Italian red wine

Varieties used to make Italian red wines.

Italy is a country that is lucky to have a long history of cultivation when it comes to grape varieties.

Perhaps the most famous grapes used to make Italian red wine are Nebbiolo and Sangiovese. The first is originally from Piedmont and makes very powerful, long aging red wines. The second is typical of Tuscany, and is usually used to make chiantis, easier wines with a somewhat lower aging potential.

Some of the most common varieties by area.

In the northwest of Italy, in Piedmont, the Nebbiolo, Barbera and Dolcetto varieties are most common. In the northeast, in Veneto, it’s the Corvina, Molinara and Rondinella varieties; in Friuli, Refosco; in the Trento-Alto Adige, Teroldego, Schiava and Lagrein. In the centre, in Tuscany, it is Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon. In the South, in Campania, Aglianico; in Apulia, Negroamaro, Malvasia Nera, Primitivo and Uva di Troia; in Sardinia, Cannonau and Carignano. Finally, in Sicily, it is mostly the Nero d’Avola and Nerello Mascalese varieties.

The Italian red wine scene is extremely rich and diverse thanks to the large number of varieties they grow, the different micro-climates and the diverse soils, with limestone, clay-stony and even volcanic soils. Would you like to try them?