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Italian Regional Wines
Piedmont
With a large variety of wine selection, Piedmont is filled with flavourful wines. French in history, the Piedmont shares much in sensibility with France. Its wines are among the most noble and culinary of Italy, and its cuisine shares much with Burgundy, with mushrooms and truffles taking center stage. The wines of the Nebbiolo grape, most famously in Barolo and Barbaresco, make brooding, autumnal wines, often lightly colored, but full of earth, wax, rose petal, leather and tar--taking a role at the table very much like red Burgundy. Barbera and Dolcetto make other very interesting red wines, and younger winemakers are experimenting with new oak barrels and other new world techniques. Indigenous whites include Arneis, Muscat (in Asti Spumante, and Moscato d'Asti), and Cortese di Gavi. Chardonnays from the Piedmont can be quite nice, too.
Friuli-Venezia Giulia
A region in the northeast corner of Italy which produces a range of wines (usually labeled with the varietal name) which are frequently excellent. Many delightful bottlings of Pinot Grigio, Pinot Bianco and Chardonnay come from this area, as well as Merlots and Cabernet Francs.
Southern Italy
Southern Italy has often suffered in the comparison with Northern Italy; besides the region's economic disadvantages the varietal grapes are often obscure and the wines are not well-publicized. Nevertheless, just recently it got raving reviews and getting recognized all over the world. The reds are the result of a Mediterranean climate, often sharing more in ripeness with California than with northern Italyi. White wines from this area tend to be straightforward, fresh, slightly nutty and at their best when young.
Trentino-Alto Adige
Bordering on Germany, this region includes Italy's northernmost vineyards; the climate is perfect for a variety of cool-weather white grapes, notably Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio and Pinot Bianco. Farther south in the Trentino area, Cabernets have been doing well for years.
Tuscany
Tuscany, a region in central Italy that includes the town of Florence, is the home of Chianti, the most famous of all Italian wines. Chianti is a blended wine based on the Sangiovese grape. It can, however, be produced in many styles due to Tuscany's various types of soil, microclimates, winemaking methods and blending decisions. Most wines from Tuscany are red, and new plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon have been very successful. Another very famous and sought-after wine produced in this region is Brunello di Montalcino, a very complex, expensive Sangiovese wine.
Veneto
The Veneto is an extensive region of northeastern Italy which includes the towns of Venice and Verona. The Veneto produces large quantities of the popular wines Soave (a dry white wine) and Valpolicella and Bardolino (fairly light-bodied reds) as well as fine varietal wines including Pinot Grigio, Merlot and Cabernet
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