Italian red wines may get all the attention, but insiders know that Italian whites are as varied and interesting as the country’s reds. Italy’s multitude of mountains and hills ensures wines with bright acidity—the hallmark of Italian whites. Acidity is what makes a wine food friendly, and Italian...

The Super-Whites of Friuli In the late 1970s, the producer, Jermann, created Vintage Tunina, a complex blend of native and international white grapes that became iconic among Friuli’s superior white blends. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Jermann inspired several other Friuli producers,...

Collio (or Collio Goriziano) DOC Collio’s vineyards date back to pre-Roman times; they were of renown then and are held in high esteem now. Their impressive whites are considered the finest in Friuli and are among the finest in Italy.

Friuli Grave DOC Friuli Grave was previously called Grave del Friuli but is often simply referred to as Grave. This is the largest DOC, both in terms of area under vine and in production. It accounts for more than one-third of Friuli’s total wine production.

Veneto’s grape varieties are almost equally divided between white and red. More than 60% of the cultivated varieties are native or Italian grapes. Among them, the indigenous Glera, Garganega and Corvina Veronese account for almost half of Veneto’s total plantings. The western Veneto is largely and...

Nebbiolo-Based Appellations of Langhe Hills in Piedmont Barolo DOCG Barolo is one of Italy’s greatest wines and is considered to deliver the highest and most powerful expression of the Nebbiolo grape. Although its origin is shrouded in mystery, its rise to stardom is not. Supposedly, the red wines...

The Italian Wine Scholar manual includes accurate, detailed and custom-designed, proprietary wine maps for each Italian region.Register for the Italian Wine Scholar program unit 1 now and access wine maps on the wine regions of Italy including: Lombardia Piemonte Trentino Alto Adige Veneto...

The geologic evolution of the Italian landscape has always been characterized by strong volcanic activity. Italy is one of the few winemaking countries with a considerable number of vineyards growing on the slopes of ancient and extinct volcanos. Vineyards are also cultivated around active...

Emilia-Romagna is one of the wealthiest regions in Italy and in all of Europe. It is a cultural nexus, thanks to the beautiful Romanesque and Renaissance architecture found in the cities of Bologna, Ferrara and Modena. The Rimini and Riccione beach resorts of the Adriatic are famous among the...

Alto Adige/Südtirol is one of the oldest winegrowing areas in German-speaking Europe. Vines were cultivated by the local Rhaeti tribe, an ancient Alpine people of Etruscan origin, before their territory was conquered by the Roman Empire in 15 BC. According to the Roman author, Pliny the Elder,...

Today, Veneto represents Italy’s most productive wine region and accounts for 25% of Italy’s total DOC/G wine production.

Advances in the cellars coupled with better vineyard management and Friuli’s natural gift of a temperate climate, resulted in concentrated wines with an extra layer of richness. From the 1970s onward, Friuli gained commercial success and popularity for its white wines.

The Wine Scholar Guild announces its worldwide launch of a new study and certification program on the wines of Italy. The Italian Wine Scholar Program was created by Maurizio Broggi, native Italian, DWS and Certified Sommelier, who joins the Wine Scholar Guild as Education Director for Italy. This...

Are you looking for the best Italian red grapes? The wonderful thing about Italian red grape varieties is that they are distinctly Italian. Plenty of winegrowers around the world have made attempts at growing Sangiovese, Nebbiolo and Barbera, but few have come even close to matching the results of...

A number of Friuli’s native varieties were rescued from the brink of disappearance. Let us introduce you to Vitovska and Pignolo. Vitovska: The name of this white grape variety is of clear Slavic origin, but it is generally considered to be a native variety of both eastern Friuli and Slovenia, as...

With a treasure trove of native white varieties, Friuli Venezia Giulia makes some of Italy’s most exciting white wines.Friuli Venezia Giulia is considered the birthplace of modern Italian white winemaking. In the late 1960s, a small group of inspired producers began crafting clean, fresh and...

Emilia-Romagna’s Romagna Albana DOCG holds the claim to that distinction. This was Emilia-Romagna’s first DOCG, and more controversially, Italy’s first white DOCG.

The grape varieties of Veneto Veneto’s grape varieties are almost equally divided between white and red. More than 60% of the cultivated varieties are native or Italian grapes. Among them, the indigenous Glera, Garganega and Corvina Veronese account for almost half of Veneto’s total plantings.

One of the most traditional and prestigious products of Emilia is Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale (traditional balsamic vinegar). This precious and expensive vinegar is made only in Reggio-Emilia and Modena. The latter is usually considered to craft the most prestigious vinegars of the two. Aceto...

Ancient Romans often drank wine at the end of the meal by passing around a “gutturnium” (a 2 liter silver jug). Emilia-Romagna’s Gutturnio DOC takes its name from a jug found along the Po River in 1878.