Italy
Italy is something of a vinous nightmare with climates ranging from the cold Alpine north to the sweet sunshine of Sicily, over 2000 indigenous grape varieties planted togther with many plantings of international varieties now and of course, the system of quality gradation, D.O.C. and D.O.C.G. The two are more or less the same but the latter means it's Guaranteed!!
If you can look past these hard to understand elements, Italy has an absolute wealth of superb wines for you to enjoy. One thing to bear in mind, most wines are red and thus are designed to partner food. You'd never catch a self-respecting Italian watching a football match with a glass of red in his hand but then again, you'd never find the same man eating dinner (except for a Pizza) without a glass of red to hand.
Some of the more famous wines such as Chianti, Barolo and Prosecco are well known to us English but lesser known wines can be the greatest fun of all to drink and offer incredible value as well. Ever heard of Falanghina Irpinia? No? Well neither had my friends in Piemonte but it can be a wonderful white wine and much more fun to drink than it is to pronounce!
Look through our list of Italian wines and there'll be something for everybody. Sweet or dry, sparkling or still, red white or rose, you like it, your sure to find it!
