WINE

Learn about Italian Wines!

This page is an essential guide to Italian Wines and collects all the articles about wines, appellations, and grape varieties.
Italian Wines are classified into 526 Denominations, spread in 20 regions: 75 DOCGs, 333 DOCs, and 118 IGPs. Everybody has heard of Barolo, Brunello, Chianti, and Amarone. If you are an intermediate taster, you may know about Cortese, Vermentino, Aglianico, maybe Orvieto, and Verdicchio.

But who knows about Vitoska, Vespolina, Biancolella, and Tintilia? You will, if you want, by reading this guide.

Facts and figures

— The Italian wine scene is composed of about 310,000 farms, an average of 2 hectares cultivated per farm, and just over 45,000 wine-making companies

— AGEA (Agency for Agriculture Subsidy) data: in 2015, 76% of the wineries produced less than 100 hectoliters of wine per year, 17% between 101 and 1,000 hectoliters, 5% between 1,001 and 10,000 hectoliters, and 1% between 10,001 and 100,000 hectoliters

— This confirms the tendency towards fragmentation and the prevalence of small and medium-sized entities

— The vast majority comes from the larger companies: in 2015, 77.5% was produced by companies that vinified more than 10,001 hectoliters per year

— Three fundamental categories:  Family-run wineries, widespread in the areas with the greatest winemaking traditions; Cooperatives, that cover 60% of wine production in Italy; Large estates and industries, historic Tuscan, Venetian, and Piedmontese wine families, grown considerably through acquisitions and mergers

The Essential Guide to Italian Wines

You will see the most recent articles on the top of the page. However, you can find the topic that you would like to learn about by:

–> using the search tool

–> using the tags: they are by region, by type, and by grape variety

  • WINE

    Leverano DOC

    Leverano DOC: White Grape Varieties are Chardonnay, Fiano, Malvasiaand Red Grape is Negroamaro.The  Minimum alcohol level is 10.5% for Bianco and white varietals; 11.0% for Rosato, Negroamaro rosato, and Novello; 11.0% for Passito and Dolce Naturale (15.0% potential); 11.5% for Rosso; 12.0% for Negroamaro rosso; 12.5% for Superiore and Riserva We are working…

  • WINE

    IGP Valle d’Itria

    IGP Valle d’Itria: White Grape Varieties are Asprinio, Bianco di Alessano, Bombino Bianco, Chardonnay, Cococciola, Falanghina, Fiano, Francavidda, Garganega, Gewürztraminer, Greco, Grillo, Impigno, Malvasia, Manzoni Bianco, Montonico Bianco,  Moscato,  Mostosa, Pinot Bianco, Pinot Grigio, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon,  Sylvaner Verde, Trebbiano, Verdeca, Verdicchio,  Vermentino, Welschriesling (Riesling Italico) and Red Grape Varieties…

  • WINE

    IGP Tarantino

    IGP Tarantino is a wine appellation in the province of Taranto, Puglia. The White Grape are Asprinio, Bianco di Alessano, Bombino bianco, Chardonnay, Falanghina, Fiano, Francavidda, Garganega, Greco, Grillo, Impigno, Malvasia, Manzoni Bianco, Moscato, Pinot Bianco, Pinot Grigio, Riesling,  Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Sylvaner Verde, Trebbiano, Verdeca,  Verdicchio,  Vermentino, Welschriesling (Riesling Italico) Principal Red Grapes are Aglianico,  Aleatico, Barbera, Bombino Nero, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Lacrima,  Lambrusco, Malbec, Malvasia Nera, Merlot,  Montepulciano, Negroamaro, Nero d’Avola (Calabrese), Ottavianello,  Pampanuto,  Petit Verdot, Piedirosso, Pinot Nero, Primitivo, Refosco, Sangiovese,  Susumaniello,  Syrah, Uva…

  • WINE

    IGP Puglia

    IGP Puglia: White Grapes are Asprinio, Bianco di Alessano, Biancolella, Bombino Bianco, Chardonnay, Cococciola, Coda di Volpe, Falanghina, Fiano,  Francavidda,  Garganega, Gewürztraminer, Greco, Grillo, Impigno, Malvasia, Manzoni Bianco,  Montonico Bianco, Moscato, Mostosa, Pinot Bianco, Pinot Grigio, Riesling,  Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Sylvaner Verde, Trebbiano, Verdeca, Verdicchio,  Vermentino,  Welschriesling (Riesling Italico)and  Red Grapes are Aglianico, Aleatico, Barbera,  Bombino Nero, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Greco Nero, Lacrima,  Lambrusco, Malbec, Malvasia Nera, Merlot, Montepulciano, Negroamaro, Nero d’Avola (Calabrese), Ottavianello, Pampanuto, Petit Verdot, Piedirosso, Pinot Nero, Primitivo, Refosco, Sangiovese, Susumaniello, Syrah, Uva di Troia.The  Minimum alcohol level is  9.5% for all frizzante and…

  • WINE

    IGP Murgia

    IGP Murgia: White Grape Varieties are Bianco di Alessano, Bombino Bianco, Chardonnay, Cococciola, Falanghina, Fiano, Garganega, Gewürztraminer, Greco, Grillo, Malvasia, Manzoni Bianco, Montonico Bianco, Moscato, Mostosa, Pinot Bianco,  Pinot Grigio, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Sylvaner Verde,  Trebbiano, Verdeca, Verdicchio, Vermentino, Welschriesling (Riesling Italico) and the principal Red Grapes are Aglianico, Aleatico,…

  • WINE

    IGP Daunia

    IGP Daunia:White Grapes are Bianco di Alessano, Biancolella, Bombino Bianco, Chardonnay, Cococciola, Coda di Volpe, Falanghina, Fiano, Garganega,  Gewürztraminer, Greco, Malvasia, Manzoni Bianco, Montonico Bianco,  Moscato,  Mostosa, Pinot Bianco, Pinot Grigio, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc,  Semillon, S ylvaner Verde, Trebbiano, Verdeca, Verdicchio, Vermentino,  Welschriesling (Riesling Italico)Red Grapes are Aglianico, Aleatico, Barbera, Bombino Nero, Cabernet Franc,  Cabernet Sauvignon, Greco Nero, Lambrusco, Malbec, Malvasia Nera, Merlot,  Montepulciano, Negroamaro, Nero d’Avola (Calabrese), Pampanuto, …

  • WINE

    Gravina DOC

    Gravina DOC: White Grape are Greco, Malvasiaand Red Grapes are Montepulciano, PrimitivoBianco (Wh, WhSw): Minimum 50% Greco; minimum 20% Malvasia (Bianca or Bianca Lunga); maximum 30% Bianco di Alessano, Chardonnay, Fiano, and/or Verdeca; Rosato (Ro): Minimum 40% Montepulciano; minimum 20% Primitivo; maximum 30% Aglianico, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and/or Uva di Troia; Rosso (Rd):…

  • WINE

    Gioia del Colle DOC

    Gioia del Colle DOC: White Grapes are Trebbiano and Red Grape are Aleatico,  Malvasia Nera, Montepulciano, Negroamaro, Primitivo, SangioveseRosato (Ro): 50–60% Primitivo; 40–50% Malvasia Nera, Montepulciano, Negroamaro, and/or Sangiovese (maximum 10% Malvasia Nera); Rosso (Rd): 50–60% Primitivo; 40–50% Malvasia Nera, Montepulciano, Negroamaro, and/or Sangiovese (maximum 10% Malvasia Nera); Primitivo (Rd): 100% Primitivo; Riserva (Primitivo); Aleatico…

  • WINE

    Galatina DOC

    Galatina DOC: White Grape is Chardonnay, Red Grape is NegroamaroBianco (Wh, WhFr): Minimum 55% Chardonnay + OANWG; Chardonnay (Wh, WhFr): Minimum 85% Chardonnay + OANWG; Rosato (Ro, RoFr): Minimum 65% Negroamaro + OANRG; Rosso (Rd): Minimum 65% Negroamaro + OANRG; Negroamaro (Rd): Minimum 85% Negroamaro + OANRG; Novello (Rosso); Riserva (Negroamaro)…

  • WINE

    Copertino DOC

    Copertino DOC: Red Grape is NegroamaroRosato (Ro): Minimum 70% Negroamaro; maximum 30% Malvasia Nera, Montepulciano, and/or Sangiovese (maximum 15% Sangiovese); Rosso (Rd): Minimum 70% Negroamaro; maximum 30% Malvasia Nera, Montepulciano, and/or Sangiovese (maximum 15% Sangiovese); Riserva (Rosso) The Minimum alcohol level is  12.0% for Rosato and Rosso; 12.5% for Riserva We…