Italy has hundreds of local grape varieties, but production is divided between appellation wines based on traditional grape varieties and wines based on international grape varieties.
The Italian vineyard is very rich, with each region having its own geological and climatic particularities. However, two main types of terroir can be distinguished: those close to the sea, and those in the interior of the peninsula, on the Apennine mountain range.
For each region, the regulations distinguish recommended grape varieties from authorized grape varieties, with the others not being entitled to the appellation of origin.
Among the best-known local white grape varieties
- Trebbiano Toscano, close to the Ugni Blanc of the Charentes.
- Malvasia del Chianti, in Tuscany and the south.
- Verdicchio, in the Marches and Latium.
Among the best-known red grape varieties
- Sangiovese. It is the grape variety of Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.
- Barbera and Nebbiolo, mainly in the northwest.
- Montepulciano, throughout Central Italy
International grape varieties
Developing in Italy as elsewhere, they mainly have the following two origins:
- The grape varieties of the Rhine valley, such as Riesling and Sylvaner, which are found especially in the northeast of the peninsula: in Trentino, Friuli and Alto Adige.
- The noble French grape varieties: Chardonnay for the whites and the three Bordeaux varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot, which are gaining ground in most regions.
Between the wines that follow the rules of the appellation and the mavericks who want the grape varieties of their choice, two types of wine can be distinguished:
- Appellation wines: the DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata), the DOCG and the country wines called vino tipico (IGT).
- Vino da tavola, table wines, possibly with the mention IG (Indicazione Geografica), which can be of highly variable quality, from the lowest to the best, as Sassicaia proudly boasts of being nothing more than a table wine. These high-quality wines that refuse the discipline of the appellation are nicknamed “super-tavola”.
