A scenic tour of Italy’s beloved wine regions sounds like a lovely way to spend a few weeks (or months or years!), don’t you think? There are so many beautiful wine regions to choose from that you may struggle to narrow the selection down, but that is where we come in. This is our rundown of Italy’s top five wine regions and what makes them so unique.
Discover Italy’s 5 Top Wine Regions
Veneto
If you love Prosecco, this region in the northwestern part of Italy is the place to go. With a geography that comprises plains, hills and mountains, Veneto has a long tradition of wine-making and a favourable climate that supports a wide variety of grape varietals, both native and international, which are almost equally divided between red and white.
The most widely planted grape varieties are Glera – this is the grape that makes the famous Prosecco sparkling wine – Garganega, Pinot Grigio and also Merlot. Corvina and Molinara are native red grape varieties used to make the delicious Valpolicella wines, low in alcohol, with a refreshing acidity that sophisticated palettes will love. The Valpolicella wine region gives also birth to the famous Amarone della Valpolicella, the rich dry red wine made from partially dried grapes. Soave is the dry white wine produced around the historic town of Verona.
The climate in the Veneto region is lovely most of the year – warmer along the coast and near Lake Garda and colder in the north – and the pastoral beauty of the landscapes is heavenly, a great spot to experience the Italian countryside. And being Italy, not surprisingly Veneto has a heavenly culinary tradition.
The main airport is in Venice, one of the most beautiful cities in the world. When your luxury plane charter touches down, it’s an hour’s drive to the Prosecco wine route around the Conegliano Valdobbiadene hills, through some of the most stunning scenery you could hope to see, and a great way to start exploring Veneto’s wine region.
Best Winery: At Dal Forno Romano you can taste Valpolicella and Amarone. A family-run winery, Dal Forno is prestigious, even amongst Italian wineries. Their processes and the result are elegant and sophisticated, and the winery itself is gorgeous.
Piedmont
The second largest geographical region in the country, Piedmont, also produces the 7th largest quantity of wine in Italy. Almost 45,000 hectares of Piedmont’s 25,399 square kilometers are cultivated with vineyards, so it’s not an exaggeration to say they love what they do. Most of the wine made in Piedmont comes from small vineyards where the growers are winemakers too.
Although many different kinds of grapes are planted, the region is best known for its red varieties: the Nebbiolo grape – from which the prized Barolo and Barbaresco are made – and the ubiquitous Barbera, a robust grape which is low to moderate in alcohol, but comes with a naturally high acidity. With its notes of blackberry, black cherry, and raspberry, it is used to produce a range of wines in different areas thanks to its versatility. Piedmont is also home to Dolcetto grapes that produce intensely coloured, fruity, moderately alcoholic wines.
The main wine areas in Piedmont are the Langhe, a scenic hilly territory between the towns of Cuneo and Asti, and Monferrato, an historic region that includes the provinces of Alessandria and Asti. Driving around the beautiful hills covered in vineyards will satisfy the tastebuds and the eyes of every wine lover.
Best winery: Madonna dell’Uva. Located between Reggio and Borgomanero, this exquisite winery is home to one of the youngest female winemakers in Italy. The small, family-run business is surrounded by lush scenery, which enhances the natural beauty of the winery.
Trentino Alto-Adige
This is one of Italy’s least talked about wine destinations, but this region located in northeastern Italy really should get top billing among wine lovers along with more well-known places like Tuscany. In Trentino Alto Adige you will find some of the best Pinot Grigio in the world, made with a unique, zesty kick that appeals to lovers of sharp wines.
You can enjoy delicious white wines like Riesling and the very aromatic Müller-Thurgau (a white grape variety that was nurtured by Hermann Müller from the Swiss Canton of Thurgau in 1882) and Gewürztraminer — a heady wine with notes of spice, rosewater, and honeysuckle. Very aromatic made with the most highly scented grape of all.
This region also produces a few different grape varieties that are unique thanks to the region’s mountainous location, including native varieties, like the red berried-flavoured Lagrein and Schiava, and international varieties that prefer cold climates, like Sauvignon and Pinot Nero.
Trentino Alto Adige lies just below Austria (in Alto Adige, also called SudTyrol, they speak German as well as Italian) and with beautiful towns like Bolzano and Trento and the snow-capped Alps it attracts visitors for its natural beauty. The wine-passionate will have the chance to see some majestic landscapes while tasting top-notch wines.
Sicily
Sicily, Italy’s biggest island, boasts 23 DOC’s and one DOCG – the highest quality designation for wine, making it one of the top wine producers in the country. It’s a mosaic of different grapes and wine flavours, from robust red, to aromatic white, rosé and luscious sweet wines.
Many different kinds of grapes grow in this region, the most well-known being the sweet white Zibibbo – an ancient variety that is part of the Unesco World Heritage – used to make sweet wine of the same name, and the hearty red Nero d’Avola from which some of the top Sicilian wines are made. Cataratto, Frappato, Nerello grapes are all native grapes which are widely used. Grillo is the Sicilian white grape variety famous for its fortified Marsala wines, but is now most commonly used in a variety of still white wines.
With a centuries-old tradition of wine making, Sicily offers a rich choice of wine tasting, from the ‘volcanic wine’ in the Etna terroir to the provinces of Palermo and Agrigento with a variety of red and white DOC wines, and the western part of the island – around Trapani – that has the oldest wineries, historic cellars that are real jewels to visit.
Best winery: Tenuta Maltese. The winery’s history and innovation make it a must-visit for wine tourists. The Merlot and native white Grillo are Sicilian ambassadors to the world.
Tuscany
All of Italy is known for its wines, but Tuscany is the cream of the crop. This is where you find the exquisite rolling hills, quaint villages, and perfectly combed vineyards that produce prestigious wines like Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.
These VIP’s of Tuscan wines are made from the native Sangiovese, the rich red Italian grape variety that derives its name from the Latin “sanguis Jovis”, or “blood of Jupiter”, in some cases mixed with other native varieties like Canaiolo and Colorino. But you also get the fine white wine Vernaccia di San Gimignano, that has recived the DOCG designation. The Trebbiano white grape, one of the most used in various countries, here is the basis for the refreshing Bianco di Pitigliano, in southern Tuscany.
Tuscany has a long tradition of wine making (just think of the Etruscans who were exporting wine in the 5th century BC!), and the skills and traditional methods are kept alive by historic cellars that take great pride in their products.
Top areas for wine tasting are the Chianti region, the hilltop towns of Montalcino and Montepulciano, the Maremma in the south, and Bolgheri with a more modern and eclectic approach to wine making. Be ready to embrace relaxation and indulgence when you visit Tuscany because all of your wines will no doubt come with divine meals, and you can’t miss a single Tuscan dish in the menu!
Best winery: Cantina Antinori Chianti Classico. This winery may be the most widely known name in Tuscan wine anywhere in the world. It’s a showstopping winery that provides a wealth of visitor experiences, including a “taste-your-way across Tuscany” experience.
* Top 10 Experiences in Tuscany for Wine Lovers
* Essential Guide to the Best Tuscan Wines
* 5 Traditional Tuscan Dishes You Must Try
Wine Time in Italy
Your tour of Italy will be enriched by these unmissable destinations and the best wines in the country. Experiencing these regions will give you an excellent cross-section of Italian wines, and you’ll leave with a more refined palette than you had when you arrived. Alla salute!
