List of Italian DOCG wines
  • List of Italian IGT wines
  • Old World wine

References

Further reading

  • Emlyn Dodd, 'The Archaeology of Wine Production in Roman and pre-Roman Italy'. American Journal of Archaeology 126.3: 443–480. https://doi.org/10.1086/719697.
  • La Sicilia del Vino, di S. Barresi, E. Iachello, E. Magnano di San Lio, A. Gabbrielli, S. Foti, P. Sessa. Fotografia Giò Martorana, Giuseppe Maimone Editore, Catania 2003.
  • Kerin O'Keefe, Brunello di Montalcino. Understanding and Appreciating One of Italy's Greatest Wines, University of California Press, 2012. .
  • Kerin O'Keefe, Barolo and Barbaresco. The King and Queen of Italian Wine, University of California Press, 2014. .
  • Italian Wine Appellations, from the Italian Ministry of Agriculture (IT)
  • National Registry of Grape Varieties, from the Italian Ministry of Agriculture (IT)