Say Ciao! to the Red Wines of Italy

With 20 official wine regions growing over 350 different grape varieties - most indigenous to the country - Italy's wine scene is staggering.  Red, white, rose, still, sparkling, dry, sweet... With so many different wines being produced, how can you navigate the seemingly endless choice of Italian wines?

The Wine Regions of Tuscany - Society of Wine Educators

I have put together a description of some of Italy's top grapes, starting with red wines. You can learn where they are grown, key flavor profiles and ideal food pairings. 

Italy is famous for producing food-friendly wines that pair beautifully with the incredible local cuisine.  The wine labels on Italian bottles will often list just the region, such as Chianti or Barolo, and not the particular grapes used in that wine. So the best way to understand Italian wine is to focus first on the grape and then where that grape is made.

Here is a breakdown of some of Italy's most popular red grapes:

1. Sangiovese

Tuscany's world-renowned wines such as Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino, and Rosso di Montalcino are all based on the Sangiovese grape, Italy's most widely-planted grape.  The wines are named after the subregion where the grapes are grown, such as Vino Nobile di Montepulciano - aka, wine from the region of Montepulciano.  Some sites are better suited to certain grapes and Sangiovese absolutely flourishes in Tuscany's climate.  Many believe that the hills of Montalcino produce the finest expression of Sangiovese, and perhaps the finest wines in the world.  Sangiovese is incredibly food-friendly, with its high acidity cleansing your palate.  Although you may see Sangiovese grown in a few other areas around the world, its spiritual home is Tuscany.

2. Nebbiolo

Nebbiolo, often called the king of Italian grapes, hails from the stunning countryside of the Piedmont region in northwest Italy.  Nebbiolo actually means “fog” in Italian - a nod to the early-morning fog that often blankets the vines.  The highly acclaimed wines of the Barolo and Barbaresco regions are made from Nebbiolo - and some will argue that these are among the most spectacular red wines produced anywhere.  It’s gorgeous aromas and pretty light red color might lead you to think this is a delicate wine when, in fact, Nebbiolo is quite high in tannin and needs a good amount of aging before being approachable to drink. 

3. Corvina

Corvina is the major grape used to produce Valpolicella wines in the Veneto region, located in the foothills of the Alps. Valpolicella generally is made from a blend of Corvina, Rondinella, Corvinone and Molinara grapes.  These grapes combine to create truly fascinating wines. What makes Valpolicella so unique is that the wines can be made in four very different ways to produce wines with very different flavor profiles.  It is important to understand this difference in each wine so that you know what you are buying. 

Valpolicella wines are dry wines made in a traditional way.  The result is a light and fruity red wine that pairs well with many foods. 

Amarone wine takes a base Valpolicella wine and macerates the wine with dried grapes.  The grapes are traditionally laid out on straw mats to dry, thereby concentrating the flavors. The wine will soak up the aromas, flavors and tannins of the dried grapes resulting in a unique and beautiful wine. While Amarone is a robust dry wine, the flavors and aromas take on a rich, raisin-like fruit quality with complex nutty and savory characteristics. Amarone tends to be high in alcohol and can be aged for decades.

Valpolicella Repasso takes a base Valpolicella wine and “re-passes” that wine through leftover crushed Amarone grapes to enhance the light wine and give it more Amarone-type characteristics.  This is why Ripasso wines are often called Baby Amarones and can be a nice value compared to the higher priced Amarone.

Recioto della Valpolicella are sweet wines made in the same way as Amarone. Instead of fermenting the grapes until they are dry, fermentation is stopped along the way to retain a certain amount of sugar, resulting in a velvety, sweet wine with incredible balance and complexity.

4. Barbera

Like Nebbiolo, Barbera is grown in the Piedmont region. Although the Nebbiolo grape has more notoriety, Barbera is actually the most widely planted grape in the region. Barbera is a juicy, lighter bodied red with high acidity, making it an excellent wine to pair with your meal. Its deep color can be a bit misleading, as Barbera is quite low in tannins. Some popular wines include Barbera d’Alba, Barbera d’Aosta, Barbera d’Asti, and Barbera del Monferrato.

5. Nero d'Avola

Sicily's most well known grape is Nero d'Avola, meaning "black of Avola." This dark-skinned grape thrives in Sicily's hot and dry climate, producing bold wines with a deep, rich color. These are structured, yet elegant wines with firm tannins and good acidity. They typically should be enjoyed young and don't tend to age for very long. Nero d'Avola has has been grown in Sicily for hundreds of years, dating back to the 17th century!

6. Cannonau

Although this bold red grape is grown in many areas of the world where it is known as Grenache or Garnacha, Cannonau is thought to have originated on the Italian island of Sardinia.  Cannonau is a dry wine with juicy aromas of fruit and spice.  It has low to medium acid with a medium to full body.  Cannonau's skins are especially thick, giving the wine robust tannins.  This wine has gained fame in recent years - it was specifically identified as a wine with health and longevity benefits in the book The Blue Zones by Dan Buettner. To learn more about Cannonau, click here.

7. Montepulciano

Montepulciano grapes originate from the Abruzzo region on Italy's Adriatic Coast, where they have thrived since the 18th century. They are sometimes confused with the wine region of Montepulciano in Tuscany, which produces the wine Nobile de Montepulciano made from Sangiovese grapes. Although Montepulciano grapes can be grown in many different areas of Italy, Abruzzo is where they are most popular. These grapes are dark in color but create wines with soft tannins and low acidity. Most of the Montepulciano wines are easy drinking but some of the finest expressions can be bold, dense and age worthy.

8. Primitivo

Hailing from the the Puglia region of Southern Italy, Primitivo grapes are thought to be directly related to American Zinfandel. DNA analysis indicates that Primitivo is not only synonymous with Zinfandel but also originated in Croatia (but we won't delve into that debate here....). With a deep purple color and juicy flavors Primitivo is generally found in one of two styles: fruit forward and easy drinking or complex and age-worthy.

Italy is home to an incredible number of high quality wines. The best way to learn about the wines of Italy is first, to drink them! The next best way is to visit the wine regions of Italy. Nothing can compare to walking the vineyards and tasting the wines from ancient cellars steeped in hundreds of years of tradition. Contact us today to book your next wine adventure!