Italian Overview

We’ve talked a bit about French wines and how once you know which grapes go with which Regions, it’s not really that hard, especially since most of the grapes from which French wines are made are the varietals most widely grown and sold here. Italy…now that’s another story.

Italy has many officially designated appellations (DOCs or DOCGs). In fact, there are over 400 of them. Over these 400+ appellations a total of more than 350 grape varietals are permitted in the production of the wines. Many of the DOC(G)s are relatively obscure and do not export, or export very little to our shores. Many of the grape varietals could be similarly characterized, their obscurity highlighted by the fact that many Italian varietals are not widely grown outside of Italy. However, things are always changing. Every year I encounter at least one DOC(G) or primary DOC(G) varietal with which I’m not familiar – and then they are no longer obscure. It’s part of what makes Italian wine interesting and fun. 

Typically, DOC(G) requirements relate to the location from which the grapes must come, the varietals allowed and their percentages in the blend, and sometimes, the process by which the wine is produced. Unlike French wines, which are primarily named by place, Italian wines are sometimes named for the place, sometimes named for the varietal, sometimes for both, and sometimes under an alias.

 So, for instance, Barolo, Barbaresco, Gattinara, Ghemme, and Langhe are all places (in Piedmont), and the red wines so labeled are always made from the Nebbiolo grape. Pinot Grigio is a grape and is labeled Pinot Grigio, wherever it comes from in Italy, whether or not the place of origin is on the label. Fiano d’Avellino is a (white) wine produced from the Fiano grape in the Avellino area (of Campania). 

Following that logic, Morellino di Scansano should be a (red) wine produced from the Morellino grape in the Scansano area (of Tuscany) – and it is…but it isn’t. Morellino is actually the local name for the Sangiovese grape in the Scansano vicinity. Sangiovese is the most widely planted red grape in Italy. It is the primary grape of all the different Chiantis, Brunello di Montalcino, and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano (from the Montepulciano area of Tuscany). 

Montepulciano, in addition to being a place in Tuscany, is also a grape. Ostensibly, the grape was named after the Montepulciano parish in Tuscany from which the Vino Nobile comes. However, this grape is not grown in Tuscany, but rather in the Marche, Abruzzo, and Molise regions (all on the Adriatic coast east and south of Tuscany), and therefore, by Vino Nobile DOCG rules, is not allowed in Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. It is however, the primary grape of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. 

In the Veneto Region of Italy (the area around the city of Verona) there are several Valpolicella DOC(G)s. These designations all cover the same geographic area, and the same grapes. They are differentiated by the manner in which the wine is produced. 

Valpolicella Classico is a standard production still red wine produced from the Corvina, Rondinella, and Molinara grapes. Amarone della Valpolicella is produced from the same grapes from the same locations as the Valpolicella Classico but employs a production method referred to as passito – that is, the grapes are dried for weeks to months prior to fermentation, thus producing a richer, more concentrated, higher alcohol version of the Valpolicella blend. Valpolicella Ripasso, employs the ripasso method – that is, the winemaker adds the leftover skins/pomace from a passito method wine into the fermentation tanks of a new Valpolicella fermenting the new grapes and leftover skins/pomace together. The resulting wine is deeper than the Classico but less so than an Amarone. About now you feel like Alice in Wonderland. 

Take heart. In coming months, I will try to simplify Italian wines. They are truly worth getting to know.