Collection: Buy italian wines

Discovering the Italian vineyard

Italy holds a leading position in the wine world. It is indeed regularly ranked first in terms of volume. With more than 600 000 hectares and a winemaking tradition dating back to Antiquity, the Boot is also renowned for its incredible diversity of grape varieties, terroirs, and wine styles and is for the enthusiast, a kingdom of discoveries as vast as the French vineyard. If it is difficult to summarize Italy's wine industry in a few lines, here is a brief overview that will give you an idea of its great richness.

The Italian classification system : IGT, DOC, and DOCG

Italian wines are classified into four categories:

-Table wines (Vino Da Tavola) primarily include blends without a specific designation. This category corresponds to our Vin de France designation and defines wines produced anywhere on Italian territory, particularly in areas where wine production is not particularly renowned.

-Then, we find the IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica). These are comparable to our French IGP, thus identifying specific production areas that are relatively extensive compared to classic appellations. We can take for example the Toscana IGT covering the entire Tuscany region or the Sicilia IGT, encompassing all Sicilian terroirs.

-Finally, there are the DOC (Denominazione Di Origine Controllata) and DOCG (Denominazione Di Origine Controllata E Garantita), the highest levels of classification. In Italy, the DOC currently identifymore than 330 crus, guaranteeing an origin as well as a production method. These are comparable to our French AOCs. The DOCG, on the other hand, must meet even stricter production regulations than the DOC. There are only 74 to date, including the very famous Barolo, Barbaresco, Chianti Classico, Chianti, and Brunello di Montalcino.

Italian Appellations and Grape Varieties

There are currently more than 400 appellations in Italy. Here are the main ones.

The Barolo DOCG, located in the Piedmont region in the Northwest of Italy, is one of the most renowned in all of Italy, producing great  red wines based on the grape variety Nebbiolo. The latter is highly reputed for its robust tannic structure, complex bouquet, and great aging potential. The Armando Parusso estate perfectly illustrates the magnificent capabilities of this grape variety as well as the great nobility of this illustrious appellation.

The Chianti and Chianti Classico DOCG, located in Tuscany, are renowned for their intense and complex red wines made from the great grape variety Sangiovese. The wines regularly exhibit notes of cherry, spices, and tobacco and are also capable of very long aging. The DOCG Chianti Classico represents the historic heart of this production. More generally, the rolling hills of the region offer varied terroirs evolving on soils rich in clay, limestone, and schist, contributing to the complexity of the wines. The estate Ruffino exemplifies the grandeur of these production areas. 

The Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, also in Tuscany, allows the production of very prestigious red wines, exclusively made from the Sangiovese grape variety. The wines here undergo long aging processes and exhibit aromatics of incredible power and great richness, similar to the Brunello from the Fattoi estate. The vineyards of Montalcino benefit from a warm Mediterranean climate and soils rich in clay and schist, giving the wines their structure and character.

Another important appellation, the Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC is located in the Abruzzo region, south of Tuscany. This one takes its name from the main grape variety used, the Montepulciano, producing flavorful red wines known for their intense color, medium to full body, supple tannins, and aromas of black fruits, cherry, and spices. The vineyards benefit from awarm Mediterranean climate and a variety of soils, ranging from clay to limestone. Whether as an everyday wine or as a cellar wine, the Montepulciano d'Abruzzo often offers excellent value for money, like the Ilico cuvée from the  Dino Illuminati estate.

The Prosecco DOC offers sparkling wines whose reputation has now spread worldwide. Mainly produced in the Veneto region (particularly in the Conegliano-Valdobbiadene area), Prosecco is exclusively made from the Glera grape variety and offers fine bubbles, a lovely freshness as well as very pleasant fruity aromas, like the one made by the Sacchetto family. The gentle hills, limestone soils, and the influence of the Alps contribute here to creating ideal conditions for grape cultivation.

The Valpolicella DOC, located in the Veneto region, is renowned for its light and fruity red wines made from the Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella, and Molinara grape varieties. The hills of Valpolicella, with their varied soils, promote optimal grape ripening here and add an extra dimension to the wines. Also found in the same region is the Valpolicella Classico DOC, the historical heart of production, as well as the Valpolicella Ripasso DOC and the  Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG. Within the latter, red wines of incredible power and aromatic richness are produced, thanks to the drying process of the grapes, a method used to evaporate the water contained in them, leading to a great concentration of aromas. Like the Amarone from the Le Calendre estate, the result is exceptional and every enthusiast should experience it at least once in their lifetime.

Finally, many other appellations also exist in Italy, such as the Puglia IGT (Feudi di San Marzano estate) or the Montello e Colli Asolina DOC (Serafini & Vidotto estate), a little-known appellation located in Veneto producing notably sublime red wines based on the grape varieties Cabernet-sauvignon, Cabernet-franc and Merlot. We could also talk about the "super Tuscans", these great red wines for aging made from the blend of Sangiovese with these same French grape varieties that enthusiasts are eager to acquire worldwide.

In short, as you will have understood, Italy is too vast to be summarized in a few paragraphs but its incredible richness and great diversity of grape varieties, appellations, and terroirs make it a wonderful playground for the country's winemakers and wine enthusiasts. So, whether you like powerful wines, smooth wines or even light and fruity sparkling wines, you will find your happiness in Italy!