Taste of Italy

Exploring Italy aka Wine Disneyland

When it comes to the integration of food, wine and culture, there is simply nowhere like Italy. Drawing on over 4000 years of history, from the Etruscans to the Romans to modern-day, the Italian way of life and wine have been inextricably intertwined. Whilst Italian wine sits very much toward the pointy end of the quality tree today, it wasn't always the way. In the nineteenth century, along with many other European countries, the vine louse phylloxera took hold and destroyed many of Italy’s vineyards. Replanted vineyards were often introduced with quantity, not quality, in mind. Thus, Italy became a global source of inexpensive table wines. It wasn't until the 1960s, when a series of laws were passed to improve wine quality and labelling that the modern era of winemaking began. Italy’s wine future is just as bright as its storied past, partly due to the diversity of wines produced. Not only does Italy have more native Indigenous varieties than any other country, but each region is distinct from the others. Over its long history, modern Italy evolved from a loose collection of city-states. Today’s twenty wine regions line up with the political borders that grew out of the city-states of the past. Thus, each region approaches things a little differently, adhering to its own traditions. In terms of wine volume, the leading regions are Veneto and Emilia-Romagna in the north and Puglia and Sicily in the south. In terms of quality, most would look to Piedmont and Tuscany. Here, we find the most geographically marked quality zones in Italy, named DOC and DOCG. Wine laws in Italy are very complex; however, some of the country's most exciting new wines are lumped together with simple table wines due to winemaking and labelling restrictions. In 1992, a new classification called IGT was introduced to allow some flexibility, but this does make things difficult for the consumer when assessing quality! Despite its history, Italian bureaucracy has gotten in the way.

3 proudly Italian wines to try

Vallebelbo 'Le Opere' Barbera 2023 Vallebelbo Winery, located in the heart of Piedmont, is a cooperative winery with a fun mix of traditional values and modern winemaking techniques. Founded in the 1950s, it brings together over 160 growers across 500 hectares of vineyards, making it a pretty sizeable operation! They’re big on community, with all the growers working together to highlight the best that Piedmont has to offer. The Vallebelbo Barbera is a classic example with big cherry and spicy notes and a touch of cola. This red is perfect for pasta over lunch or a cold, winter night when you need something to warm you up. Ceretto Moscato d'Asti 2022 375ml The Ceretto family has been making wine in the hills of Piedmont, northern Italy, since the 1930s. Yet this restless producer seems to have really hit top gear in the last 25 years, with a swaggering range of modern Italian wine classics. Not just a stunning bottle, this is super Moscato d'Asti (Moscato sourced from the vineyards around the town of Asti in northern Italy) comes from the renowned Ceretto winery. Crafted from biodynamically farmed grapes and wild fermented (which never happens with Moscato) this is an absolutely delicious, low-alcohol delight! Albenza 'Delle Venezie' Pinot Grigio 2023 The Albenza range of wines comes to us via the ever-talented team from the Natale Verga company. These guys are extremely important operators in Italy, with access to a host of vineyards spanning multiple regions around Italy. This range of wines represents a quite brilliant, pure and faithful account of some of Italy's most popular grape varieties. This is yet another delicious Pinot Grigio from Italy's Veneto. A esty white, it boasts notes of waxy lemons, nuts and a subtle white florality. Clean and easy-drinking, this is the perfect wine for kicking back to after a hard day's work.

Fun Fact about Italian wine

Seriously, no country on the planet has more Indigenous grapes than Italy, with over 500 different documented varieties. And the most popular grape of all? That would be Sangiovese, planted all over Italy and inarguably Italy's most famous variety!